Message from the Resident Coordinator a.i. for the InFocus Magazine, Vol 6. Issue 1. June 2022

Dear colleagues,

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all United Nations staff in South Africa for your continued commitment to implementing the UN reform agenda. Your commitment and dedication in addressing the unique developmental challenges facing South Africa as well advancing the UN’s coordinated and collaborative approach continue to strengthen our efforts.

As the UN family, we can be proud of our commitment to “Delivering as One”. This has resulted in the signing between the UN and the Government of South Africa of the new generation “United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2020-2025”.

This comprehensive document is our pledge to the Government and the people of South Africa that we will work with them at all levels along with other partners to “ensure that people in South Africa live prosperous and healthy lives in a safe and cohesive society that protects and values environmental sustainability.”

In keeping with this principle, we have also developed a Governance Model aligned to the UNSDCF which has been agreed to by the Government. This is a much-lauded achievement for our partnership with the Government. The overarching principle of this model is that it should reinforce UN 

reforms at the countrywide level, serving as a mechanism that promotes greater collaboration between the Government, the UN and other national partners. I believe this coordination mechanism is a crucial instrument for strengthening national oversight and accountability mechanisms.

Through the implementation of the UNSDCF, we have seen firsthand, the impact the UN has made in improving the lives of South Africans.

Our partnerships with the various departments at the national, provincial and municipal levels and others have not only enabled us to empower communities to adapt to climate change but to advance the implementation of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies (including the installation of off-grid mini wind-turbine in Upper Blinkwater, Chris Hani Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Through the 

continued support of implementing partners, we have also launched the Education Plus Initiative to expand access to secondary education for young people and to advance adolescent girls’ and young women's health, education and rights in sub-Saharan Africa.

Other initiatives included the donation of dignity kits to victims of the KwaZulu-Natal floods and the Girls Fly Programme Africa to promote drone technology skills development among learners with a focus for aviation and space.Additionally, we have implemented several projects across the country to unlock economic value chains and advance economic empowerment through capacity development and entrepreneurship. These include the handing over of automotive equipment to three TVET colleagues (in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Western Cape) 

and the implementation of low-cost internet access to micro, small and medium enterprises in rural areas in the same three provinces and the Free State Province.

In this issue of InFocus, you will learn of many other initiatives which also bore testament that the UN family in South Africa is indeed united behind the principle of leaving no one behind.

Finally, I would like to extend my congratulations to the former Resident Coordinator, Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, on her appointment as the first female Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) – New Partnership for Development (NEPAD). Ms. Bekele-Thomas’s leadership and guidance over the last four years have made it possible for the UN to stand up and be counted amongst those who contributed to building back better and rise to the occasion in times of crises.

More recently, she has challenged the UN family to rally behind the Government in addressing the impacts of the floods in 2017, the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest that affected communities and businesses in July 2021.

While we at the UN bid a sad farewell to Nardos, we look forward to seeing her energy, passion, creativity and profound sense of justice for the greater good displayed at AUDA-NEPAD. We thank her for living up to the full promise, potential and hope of the UN and for the meaningful contribution she has made not only to the UN system but to the developmental landscape of South Africa.

To the formidable UN team in South Africa, let us continue the work to support the Government and people of South Africa as we build back better.

With my deepest gratitude, respect and best wishes to you all.

Yours sincerely,

Ayodele Odusola