By Yunus S Saliu
In providing a brief on the status of the Country ProgrammeDocuments while focussing on the programmatic shifts for the new cycle, the Government of The Gambia and its partners – UNDP, UNICEF, and UNFPA in The Gambia, on Wednesday, held a joint high-level engagement on the Country ProgrammeDocuments (CPDs) 2024-2028 of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in The Gambia.
Declaring open the forum, Ms. Salimatou ET Touray, the Secretary-General (SG) and Head of the Civil Service, highlighted the purpose of the high-level dialogue with the government saying is meant to “provide a brief on the status of the CPDs while focusing on the programmatic shifts for the new cycle.”
The dialogue, she said, will facilitate a collaborative discussion to enhance coordination, build partnerships, and strengthen the United Nations’ ability to support national development priorities.
The SG and Head of the Civil Service reminded the gathering of the significance of the joint meeting which is central to the finalisation and “overall success of our joint programmes as we forge ahead with our development agenda.”
She noted that the meeting came up when The Gambia had just finalised its Green Recovery Focused National Development Plan 2023-2027 and “the new NDP outlines a medium-term Recovery-Focused NDP and will help The Gambia overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, as well as address medium-term transformational aspirations of the country.”
Moving forward, she said “the RF-NDP will ensure that the country’s macro policy frameworks fully integrate the concepts and needs of recovery while recognising the medium to long-term nature of recovery. Similarly, the CPDs 2024-2028 will support the realization of the National Development Plan (NDP) priorities for the next five years.”
She added that practical implementation of the CPDs will require an inclusive and participatory process through the involvement of all stakeholders in their development phase, particularly the government counterparts.
SG Touray used the occasion to convey the government of The Gambia’s most profound appreciation to all the UN Agencies for the extensive consultations to ensure that the CPDs are nationally determined.
Dr. Desta A. Tiruneh, WHO Representative to The Gambia expressed gratitude to all the attendees, saying their presence has signified their shared commitment to realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs and uphold all principles enshrined in it.
He highlighted that this report is part of the preparation by the government of The Gambia for its attendance at the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the general assembly that is happening next week from 18 to 19 September 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
“This upcoming SDG summit is the central UN platform for leaders to provide political guidance on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs,” he disclosed.
Dr. Tiruneh said the UN Reforms have ensured that the CPDs are not only aligned with the UNSDCF but that they are actually derived from the UNSDCF. “As such the UN Agencies worked within the UN Country Team to establish the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), based on which UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, and the government of The Gambia have developed their country programmes in areas of each Agencies comparative advantage,” he explained.
The WHO Representative to The Gambia later commended the government for its close collaboration across the strengthened United Nations system and beyond close partnership noting that this will help accelerate The Gambia’s achievement of the SDGs.
Representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad delivered a speech at the meeting followed by presentations from different UN Agencies.
