NATIONAL INTERVENTION IN RESPONSE TO THE STATEMENT BY THE UNFPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Agenda Item 14: Midterm Review of the UNFPA Strategic Plan (2022-2025) and Annual Report of the UNFPA Executive Director 2023
Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNOPS
Annual Session
5 June 2024
Statement by H.E. Ms Rebecca Bryant, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
Executive Director, Mister President,
UNFPA is fundamental to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.
Australia is pleased to provide multi-year core funding to UNFPA, and to contribute to UNFPA’s Strategic Plan and its four-year trajectory.
We welcome the Midterm Review of the Strategic Plan. Today my remarks reflect on this Review and will focus on three comments and one question.
First, we are concerned that progress towards achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and the Sustainable Development Goals, is at risk.
In the 30th Anniversary year of the ICPD Programme for Action, we cannot look away from the fact that global trends to end the unmet need for family planning, and to end preventable maternal deaths, have stagnated.
We whole-heartedly agree with the Midterm Review that without the contributions of UNFPA the global situation would be much worse.
Second, Australia supports the Review’s point that UNFPA needs to enhance its normative role, which we consider crucially important.
We also agree that UNFPA should deploy stronger evidence for advocacy and policy dialogue, as well as keep strengthening the normative capacity of its leadership at all levels. In this regard, we remain engaged on the Optimisation Initiative, and how it will impact UNFPA’s norm-building capabilities.
Third, we commend UNFPA’s continued focus on humanitarian response and action. In 2023, Australia was among UNFPA’s top humanitarian supporters. We recognise the strides UNFPA has taken to bring together resilience, prevention, preparedness, and early action. We urge UNFPA to continue its commendable efforts to build its humanitarian capacity.
I would like to conclude with a question on earmarked funding: we remain concerned that the UN development system is witnessing a persistent concentration of earmarked resources.
While we understand our obligations as donors to change our funding patterns and behaviour, what additional concrete steps can UNFPA initiate, particularly at the country level, to help reduce the volume of tightly earmarked projects?
Thank you.