I thank you, Madam President.
I align myself to the statement made by the G77 Chair. Allow me to make some additional remarks.
I thank Mr. Steiner for his comprehensive overview. We commend his leadership and the outstanding support of UNDP staff globally as we recover from the pandemic.
Mr. Steiner – we had shared our national priorities at the APG consultations held last week with you.
Today, I wish to reflect on some key highlights of your statement.
I have four specific points:
First, UNDP’s partnership with the Government of India on their “CoWIN” platform for delivering more than 1.5 billion doses of COVID vaccines is commendable. Do you have a roadmap to launch such partnerships in other program countries? What are your immediate plans for the LDCs and African countries, which are the furthest behind in vaccines?
Second, we appreciate your focus on “NDC partnership” and “transition beyond fossil fuels” to scale up climate mitigation efforts globally. Do you have similar plans to create new platforms for partnership or leveraging the existing ones to ensure enhanced adaptation financing and technology transfer? How do you plan to leverage the promises for the Glasgow Pact to advance these agendas?
Third, the Secretary General’s report: “Our Common Agenda” has placed high focus on leveraging digital revolution to achieve the SDGs on education and youth development. The “Education Summit” and “Summit of the Future” could be important in coming up with transformative agendas in this regard for our future generations. How can the UNDP support efforts [in collaboration with other relevant agencies] to leverage online education and digital platforms for ensuring affordable and quality education for all? One of the hardest hit areas in the pandemic, especially for the children and youth in the developing south.
Finally, Bangladesh has been elected the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission for 2022. In setting out our roadmap for this year, we have placed high priority on the enhanced engagements with the funds and programs in the countries under PBC’s consideration. How can we collaborate more to ensure effective delivery of peacebuilding goals by UNDP in support of national peacebuilding priorities? We would like to hear of possibilities for such collaboration between UNDP, PBC and PBF.
I shall rest it here.
I thank you, Madam President.