UNRC Talking Points - UNSDCF 2nd Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting

Good morning,

Dear Minister Miscevic, Ambassador Zugic, dear assistant ministers and state secretaries, colleagues from the UN

I am happy to be here this morning, it is an important annual moment in the collaboration between the United Nations team and the Government of Serbia. And I am grateful for the Ministry of EU integration and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate, for the second time, such high-level engagement. This is an excellent opportunity for us to reflect on our common priorities, on the challenges that we faced last year, and on how we can accelerate both the realisation of Agenda 2030, and the EU accession agenda.

I will share 4 points with you today.

1. Let me highlight briefly the key features of our cooperation framework:

it is a 5 year framework running from 2021 to 2025, we are reporting today on the second year 2022. It has 3 strategic priorities: green transformation / human capital / hR, Gender and the RoL agenda. It has 8 outcomes, and you will hear today about some key results under each of these outcomes.

The estimated budget for 5 years is Euro 350m, and in 2022, it was about Euro 85m. We expect a full expenditure for 2022.

The priorities as defined in the CF have been defined jointly with many of the ministries present today, and we are expected to report ultimately on common achievements. I believe that we work with every single line ministry of the cabinet, as well as other key institutions such as the association of towns and municipalities, multiples local self government, and of course, civil society and the private sector.

The CF is based on the 5 key pillars of Agenda 2030: People, prosperity, planet, peace and partnership. As you know, our people centered approach is reflected through the Leave No One Behind principle – which Serbia has recently adopted as a main tool to ensure alignment of legislation to address the needs of more vulnerable people. In the context of the poly-crises in 2022, I would like to add that we increased our focus on addressing inequalities, expanding the Human Rights & Gender agenda, addressing hate speech and misinformation. We also advocated throughout the year for an acceleration of the Green transformation, despite new short term constraints linked to rising costs of living, particularly for energy and food.

2. The United Nations team in Serbia continues to bring in an immense wealth of knowledge, norms, principles and values from all corners of our global institution. This knowledge comes in multiple forms, international treaties and global agreement (such as the agreement on plastic pollution, or the multiple human rights related agreement), or normative knowledge, protocols and standards developed by many, if not all agencies, and multiple streams of innovation in all areas of social, environmental and economic development. I think and to say that this is one of the most important value add of the UN. Much of these norms and standards are then adopted and adjusted to regional or local context, and you will find them in most European fundamentals.

3. That leads to my third point. Serbia has been actively involved in the formulation of Agenda 2030, and was one of the earlier submitter of the Voluntary National Report. Together, we need to commit to accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. Today I take the opportunity to ask the government leadership to restart the joint ministerial initiative on SDGs, under the leadership of the Prime Minister. We would also support the formulation of a sustainable development plan for the country, which the Prime Minister Barnabic mentioned at the annual meeting of the EU convention of NGO late December. There is already some very solid statistical framework in place to match EU accession targets with SDG targets, and a renewed focus on Agenda 2030 will provide a powerful conduit for addressing inequalities, fast tracking the green agenda, and supporting the Accession agenda. I hope this will translate in practical terms in the submission of a VNR in 2024.

4. And allow me a 4th point, on common successes in 2022 that have driven the sustainability agenda in Serbia. This relates to Serbia’s involvement in major global initiatives, such as the sustainable food systems strategy, the transforming education summit and strategy, the world urban forum, the COPs. In each of these global initiatives, Serbia has demonstrated its ability to embrace strategic, multi sectoral approaches to address critical complex contemporary challenges. At the UN we see these initiatives as powerful accelerators to the development agenda. They have also created platforms to engage with multiple stakeholders, including citizens across the country.

I will conclude by saying that we have much work ahead, and we need to work closer together, and faster. We have so little time to deliver for the people and the planet. As the UN Secretary general said yesterday in one of his engagements, we need Super Action to address both short term and long term challenges. Working closer means active coordination between the Gov and the UN, as well as with the financing bodies, it means transparency and collegial working relationship between all of us.  Together with our national counterparts, we will continue to advance the full realisation of Agenda 2030 with a people-centered approach to development, and to promote values of solidarity, unity, equity, and accelerate fundamental transformations in our economic and social models, anticipate risks and take robust preventive actions.

Hvala.