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21.05.2025 Statement by Denmark at the ECOSOC Operational Activities Segment

Who H.E. Erik Laursen, Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark to the UN
Who H.E. Erik Laursen, Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark to the UN
When 21.05.2025

Checked against delivery

 

Thank you mr. Vice President, Deputy Secretary-General, thank you for your leadership and presentation, both yesterday and this morning.

 

Denmark aligns itself with the EU statement and today just some brief national comments.

 

The relevance of the UNDS is determined by its impact and results at country-level.

 

We welcome the Secretary General’s UN80 reform initiative. Including the designated UN80 UNDS-cluster.

 

In launching UN80 the Sectary General encouraged all of us to turn our eyes to the future, and to ask how the UN can be the most effective and responsive organization that it can be. Kindly allow a few remarks in this regard:

 

Firstly: The 2024 report offers valuable insights into recent results. And into some of the barriers encountered to the 2018 UNDS reform.

 

Denmark acknowledges the positive outcomes achieved. Particularly the high level of satisfaction by host countries – 98% of whom report that UN at country-level effectively responds to national priorities.

 

Yet, challenges do persist. 1/5 of UN country team entities still do not base their programming instruments on the Cooperation Framework – also mentioned by you this morning, madam DSG.

Prompted by the SG’s question of how the UN can be the most effective Organization that it can be – rather than dwelling on existing ways of working - allow me to point to two issues or questions:

 

  1. Firstly, what systemic changes might result from the UN80, which could, and hopefully can, once and for all strengthen RC leadership in the UN country team?

  2. And secondly, what deeper structural adjustments might UN80 enable, that can shift business models and incentive systems so that all UN-entities prioritize cooperation frameworks and collaboration around joint objectives and results?

 

Your reflections on this, honourable DSG, could help to inform member states’ UN80-engagement.

 

We are also keen to listen to host governments’ UN80 expectations for the UNDS.

 

Secondly, lack of funding in an era of shrinking development budget is identified as an obstacle multiple times throughout the report.

 

As articulated in the UN Funding Compact endorsed by member states last year, funding flows express mutual commitment.

 

The Funding Compact’s monitoring framework importantly notes the need for common standards on visibility and recognition and we hope that this could also ensure continued support for the UNDS.

 

We warmly welcome action to proceed with development of such standards.

 

Thank you so much.