July 2, 2021
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Francis Kai-Kai has on the 1st July, 2021participated, virtually, in the closing event of the four-month United Nations Development Program’s Development Dialogues series on “Rethinking Solutions to Crisis- the way forward in the ‘Decade of Action’” to deliver the 2030 Agenda.
The virtual event was aimed at consolidating learning from across the Development Dialogues Series, and outlining the way forward for UNDP’s Development Solutions to Crisis— today, tomorrow, out to 2030 and beyond while also hearing from a range of partners about expectations for UNDP’s key role in crisis situations.
In a short statement before a panel session with Mark Eddo, the Minister, said the coming years that covered the ‘Decade of Action’ on the 2030 Agenda was pivotal in addressing the needs of fragile and conflict affected States, as they sought to reserve the grim forecast that extreme poverty would be concentrated in fragile and conflict affected countries by 2030.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgent need for recovery has made addressing the issues of fragility even more important, as they struggle to cope with the impact of the pandemic, calling for more action that reflected their perspective, decision and ambition.
“I truly hope that the decade ahead of us is really a ‘Decade of Action’ and not a decade of mere statistics, multiple assessments and kind words. Some of these may be necessary, but what we need most is ‘Action’ to pursue peace; action to ensure no one is left behind; action to strengthen our institutions; actions to achieve the SDGs in conflict affected fragile settings and the need to be more decisive in our actions”, said Dr. Kai-Kai.
He said it was also revealing that international cooperation in fragile settings needed to become effective and more responsive to their context and current realities. Minister Kai-Kai said they needed to see more of the partner’s flexibility in repurposing resources to support the COVID-19 response in their countries; noting that the decade of action cannot be business as usual.
Minister Kai-Kai noted that it was time to renew their political commitments to the New Deal for engagement in Fragile States to effectively address fragility and building states that have experienced conflict.
He ended by thanking the UNDP for supporting the implementation of the New Deal, while strongly recommending that the UNDP aligns the ‘Framework for Development Solutions for Crisis and Fragile Contexts: Today, Tomorrow, 2030 with the New Deal Principles.
The event also included a keynote and one on one with Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, who elaborated on what it meant for UNDP in the Decade of Action. Other speakers also included Franck Bousquet, Deputy Director, International Monetary Fund; Susanna Moorehead, Chair, Development Assistance Committee, OECD, Patricia Danzi, Director-General, Swiss Development Cooperation; Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, CEO, OXFAM Great Britain; and Mona Harb, Professor of Urban Studies and Politics and Research Lead at the Beirut Urban Lab, MSFEA, American University of Beirut.