We need the resources to accomplish our ambitions – Executive Director

Good morning Mr. President, members of the Bureau, members of the Board, distinguished delegates, colleagues and friends.

I would like to thank you for guiding this second regular session of the UN Women Executive Board to a successful and timely conclusion.

I especially thank the President, the Bureau members, UN Women colleagues, the Secretary of the Executive Board and his team for all their work preparing for this session.

I would like to stress how much we value the Board’s interest, oversight function and guidance in governing UN Women.

Your response to the meta-analysis of decentralized evaluations and the UN Women management perspective was encouraging. You have made it clear that you value the independence and impartiality of the evaluation function, as well as its credibility and relevance.

You highlighted several elements of the meta-analysis that coincided with the Board’s own perspectives on UN Women’s successes and efforts to date, as well as challenges.

I would like to recall areas of emphasis made by Board members that will enable UN Women to craft and implement the new transformative development agenda:

Develop a comprehensive theory of change to inform the purpose and scope of UN Women’s work;

Catalyze programmes for women and girls by fostering a more gender-responsive approach to development with sister organizations;

Improve the UN Women coordination function;  

Strengthen partnerships;

Develop realistic programmes that are achievable and can be measured for their impact on the lives of women and girls; 

Invest in professionalizing gender and develop experts in the field;

Improve systems, striving for a results-based approach so that we can be more accountable and transparent, and improve knowledge-sharing; and

Improve on real time monitoring and evaluation.

These will serve us as both a baseline and a guide for the future.

This Board session took place at a strategic moment, as the Beijing+20 review and appraisal process takes place in conjunction with the work on post-2015 development goals.

Yesterday, I described the recognition that we are at a turning point for gender equality and that we must seize this once-in-a generation opportunity.

In your interventions, you reinforced our role in coordinating the Beijing+20 process and in mobilizing Member States, civil society, the UN system, the private sector and other stakeholders for implementation.

We intend to give strong visibility to the Beijing+20 anniversary through a dynamic, forward-looking and engaging process of advocacy and communications events.

As you know from your review of the agenda and work plan for the first regular session of 2015, there will be an operational response briefing in conjunction with the Beijing+20 process.

Yesterday you welcomed the briefing on the implementation of the UN Women humanitarian strategy. Your comments underlined the importance of a gender-sensitive approach in all humanitarian responses from the planning stage. UN Women’s added value lies in its partnership-building approach, working with the country team and leading UN coordination on gender equality.

Your interventions also highlighted that UN Women — and women — are increasingly recognized as an essential part of the emergency response, with an equally important role in reconstruction.

I thank you for your strong support for UN Women to have permanent representation in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) on humanitarian assistance.

This is particularly important as the world faces unprecedented humanitarian emergencies. I reiterate UN Women’s deep concern at the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

UN Women is actively working with the wider UN system and the affected countries to coordinate and provide support to the national and regional response.

During this second regular session, you have advised us on many important matters.

One of the most significant for us, although an informal meeting, was your participation in the consultation on the structured dialogue and financing. The Board acknowledged that UN Women needs more resources. Your guidance on meetings to discuss the integrated budget, contribute to its design, and bring UN Women in line with other sister organizations was constructive.

With the decision to hold an annual structured financing dialogue, we are moving to a more robust and systematic process of resource mobilization. In conjunction with this, we will investigate methods of collecting and presenting real time data that can increase our transparency and accountability as an organization.

Member States agreed that their preference was for core funding, given its predictability, sustainability and flexibility, and the fact that it presents fewer risks to UN Women. This is an area that requires more in-depth examination. We will evaluate the experience of non-core funding and provide analysis and commentary.

Resource mobilization will remain a priority for UN Women, looking especially to acquire more multi-year contributions so that we can plan long-term programmes. In addition, we will showcase our flagship programmes that can attract non-core resources.

I take this opportunity to look ahead to next week and to highlight a couple of special events among a packed schedule.

I have already mentioned the launch of the HeForShe campaign on 20 September.

On 22 September we will hold a special event on climate change in the lead-up to the Secretary-General’s Climate Summit.

Women Heads of State and Government, ministers, civil society, the private sector, the scientific community and the UN System will gather to highlight women’s leadership on climate action and call for gender-responsive actions at all levels.

UN Women will engage strongly in the Climate Summit to ensure that we capitalize on this opportunity to advance the recognition of women on the front lines of climate change.

Yesterday I mentioned our participation in the Small Island Developing States summit in Samoa, and its gender-responsive outcome, where it was clear how powerful a role women can, and must, play in efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. At the same time, I heard how — in the Pacific region — the consequences of climate change have increased women’s vulnerability to violence, an issue that must be addressed.

I am also pleased to invite you on 23 September to a side event of the United Nations World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, being co-hosted by UN Women and the International Indigenous Women's Forum. Forming part of the countdown to the Beijing+20 review, the event celebrates the achievements of indigenous women and girls, and highlights their challenges. 

I take from your discussions over these two days that you recognize the maturing of UN Women.

This coming of age, underlined by the audit report, the meta-analysis of the evaluations and your own comments on our ability to operate accountably and transparently, is right on time.

Your recognition of the place for UN Women, the need for our role and our strength as a champion for women and girls comes at a critical moment. Women in the world are facing unprecedented pressure on their rights.

This is the moment that we need you to match your ambition for us with the resources to accomplish it.

Thank you.