The Reform of the UN Development System and Its Implications for Multilateral Aid Channels

Abstract

The UN Development System(UNDS) has been engaged in an ambitious repositioning to attain the 2030 Agenda since May 2018. This is expected to yield more integrated and focused delivery on the ground, as well as accountability for contributions, with better-aligned capacities, skillsets, and resources toward the realization of the 2030 Agenda. Reform of the UNDS is also a response to re-emerging skepticism about the value of multilateralism and the relevance of multilateral institutions. Addressing the current global challenges requires inclusive and integrated approaches, a limitation for any single agency seeking to fully and unilaterally provide for all needs. At the center of the UNDS transformation is the Resident Coordinator(RC) System, which is being redesigned to deliver collective responses to national needs. It is a role that emphasizes the importance of the effectiveness of multilateral aid channels. This paper reviews the reform process of the UNDS and identifies new challenges for multilateral aid channels in ways that can contribute to multilateral aid. It seeks to define approaches that can sufficiently account for aid allocation in the attainment of the international community's most prominent development challenge.