Press Release
The Joint United Nations Program for the Financing of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Mali was officially launched this Friday, January 29, 2021 under the high patronage of the Prime Minister, Mr. Moctar Ouane and the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for MINUSMA, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Mali, Ms. MBARANGA GASARABWE.
The objective of this programme is to allow greater availability and better use of national resources to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs in critical sectors of human development for the most vulnerable populations in Mali. It is funded by the UN Joint SDG Fund, which is a multi-donor and multi-agency international development mechanism created in 2014 by the United Nations to support sustainable development activities through integrated and multidimensional joint programmes.
For Ms. MBARANGA GASARABWE, “the United Nations Joint Program for Financing the SDGs in Mali offers an immense opportunity because it focuses on a few specific actions of the Government to meet the challenges of financing human capital. It is fully aligned with the 2019-2023 CREDD, and has a duration of two years from July 2020 for an overall cost of US$2,172,100 including US$963,000 from the Joint SDG Fund Secretariat and US$1,209,100 from agencies directly involved in implementation, including UNICEF and UNDP”.
In his opening speech, Prime Minister, Mr. Moctar Ouane expressed his gratitude to the United Nations team in Mali and welcomed on behalf of the Government of Mali the launch of this joint initiative with the UN, which will allow Mali to increase its potential in achieving the SDGs. "You will allow me to seize the opportunity of this ceremony to salute the commitment and multiple efforts made by the United Nations System alongside Mali for the peace, stability and well-being of its peoples ... This joint programme is advantageous in more than one way. On the one hand, it will accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, on the other hand, it is in line with Mali's priorities to strengthen the potential of its human capital for Sustainable Development Goals at all levels,” explained the head of the Malian government.
This 2-year program will be jointly piloted by the Government of Mali through the Technical Unit of the Strategic Framework for the Fight against Poverty (CT / PRSP) with the United Nations specialized agencies including UNDP and UNICEF with the support of the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Mali.
For the virtual launching ceremony of this important Program, in addition to the Prime Minister, several other members of the Government took part. These include, among others, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Health, Economy and Finance, and National Education. The United Nations, the heads of Agencies, Funds and Programmes largely attended this important ceremony for the UN country team in Mali.
As a reminder, the Joint SDG Fund supports joint programs in 23 countries with a budget of around 70 million dollars. National and international partners, including the private sector, provide around 58% of resources through matching funds. Each joint program contributes to the achievement of several SDGs.
It also aims to bring together United Nations agencies, national governments, universities, civil society and businesses to address the challenges of poverty, promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieve the SDGs. The establishment of public-private partnerships for the SDGs is part of the DNA of the Joint SDG Fund.