Advocating for the SDGs in the Republic of Congo

Since his appointment in December 2019, the UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of the Congo, Mr. Chris Mburu, has worked to build stronger collaboration to advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the country.

• The initial UNDAF was signed by the UN Country Team and the Government in 2019 to be implemented for 2020-2024. Further presidential elections in 2021, the government decided to develop a new National Development Plan to implement the presidential programme. The new NDP is for 2022-2026. Based on the above and in agreement with the Government the UNCT revised and aligned the UNDAF for 2022-2026. Under his leadership, in 2022 the UN Country Team successfully revised  and updated the United Nations Development Assistance Framework based on the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework guidelines and in alignment with national development priorities. The revised framework, which was validated by the Government in mid-January 2023,  enables the UN to carry out actions in support of the country’s national development efforts and to address the socio-economic effects of the ongoing food crisis. 
   
• In order to strengthen the coordination and coherence between the Government and its technical and financial partners, the Resident Coordinator led the establishment of the Development Partners Forum (FPAD)- co-chaired by the European Union Ambassador and the African Development Bank representative. This mechanism has helped bring key stakeholders and development partners together including the UN Country Team for more effective engagement and meaningful dialogue with the Government on the SDGs. Two years since its launch, the FPAD has organized several working meetings with the government and sector ministries, which has resulted in increased resource mobilization in the priority areas of agriculture, health, education and resilience building and allowed for the development of more integrated joint programs for the achievement of the 2030 agenda. 
   
• In addition, the Resident Coordinator has expanded UN partnerships with key stakeholders, including the Municipality of Brazzaville, which produced its first-ever Voluntary Local Review of SDGs implementation. The Resident Coordinator is working with municipal authorities, in synergy with UN agencies, to localize the SDGs and ensure that their joint action is targeted and reached first by the most vulnerable groups including women, young girls.
   
• The Resident Coordinator is also playing a key role in leveraging funding from the UN Global Funds to help translate strategies into action.  Supported by the Resident Coordinator’s office, the UN Country Team was successful in obtaining two grants from the UN’s Joint SDG Fund. The first- a $4 million grant, involved WFP, UNICEF, WHO and aimed at improving the living conditions and access to social protection of indigenous peoples in the Lekoumou region, which are home to approximately 25% of the indigenous population of Congo. This funding was implemented through the training of indigenous communities and other vulnerable groups in income-generating activities, providing context-specific education to at least 50,000 vulnerable children, as well as the distribution of school kits, food, systematic deworming, and hygiene products. 
   
• A second grant of $ 250,000 with UNDP, UNIDO and UNICEF set up a framework to help build greater resilience to the current food and energy crisis. This included supporting the agricultural processing sector to improve the supply of agri-food products and the promotion of innovative solutions for the financing of social protection of informal sector workers, particularly women. 
   
• In early 2020, to mark the 75th anniversary of the UN, the Resident Coordinator in collaboration with other heads of UN agencies in the Republic of Congo embarked on a series of outreach efforts to promote the Sustainable Development Goals towards youth including universities and school students, and civil society organizations, reaching over 5,000 young people.