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$ 365
m boost from UN for Sri Lanka’s development
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| Dr.
P. B. Jayasundera, Secretary to the Treasury, Neil Buhne, Resident
and Humanitarian Co-ordinator of the United Nations, Secretaries
of key Ministries, Treasury Officials and heads/representatives
of ILO, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, FAO, UNHCR, WHO, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNEP,
UNAIDS and IOM at the signing ceremony. |
The
UN and the Government of Sri Lanka last week signed the 2008-2012
UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the agreement which
pegs UN assistance to priorities defined with the Government of
Sri Lanka.
Under the terms of the agreement, the UN will raise US $ 365 million
over five years starting from the year 2008 in support of Sri Lanka’s
development priorities. Those priorities have all been developed
in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka.
The UNDAF is based on a country assessment carried out in October
2006, and through extensive consultations with the government, line
ministries, implementing partners, donors, and civil society, and
United Nations agencies. The document provides the overarching framework
for all the work of the United Nations in Sri Lanka. It addresses
issues such as human rights, the environment, disaster risk management,
HIV AIDS and equity for vulnerable groups. It also defines four
priority areas, which are included in this new cycle, namely poverty,
governance, peace, and gender.
The UNDAF draws heavily on the Government’s commitment to the
Millennium Development Goals, Sri Lanka’s 10 year development
plans, as well as the Mahinda Chinthana programme of the current
government which focuses on reducing poverty and regional disparities,
and addressing the needs of the vulnerable and marginalized in communities
such as the plantation sector. Sri Lanka is currently on track to
achieving the MDGs despite severe setbacks of tsunami.
Thematic working groups appointed comprising of officials of the
all UN agencies and the other stakeholders will define a set of
realistic indicators to measure results for each UNDAF outcome,
outlined in the monitoring and evaluation matrix.
The
UN Country Team and the government ministries and agencies will
assume overall monitoring responsibility for the UNDAF which will
form the basis for UN agency and the respective Government agencies’
work plans in the years to come.
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