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Overview

The Resident Coordinator system today

The Resident Coordinator system today 

The UN Secretary-General has called for a ‘decade of transformation’ to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

To make the most of UN’s expertise at the global, regional and country levels, impartial and empowered Resident Coordinators have been leading UN teams to support countries to catalyze and accelerate sustainable development. This includes the transformation of food systems and education, and climate action, offering a strategic entry point to UN expertise, forging partnerships, mobilizing funding and leveraging the SDGs financing. 

Strong, integrated and expert Resident Coordinator system leadership—as envisioned by sweeping UN development system reforms launched five years ago—is now more essential than ever, for the UN to respond effectively and at the scale needed to meet the SDG promise by 2030 against a backdrop of global crises and increased instability.

Boosting UN leadership for the SDGs
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Stronger UN coordination to catalyze change for people and planet
https://unsdg.un.org/zh/node/99432?card=1922

Host governments' feedback on the Resident Coordinator system continued to improve 

Host governments report that Resident Coordinators have strengthened/increased

Source: DESA survey of host country Governments, 2022 Notes: Management skills added as a response category in 2021

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Host governments report that Resident Coordinators have strengthened/increased
https://unsdg.un.org/zh/node/99432?card=1926
87%

UN entry point

87% report that RCs increased their ability to serve as an entry point to the UN offer, compared to 62% in 2019 

85%

Leadership

85% of host governments note that RCs had strengthened leadership compared to 65% in 2019

80%

Impartiality

80% report strengthened impartiality of RCs, compared to 59% in 2019

83%

Authority

83% say that RCs have strengthened authority, compared to 59% in 2019

83%

Capacity

83% note that RCs have strengthened capacity to coordinate, compared to 66% in 2019

79%

Management skills

79% say RCs have strengthened management skills, compared to 75% in 2021

80%

Reduced duplications

80% report that RCs have reduced duplications, compared to 56% in 2019

84%

Common results

84% point out that RCs have increased focus on common results, compared to 60% in 2019

Contributing countries' feedback is also positive

88%

Collective and coherent action

Agree the Resident Coordinator system stepped up collective and coherent action and helped leverage the comparative advantages of UN entities


The report's resource page can be found here, and the glossary here.

To learn more, visit un-dco.org.