Geneva – The Federal Council of Switzerland announced its decision to commit $155 million (CHF 147.8 million or CHF 49.3 million per year) in long-term, predictable, financing to help UNDP deliver on its Strategic Plan 2022-2025. This new funding agreement to UNDP’s regular resources is a strong sign of Swiss support to multilateralism and global solidarity.
Complex, interconnected crises are the new normal and the global community is witnessing unprecedented challenges, with multiple countries in war and crisis including Ukraine, Yemen, Myanmar, Syria, and Afghanistan. Pressures from climate change and biodiversity loss and compounded by a burgeoning food crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic will affect and probably reverse hard-earned development gains in many emerging and developing economies that lack the ability to cope with multiple and complex crises. In this context, Switzerland – UNDP’6th largest donor – through long term and predicable development finance, brings the flexibility and agility that is required to support a more secure, stable, and sustainable world.
“As the international community is being called to further invest in prevention, peace, rule of law, human rights and resilience-building efforts while ensuring support to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,, Switzerland continues to be a vital partner for UNDP and for global development cooperation. Development work, done well, is the only lasting and cost-effective solution to crisis over the long-term and we are grateful to benefit from the Swiss support to accompany developing countries in their structural transformations to recover forward better and greener” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
To achieve its mandate, UNDP relies primarily on voluntary contributions from UN Member States. Regular resources pays for essential UNDP’s work on the ground in over 170 countries and territories, allowing the organization to respond to crisis in a timely and flexible manner. They also guarantee the quality, efficiency and accountability of UNDP’s work.
In Ukraine, such flexible funding has enabled UNDP to remain operational throughout the conflict and support the government in emergency response management and in the delivery of basic services. In Afghanistan, regular resources have also enabled UNDP to initiate a cash assistance programme and directly support thousands of women owned enterprises and small farmers.
Overall, the Swiss financial support to regular resources ensures UNDP’s continued commitment to eradicating poverty, accompanying developing countries in their pathways towards the SDGs and the Paris climate agreement, and laying the foundations for sustainable development and lasting peace. These flexible resources are also key to support countries on the rule of law and democratic governance, anti-corruption, civic engagement and gender equality.
Going forward, with its Strategic Plan for 2022-2025, UNDP also intends to strengthen its work on digital solutions, innovation and development financing. Partnerships are an integral part of our work and UNDP enjoys a wide array of collaboration with Swiss partners, including with private sector and civil society, to promote human rights, achieve greater impact and meet the development challenges of our times.
This re-affirmation of Switzerland’s commitment to UNDP core funding complements the additional and extensive collaboration between UNDP and the Government of Switzerland on specific country-level projects around the world with the aim to leave no-one behind.
In addition, Switzerland has also announced a contribution of CHF 9 million to the core resources of the United Nations Capital Development Programme (UNCDF) for the period 2022-2024 (CHF 3 million/year.)
