UN development cooperation forum ends with call for strong collaboration among states

A United Nations forum on development cooperation today ended for a call for increased collaboration and accountability among countries, and incorporation of sustainability objectives.

“The international community must accelerate its efforts to promote mutual accountability among all actors,” said the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Milos Koterec. “Strong global and regional-level frameworks are needed to accelerate country-level progress. Political will and leadership from programme countries and providers, strong institutions and legal frameworks are crucial to change behaviour and increase results.”

The two-day 2012 Development Cooperation Forum (DCF), organized by ECOSOC, brought together policymakers, civil society organizations, parliamentarians, local authorities and foundations to review development cooperation trends, debate ways to improve the quality and effectiveness of such cooperation, and increase its impact on development goals.

Participants also discussed how to adapt development cooperation to the post-2015 development agenda, incorporating sustainable development goals.

“Sustainable development should be a priority in resource allocation, building on existing initiatives and mechanisms to avoid further fragmentation,” Mr. Koterec said.

Addressing the forum at the closing ceremony, the Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson stressed the importance of the UN responding actively to the changing development cooperation landscape.

“The global context for development cooperation has changed dramatically,” said Mr. Eliasson. “There have been triple shocks on food, fuel and the economy, as well as social upheavals that have re-shaped the world and the policy agenda.

“We are striving to tap the great potential of the dynamic economies that have emerged. We are pressing to make development cooperation more responsive, results-oriented, participatory and accountable,” Mr. Eliasson said.”

A founding UN Charter body, ECOSOC is the venue where issues concerning the world’s economic, social and environmental challenges are discussed and debated, and policy recommendations made. The DCF is part of ECOSOC’s high-level segment, in which more than 500 delegates meet to discuss issues such as productive capacity, development cooperation and the creation of decent, sustainable work. The segment ends on Monday.