Head of United Nations in South Africa meets with the Minister for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation to discuss a closer partnership

The head of the United Nations in South Africa and its Resident Coordinator, Nelson Muffuh, yesterday led a team of UN officials in a courtesy call on the Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, and her team, on the side lines of the just-opened four-day conference on regional migration organized by the Southern African Migration Management Project.

The aim of the migration conference is to facilitate dialogue on the key migration issues and policy gaps in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and to review the current state of migration and its governance in Southern Africa and provide update on the progress made by member states and regional bodies on migration challenges and opportunities.

The discussions between the Resident Coordinator and the Minister highlighted the critical importance of the partnership between the UN and the South African Government in advancing sustainable development in the country.

The two sides agreed that collaboration between the UN and the Government was essential to ensure the effective implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and key frameworks such as South Africa’s National Development Plan, the African Union's Agenda 2063, and the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development as the world prepares for the Summit of the Future to be held in September in New York.

Both parties agreed to intensify their efforts in strengthening their partnership, recognizing that joint commitment was vital towards achieving lasting progress and addressing the pressing challenges facing South Africa and the broader African continent.

During the meeting, the Resident Coordinator was accompanied by the heads of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNAIDS and the UN Information Centre (UNIC).