Mr. Chairman, Ms. Executive Director, Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset Sweden would like to thank Madame Obaid for her comprehensive statement which provides a clear understanding of UNFPA’s strategic direction, as well as an understanding of challenges and opportunities that are currently facing UNFPA and the implementation of the ICPD-agenda.
Sweden would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm its strong support for the ICPD-agenda and for UNFPA’s important role in its implementation. We would also like to reaffirm our continued support for the Executive Director and for her effective leadership.
The MYFF cumulative report makes it clear that UNFPA has been instrumental in advancing the ICPD agenda, both in advocating a policy environment that promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights and in implementing it on country level.
Some of the more important achievements, are: the establishment of national budget lines for contraceptives, increased access of youth to reproductive health services, and increased male involvement in reproductive health matters.
We share UNFPA’s concern with the lack of progress on maternal mortality, a manifestation of the international communities failure to prioritise women’s health issues including the effects of unsafe abortions. We are pleased to confirm the Swedish core contribution to UNFPA for 2007 of 405 million Swedish kronor, which is roughly equivalent to 58 million USD, an increase in both kronor and dollar terms compared to 2006.
It is Swedish policy to give unearmarked multilateral funds to organisations whose work contributes to the achievement of the agreed international development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. UNFPA’s mandate, with its focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and gender equality, is well in line with this. In the beginning of this year the Swedish government developed a new strategy for multilateral development cooperation. It puts increased emphasis on results and accountability. My country will give priority, in its support, to organizations that show that they effectively measure results against set targets. The UNFPA strategic plan for 2008-2011 can, with some more work, improve UNFPA’s capacity to do this. Mr. Chairman,
The strategic plan that we have before us for discussion this week will shape UNFPA’s work in these important years beyond the half-way point to 2015. The plan has improved substantially as it has gone through different drafts and as the UNFPA, in a transparent and inclusive process, has attempted to incorporate member states’ suggestions. We support the three strategic goals as described in the strategic plan.
We look forward, nonetheless, to seeing further progress in the development of clear outcomes and impact, and developing the indicators, baselines and targets needed to measure them. These elements of the strategic plan are the basis for effective accountability to the board.
We would also like to stress the importance of well-functioning monitoring systems, in this regard we see the Annual Report of the Executive Director as the core instrument for monitoring of results and performance. In addition an empowered and resourced evaluation function will provide the management as well as the board information on how UNFPA is contributing to expected development results. Sweden commends the on-going efforts made by UNFPA and other agencies in the UNEG, in particular efforts made at the country-level to jointly evaluate the impact of the UN.
The strategic plan should form the basis for the discussion on UNFPA’s future organisational structure. We can support UNFPA’s analysis that a shift of staff and responsibilities to the regions will allow UNFPA to more effectively deliver in the field. We also acknowledge the advantage of working on the regional level with the ICPD-agenda. This can be done through supporting regional commitments, such as the “Maputo Plan of Action for Sexual and Reproductive Health by the African Union”. We want to emphasise, however, that a new organisational structure must build on existing UN regional structures.
The new strategic plan and a changed organisational structure can contribute to a more effective UNFPA. A UNFPA that gets more impact for every dollar spent. A UNFPA that is better equipped to meet the challenges as we work together towards achieving the millennium development goals.
Mr. Chairman,
We encourage UNFPA to continue its active engagement in and important contribution to the One-UN country pilots. The resources invested in the UN reform efforts will, through hard work and a spirit of cooperation, pay off handsomely in the future through enhanced results and tangible improvement in the lives of women, men, children and young people. In this context we look forward to seeing, in the not too distant future, more resident coordinators recruited from within UNFPA ranks.
UNFPA rightly emphasises the importance of partnerships and we think that the issue warrants a more thorough treatment in the strategic plan. Of particular importance to us is UNFPA’s partnerships with WHO and others, aiming at strengthening national health systems, in order to achieve progress in the field of sexual and reproductive health.
Furthermore we would like to emphasise that national, regional and local governments must together with their populations have ownership over the development activities, in the spirit of the Paris agenda.
We share UNFPA’s concern that the concept of “delivering as one” includes the risk of sexual and reproductive health “sliding off the agenda”. It falls upon UNFPA, together with member states and other partners, to make sure that sexual and reproductive health remains squarely on the agenda.
One of UNFPA’s comparative advantages is its focused mandate. In light of this we encourage UNFPA to strive to maintain its focus on what it does best and think twice before embarking on endeavors that might lead to a broadening of the mandate and a weakening of the organization’s effectiveness. Finally, Sweden welcomes that indicators are in the process of being established to track the new MDG 5 target on universal access to reproductive health.
Thank you!