Background
As the United Nations' flagship global development fund, the Joint SDG Fund's mandate is two-fold: to supercharge the United Nations development system (UNDS) for more effective collaboration, and to drive systemic transitions that accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the country level, with a focus on integrated policy and SDG financing. By offering a unified platform, the Fund enables UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes to align and integrate their efforts under the strategic direction of Resident Coordinators (RCs), fostering a collaborative aproach that harnesses the complementary strengths of diverse UN entities, creating synergies that yield results far greater than what could be achieved by separate actions.
The recently adopted "Pact for the Future" underscores the need to better harness science, technology and innovation (STI) for poverty eradication and SDG achievement. Action 33 also stresses the critical role of the UN in this area and the need to strengthen the UN's capacity to leverage science and technology, as well as support national governments in utilizing these tools for sustainable development and bridge the science and technology gap between developed and developing countries. The Joint SDG Fund is already promoting the application of STI across different sectors, including digital, agriculture, trade, entrepreneurship, climate action, and financial inclusion. Several joint programmes focus on leveraging innovations to accelerate progress towards multiple SDGs while prioritizing inclusion of marginalized groups and women.
As a key example of this work, the Joint Fund is investing in digital transformation to accelerate progress towards the SDGs. By supporting inclusive and effective digital solutions across various sectors, the Fund promotes transparent public services, resilient food systems with increased access to markets, greener practices, resilient socioeconomic growth as well as gender equality.
In alignment with its strategy to support SDG transitions, the first funding round on digital transformation was launched at the SDG Summit in September 2023 by the Deputy-Secretary General and the European Union. Supported by the inter-agency Technical Support Group, led by the ITU-UNDP Joint Facility and involving UNESCO, UNICEF, UNCDF, UNEP, and UNCTAD, with FAO expected to join, the Fund has co-designed 22 joint programmes led by RCs and implemented by 24 UN entities. One-third of the portfolio targets LDCs or LLDCs. The total budget is $66.5 million, with $40.3 million from the Fund supported by the European Union, Spain, and Sweden, and $26.1 million in co-funding. Most funding is directed towards 13 High Impact Track (HIT) countries, expected to facilitate catalytic impact within 2-3 years and generate $380 million in financial leverage.
Against this background, the Joint SDG Fund invites all IATT members to join a Webinar dedicated to exploring the critical role of the Joint SDG Fund in strenthening UNCT capacities support member states in deploying STI for the SDGs.
