2 October 2020 – An inclusive economy and human capital development, effective, transparent and accountable institutions, equal and inclusive access to quality services, human security and resilience, as well as the environment and climate change are the five priority areas outlined in the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework signed by the Government of Georgia and the United Nations today.
One red thread running through the entire document is the need to enhance human wellbeing, capabilities and social equality and to make a real difference in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people.
The five-year document (2021-2025) is intended to ensure that the support by all the UN agencies is aligned to Georgia’s national priorities, to the country’s aspirations and development goals.
The Prime Minister of Georgia thanked the UN Resident Coordinator for the Organization’s steadfast partnership and commended the continued commitment of the United Nations to support national development priorities.
Speaking on behalf of the UN Country Team the UN Resident Coordinator Sabine Machl thanked the Government of Georgia for its continued support to the UN’s work in Georgia.
Under this Cooperation Framework, the UN agencies will continue supporting Georgia in its efforts to “Build Forward Better” in the wake of the global Covid-19 crisis and to set more ambitious goals and make further steps to a greener, inclusive and more sustainable economy.
The UN will also support the Government in strengthening its regional cooperation in key strategic areas.
Particular attention will be paid to building partnerships with civil society and the private sector, whose innovative potential will be useful to achieve the objectives of the Cooperation Framework.
This Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025 guides the entire programme cycle of collective UN support to Georgia to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
Guided by several overarching principles - leave no one behind; a human rights-based approach; gender equality and women’s empowerment; decentralisation; resilience; sustainability; and accountability, environmental protection and innovation - the Cooperation Framework seeks to give new impetus to Georgia-UN cooperation for the next five years.
The Cooperation Framework priorities have been defined and formulated in the process of multi-stakeholder consultations with representatives of UN agencies, state institutions, civil society and academia.
The Cooperation Framework will be governed by the Joint National-UN Steering Committee - co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the UN Resident Coordinator.