Signing of the UN Sustainable Development Coordination Framework 2023-2027

Dear Minister Krivokapic,  Dear Minister Adrovic,

Your Excellencies, Dear colleagues from the Government and UN system,

Dear ladies and gentlemen, Dear Friends of Montenegro,

Let me start by welcoming all of you on this important occasion!

Today, the UN and the Government of Montenegro are presenting and officially signing our new joint Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the period 2023-2027.

This important document represents a cornerstone of our joint development efforts for the coming 5 years. It builds upon the successful cooperation between the UN family and the Government, based on previous joint programmes. Our new Cooperation framework will continue to address ongoing and future key development challenges in Montenegro, which have been identified through a joint in-depth analysis of the country context and which many of you here today were part of formulating throughout last year.

Besides the analytical work, the process of developing the new Cooperation Framework included broad-based consultations with both; civil society organizations, private sector, development partners, as well as directly with stakeholders such as youth, both boys and girls and women groups.

The UN and the Government held technical consultations which culminated in the Strategic Prioritization Retreat, where key priorities of the new programme cycle were agreed upon in December last year - an event that many of you here today attended as well.

Our new Cooperation framework will focus on walking the last mile towards the 2030Agenda and we have together identified three overarching priority areas that will help respond to Montenegro’s development needs and human rights priorities, and these are:

• Inclusive economic development and environmental sustainability.
• Human capital development, reducing vulnerability and social inclusion;
• Social cohesion, people-centred governance, rule of law and human rights;

By working jointly in all these areas, the UN and the Government aim to achieve an overall vision of a Montenegro with reduced multidimensional and income poverty - a Montenegro where there is accelerated progress towards a sustainable, resource–efficient and innovation–based economy; where the environment is healthier and where there is increased respect for human rights, social justice and inclusion of the most vulnerable.

The new Cooperation framework is anchored in Montenegro’s national and international priorities such the National Strategy for Sustainable Development and the Accession to the European Union. I would like to highlight the strong correlation between Agenda 2030 and the EU accession process. When Montenegro achieves all the EU accession benchmarks, Montenegro will have reached almost 70% of the targets of Agenda 2030, this is really how closely linked these two processes are.

By harnessing these synergies, in particular in three Chapters of the EU Acquis – 27 (on environment and climate change), 23 (on judiciary and fundamental rights) and 19 (on social policy and employment), we believe, our new Cooperation Framework will support Montenegro to make its final steps towards full EU membership, being a key national priority of the Government and the country.

The new Cooperation Framework for 2023-2027 will be operationalized through the work of 18 UN agencies which will fully align their programming towards overall goals and priorities of our new 5-year strategy. As an example, two agencies – UNICEF and UNDP have developed their new 5-year Country Programme Documents in full alignment with the Cooperation Framework which will also be presented here today.

Along with our joint work on the new Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, the UN and the Government have also joined forces to establish a new and complementary funding mechanism to help drive for results, I am therefore glad to announce our work on establishing the Montenegro Acceleration Fund –an innovative financing mechanism that will allow more agile approach to emerging development challenges.

Together with the Government we took the opportunity during the High-Level Political Forum in New York last week, to present this new funding tool to 23 countries who attended a side-event hosted by Montenegro and the UN. Statements of support, made by some Governments, are very encouraging!

The Montenegro Acceleration Fund is a country-based pooled fund that will facilitate mobilization of financial resources to support Montenegro in implementing the Cooperation Framework and, subsequently, it is a complementary funding tool to the already established funding streams.

Moreover, this new fund will serve as a joint platform where the Government, the UN and donors will be able to have joint strategic discussions about targeted interventions to address complex development challenges. This fund will also help strengthen coordination, joint planning and joint implementation, something many of you member states have asked the UN system to drive for as a part of the UN Reforms. We are now able to present such a tool even for Montenegro.

I am glad to announce that both Switzerland and Luxemburg are going to support this fund, but we need more partners to make this happen in the end.

We are also looking into how to broaden the partnership to also invite the Montenegrin diaspora to come onboard and channel development efforts through the Montenegro Acceleration Fund and building on private-public partnership efforts, as well as crowdfunding.

To conclude, I would like to firstly thank the Government for adopting our joint Sustainable Development Cooperation framework in its Cabinet session on the 8th of July. I would also take this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and especially Minister Krivokapic for your leadership and your strong efforts in coordinating our joint development efforts.

Lastly, we do live in challenging times, not only for Montenegro, but for the whole world. We are now half-way towards 2030 and with eight years left we are to collectively show (and be held accountable) for how we succeed in achieving transformational results needed. We still have to change and adapt our economies, speed up the energy transition, invest in climate adaptations and social developments. If not, we are failing to meet not only the SDGs, but also the future generations, yours and my children and our grandchildren and beyond, so let’s not fail!

I sincerely thank you all for being present here today and I look forward to continuation of our successful cooperation and start the implementation of our continued joint partnership- Hvala Puno!