Mr Vice-President, before I comment on this final cluster of proposals, allow me to address the situation in Ukraine.
Russia continues its unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic state. The UK and the international community stand united. We will make sure the Russian government pays a heavy price for its actions. We will work together to ensure that the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine is restored. I will now turn to the specific proposals in this cluster.
The UK strongly supports the Secretary-General’s vision for a UN 2.0 – a modern, reformed and upgraded UN that is fully equipped to respond effectively to the global challenges that lie ahead. To succeed, we must choose the most catalytic interventions and be mindful of our budgetary limitations. We welcome the ‘Quintet of change’, which will build the capabilities we need to strengthen mandate delivery, transform decision-making, and deliver greater value for money and more targeted impact. We support the push for greater focus on results, which is critical to demonstrate to the public the real-world impact and value of the UN. We continue to push for greater coherence across the system. Existing reforms provide a solid foundation for change and have already delivered benefits, including by strengthening the UN’s COVID response. Sustained effort, including from member states, is needed to ensure these reforms deliver their full potential.
We recognise the need to put the organisation on a more stable financial footing and note the particular challenges faced by the human rights mechanism. Simply shifting more activity onto assessed budgets is not the solution to providing more predictable and sustainable funding. We would support more effective, agile and flexible use of available resources, including the repurposing of existing funds. We strongly support the move to an annual budget and stand ready to consider further ways to improve the budget process.
But we must look outwards as well as in. We welcome the proposal for more listening and participation to improve trust and engagement and ensure the UN is accountable to those it serves.
We must invest in our partnerships. We support greater civil society and private sector engagement across our work and call for protections for participating stakeholders against reprisals. Proposed Civil Society focal points must be properly implemented, monitored and must augment existing engagement routes. We welcome further information on the Office for Partnerships which should improve physical access as well as digital.
Lastly, we welcome the focus on resolving the challenges of the future and look forward to further information on the High-Level Advisory Board’s process to prepare for the Summit of the Future. We also welcome further discussion on the Scientific Advisory Board. The UN must draw on interdisciplinary, independent scientific advice in an agile, flexible way.
Mr Vice-President, Our Common Agenda can be a moment to bring us together. The UK stands ready to partner with the UN, member states, civil society and other stakeholders on many of the elements contained in the report, from getting more girls into schools to tackling climate change to bridging the digital divide. Let us be strategic, focused and targeted in how we deliver it.
Thank you.
