Madam President,
Esteemed Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator,
Distinguished members of the Executive Board and other delegations,
We would like to thank Administrator Steiner for his comprehensive statement and thoughts on the challenges we face on the path to development.
We also recognize the efforts made by UNDP to support our countries in achieving the sustainable development goals agreed in the 2030 Agenda.
In the case of Cuba, cooperation with UNDP has been fundamental in advancing the implementation of our National Economic and Social Development Plan until 2030 and during the post-pandemic recovery.
Madam President,
We are facing bleak scenarios that threaten the steps we have taken towards development. According to recent reports, the poverty rate in the world increased significantly from 2019 to 2020, from 8.3 percent to 9.2 percent: the first increase in extreme poverty since 1998 and the largest since 1990. Moreover, looking ahead, according to FAO data, nearly 670 million people (8 percent of the world's population) are expected to remain hungry in 2030, even taking into account a global economic recovery.
These figures tell us that we must act. We need comprehensive policies that prioritize human welfare. We must promote economic and social policies that have a long-term impact, not measures that contain a momentary crisis; but that requires resources and a great deal of political will.
In these efforts, the work carried out by UNDP is fundamental, due to its experience on the field and the support it provides in strengthening the national capacities of our countries.
We are concerned that the share of regular resources fell to 12 percent of total resources in 2021, well below the 30-percent target of the Funding Compact; as well as the decrease in the number of contributors to regular resources to 43, six fewer than in 2020.
Similarly, we note that the prospects for the coming years are not encouraging. According to the Report, as of June 2022, UNDP has received only 24 percent of the estimated contribution in regular resources for this year. In addition to this, the cut or reallocation of aid budgets to the core funding of Member States for other purposes is jeopardizing the development achievements to date.
It is imperative to reverse the continuous decline in core resources so that UNDP can plan more effectively and flexibly according to the needs and priorities of its recipient countries. If we do not reverse this situation, what will be the implications for development in the medium and long term? To what extent will UNDP be able to effectively exercise its mandate and have positive results in the implementation of its Strategic Plan 2022-2025 if it does not have predictable and flexible funding?
Emphasizing the importance of predictable and unconditional contributions for UNDP to effectively carry out its work and mandate, I would like to conclude by reiterating my delegation's commitment to continue strengthening the ties of cooperation between Cuba and UNDP.
Thank you.