On April 18th, a high-level Policy and Financing Dialogue took place at UN Headquarters in NY where participants affirmed that the innovative, integrated framework of the Global Accelerator is poised to deliver a dynamic response to mounting global crises by prioritizing just transitions to resilient, inclusive economies through universal social protection and decent job creation.

Ms. Mia Seppo, Assistant Director-General for Jobs and Social Protection of the ILO, opened the meeting and served as co-moderator alongside Mr. Haoliang Xu, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support of UNDP, and Mr. Omar Abdi, Deputy Executive Director for Programmes of UNICEF. The meeting heard from numerous ministers, senior officials from development partners and international financial institutions (IFIs), and workers’ and employers’ organizations. See full list of participants.

Closing the Coverage Gap

The discussion centered on how the Global Accelerator is designed to address the multiple crises of high unemployment, rising cost of living, and the financial pressures that are squeezing social spending in economies ravaged by the pandemic, impacts of conflict, the increasing number of natural disasters and climate change.

With 4 billion people worldwide without any access to social protection, creating policies and programmes to invest rapidly and sustainably in the generation of universal, robust, shock-absorbing social protection systems that protect people across the lifecycle and support the creation of decent work is an urgent priority.

While a series of global disasters have diverted funding to humanitarian aid, the Global Accelerator addresses the fact that the countries most affected by crises are those already with sizeable deficits in social development which then only worsen. Speakers emphasized that the development pathways outlined by the Global Accelerator provide a blueprint for insulating against the shocks of crises to prepare for more inclusive, sustainable economies and societies.

Innovative Framework to Streamline Process

A chief appeal expressed by representatives of Pathfinder countries present, Namibia, Malawi, and Nepal, is the Global Accelerator’s strengthening of coordination among development partners to simplify project implementation. Pathfinders commended the efficiency and economy of greater coordination and bringing together diverse expertise across the UN system through a single point of contact, noting that a united effort is more effective than programmatic silos.

The Pathfinders also praised the Global Accelerator’s closer alignment of IFIs and governments to streamline the process through which they could add international financial resources to domestic resource mobilization efforts to establish universal and comprehensive social protection systems and increase decent employment levels.

Partner countries lauded the strong inter-Agency coordination with national governments and the global financial architecture as a compelling aspect of the Global Accelerator. Because this coordination provides an effective means to integrate the common goals of the Global Accelerator at the policy level with national development plans, encourages strengthened alignment, ownership, and sustainability.

As a pioneering proponent of both the Joint SDG Fund and the Global Accelerator, Spain, represented by Ms. Eva del Hoyo, Director General for Sustainable Development Policies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicated that her country has pledged EUR60million to the Joint SDG Fund for the next biennium and added that a significant portion of these funds will be allocated to the new funding window on Decent Jobs and Universal Social Protection, which aims to support the implementation of the Global Accelerator. She urged other development partners to join Spain in contributing financially to the success of the Global Accelerator.  

From the Conceptual to the Concrete

The third and final phase of the meeting began with a message by Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the UN, who stressed the urgency to partner and implement to keep the promise of the SDGs. Following that were the commitments and statements of intent made by various participants.

Participants strongly embraced the principles, value proposition and structure of the Global Accelerator. All partners present demonstrated that the Global Accelerator is poised to shorten the path from concept to concrete implementation.

The stated readiness of UN agencies, International Financial Institutions and member States in both partner and Pathfinder countries, to move beyond siloed approaches and begin working with a more closely integrated process was a strong motivator for engagement as it presents a valuable opportunity to accomplish enduring solutions to pressing challenges more rapidly.

 The SDG Summit scheduled to take place in September 2023 will serve as an important platform to update on progress made and the role of the Global Accelerator in catalyzing efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda.