UN Member States at the pledging conference sought to narrow the expected 2011 US$30 billion gap in country programmable aid.
8 November 2010: UN Member States have met at UN Headquarters in New York, US, to pledge funds for UN development activities in 2011, attempting to narrow the expected US$30 billion gap in country programmable aid.
Nikhil Seth, Director of the Office of Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), said that current aid levels cannot enable developing countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and that the multiple crises of recent years have created new demands and needs for development assistance.
The conference recorded pledges amounting to approximately US$470 million. Pledging monies to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) were: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Russian Federation and Singapore. Pledges for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) were received from: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Finland, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Russian Federation, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey.
Equatorial Guinea, the Gambia, Ireland, Norway, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Timor-Leste and the United States said they would announce pledges at a later date. [UN Press Release]