Deputy Secretary-General’s Remarks at Briefing to Member States in Geneva

It is a pleasure to be back in Geneva and to have this opportunity to exchange thoughts on our common efforts to deliver on the UN Charter. 

2022 was a year that tested us like no other. 

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to destroy lives and livelihoods. 

Despite ceasefires in some contexts, conflicts across the world continued to kill thousands and displace millions. And new conflicts emerged elsewhere, most notably the war in Ukraine. 

Geopolitical tensions have risen considerably, undermining the work of the Security Council, international law, people’s faith in democratic institutions and all forms of international cooperation. 

Within countries, we witnessed eroding trust, widening inequalities and fraying social cohesion. 

Meanwhile, the climate crisis continues to worsen. Emissions keep going up. Climate impacts keep getting worse. As the Secretary-General noted in Sharm El Sheikh: We are getting dangerously close to the point of no return. 

All of this contributed to untold human suffering. 

The cost of food, gas and other essentials grew considerably. 

1.6 billion people – many in Africa – face crushing debt burdens, spiraling inflation, and a lack of access to finance. 

Displacement reached unprecedented levels - more than 100 million by mid-year, well over double the figure 10 years ago. 

The SDGs are on life support as human development fell back to 2016 levels. 

 

Excellencies, 

The challenges we confront are unprecedented in their size, scale, severity, and complexity. 

But it would be a mistake to lose hope or to believe that progress is not happening. 

Amidst strong headwinds, there are winds of hope. 

The Black Sea Grain Initiative showed multilateralism at its best – facilitating concrete progress on issues that have a direct impact on peoples’ lives. Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams provided real-time feedback on food security. 

Momentum around the need to overhaul the international financial system grew stronger than ever – the breakthrough at COP27 on the issue of loss and damage is one important example, with further negotiations undergoing to protect our biodiversity, including through innovative financial instruments, such as debt for nature. 

The UN system and thousands of UN staff across the world continued to deliver. 

Our humanitarian system helped mobilize $20.3 billion to assist 174 million people across 60 countries and territories. 

Our human rights system provided rehabilitation support to over 46,000 victims of torture and facilitated assistance for 13,000 victims of contemporary forms of slavery. 

Our peace and security pillar supported 71 countries to make political and peace processes more inclusive, through mediation, electoral support, and partnerships. 

And our UN Country Teams – led by empowered and strengthened Resident Coordinators – supported 162 developing countries to push ahead with critical SDG transitions across energy, food, digitalization, and social protection. 

Last but not least, the vision of a more effective multilateralism outlined in Our Common Agenda is beginning to bear fruit. 

Earlier this year, the President of the General Assembly outlined the agreed way forward. 

Since then, negotiations have begun on a Global Digital Compact, a Declaration on Future Generations, and the scope of the 2024 Summit of the Future. 

In August, the General Assembly also agreed a historic resolution on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. 

In September, the Transforming Education Summit convened by the Secretary-General saw over 135 countries commit to reboot their education systems – a critical step towards better preparing our societies for uncertain futures. 

And just last week, the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee agreed to establish and fully fund a dedicated UN Youth Office – a capacity that can turbocharge the ability of the UN system to both engage with and support young people across the world. 

 

Excellencies, 

Building on these winds of hope, 2023 is our opportunity to rescue the SDGs. 

At the mid-way point of the implementation of the SDGs, September’s SDG Summit must signal both a firm recommitment to the Goals and a turning point in our efforts. 

The SDG Summit will also coincide with important convenings on Climate Change, Financing and Health. 

Together, these convenings provide a unique opportunity to generate fresh momentum, new commitment, important breakthroughs, and strong partnerships that can ignite a wave of progress between now and 2030. 

2023 is also an important year for preparations for the 2024 Pact for the Future. 

The President of the General Assembly has already kickstarted intergovernmental processes that address specific aspects of Our Common Agenda. 

And a preparatory ministerial meeting on the Summit of the Future next September will mark an important milestone towards a far-reaching Pact for the Future in 2024. 

We hope that the Pact will reinvigorate the multilateral system and make it fit for the challenges of today and tomorrow. 

It must reaffirm our fundamental belief in the Charter of the United Nations. 

And it should re-focus our efforts on meeting our existing commitments in the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement; addressing threats to international peace and security; and realizing our ambitions on human rights, international justice, and gender equality. 

 

Excellencies, 

Preparing for these and other major convenings in 2023 will require an unprecedented level of action from member states and the full mobilization of civil society, the private sector, and beyond. 

It will also require continued strong collaboration between New York and Geneva as we work to reinforce the interdependence of peace, human rights, sustainable development and humanitarian action. 

The United Nations development system embodies this interdependence and I commend the Principals of Geneva-based UN agencies for their excellent collaboration. 

Whether human rights, refugees, labor, migration, health, trade, telecommunications and more – Geneva-based UN entities are at the very core of the UN system. 

 

Excellencies, 

Four years have now passed since the General Assembly agreed to adopt the resolution on the repositioning of the UN development system. 

Since then, we have seen UN country teams working in a more integrated and collaborative manner under the guidance of empowered Resident Coordinators. 

We are now better prepared to respond to countries’ needs and priorities, and truly leverage the Resident Coordinators’ unique convening power. 

87% of host governments confirm that our Resident Coordinator system has scaled up support to countries to advance the SDGs. 

These are important achievements, but we need to keep the momentum as we forge ahead with the remaining reform elements. 

We must aim for meaningful and measurable efficiency gains. 

And we must further align UN development system entities with the ongoing reform efforts. 

Here, governing bodies have a key role to play. 

As requested by Member States, I will soon present to the Governing Boards of UN development system entities in New York, Geneva, Rome, Paris and Nairobi, a reform checklist to help their boards ensure oversight of the agencies implementation of the reforms. 

The results framework of the RC system – once finalized – will be another important management tool. 

As donors and partners of the UN development system, your support is essential – and so too is commensurate, predictable and sustainable funding. 

Smarter investments in flexible, multi-year and pooled funding maximize value. 

Closing the funding gap in the Resident Coordinator system budget must be a priority. 

 

Excellencies, 

Dear delegates, 

Your work in Geneva is an essential part of our joint efforts to build a better future for all. 

Only together, in the spirit of international cooperation and solidarity, can we effectively tackle the formidable challenges our world is facing. 

I thank you for your attention and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections. 

 

Thank you.