Data and Innovative Financing for Europe and Central Asia Top of Mind as UN Deputy Chief meets Regional Collaborative Platform
At the 2024 Europe and Central Asia Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP) meeting, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed recognized the steady progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) taking place across the region. The Deputy Secretary-General emphasized the diverse needs and opportunities, noting the drawbacks of cookie-cutter approaches to varied socioeconomic, environmental, and operating contexts of the region and the necessity of tailored interventions in transition areas such as social protection, women’s employment, and international migration.
Ms. Mohammed noted the high-level engagement and sustained commitment from Member States and regional actors in advancing the SDGs and other key initiatives. Stressing the need for collective agreement to strengthen statistical capacities, she called for improved data collection, analysis, as well as stronger monitoring frameworks. The Deputy Secretary General reiterated the importance of decisions being informed by robust, timely, and accurate data. Examining challenges in mobilizing resources for data collection, she emphasized the pivotal role of data accuracy in making informed decisions, and the value of evidence-based programming in attracting investment.
The meeting outlined the RCP’s role in supporting key areas to enable the acceleration of the SDGs. The experience and expertise provided by the RCP can facilitate efficient sharing of best practices, technologies, and methodologies for data collection and digital transformation. Moreover, they can foster dialogue on innovative financing models for economic diversification and promote collaboration on public health, as well as sustainable agriculture and food systems. The convening power and the guidance of the RCP through the Issue Based Coalitions (IBCs) has been recognized as a mechanism to transition to resilient and equitable systems with their support to Resident Coordinators (RC) and UN Country Teams (UNCT).
The Deputy Secretary General outlined the framework of the Summit, with SDGs at the core to align efforts and seek potential synergies to address the financing architecture, a significant barrier to achieving the SDGs. Guy Ryder, Under Secretary-General for Policy, gave an overview of the preparatory work for the Summit of the Future. He emphasized the need to ensure a unified approach to tackle pressing global challenges, and stressed the need for a solid, action-oriented outcome from the Summit that addresses the tough issues head-on.
During the meeting there were discussions on the need for innovative financing solutions, such as attracting private sector investment, including pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, or engaging public-private partnerships to leverage resources for collaborative, large-scale programmatic interventions. Moving beyond small, donor-oriented projects to create integrated approaches through international financial institutions could showcase potential investment projects and programs to the private sector. To that end, the UN and partners can utilize their expertise in areas such as policy and regulatory environments to facilitate country efforts to transitions, especially in areas such as climate change or energy.
With the Summit of the Future on the horizon, the call for a reinvigorated global partnership and strategic investment in data and sustainable financing mechanisms is clear as ever. The Deputy Secretary-General's remarks rallied renewed commitment and action, both in the region and globally, underlining the critical moment at in the pursuit of a sustainable and equitable future for all.
