Switzerland Announces Support to RC Kenya

The Government of Switzerland has announced support for the ongoing UN reforms implementation in Kenya through a two-year cost-sharing arrangement that will strengthen the capacity of the Resident Coordinator’s Office, with focus on coordination of the integrated cross-border initiative and the SDG Partnership Platform, expanding partnerships and diversifying financial modalities for realising the SDGs.

Switzerland is one of the strongest supporters of the push for reforms in the UN development system and we acknowledge the leadership of the Resident Coordinator system in helping UN Country Teams to become much more field-focused, well-coordinated and accountable,” said the Ambassador of Switzerland Mr. Ralf Heckner when he announced the support.

The Switzerland Government support will specifically strengthen the coordination of the ongoing cross-border initiatives between Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, whose objectives are to prevent and mitigate the impact of violent conflict in these borderland areas, and to promote economic development and greater resilience.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator Office supports the work of the UN country team in the UN’s strategic response to the Government’s development priorities as captured in the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).  The UNDAF describes how the UN country team will contribute to the achievement of development results based on a common country analysis and the UN comparative advantage.

Switzerland is also supporting the SDG Partnership Platform, a UNDAF flagship initiative that takes leadership on overarching facilitation, coordination and demonstration of how public private collaboration can effectively translate the SDGs into action on the ground and thereby guide and accelerate innovations, impact, maximize investments and optimize resource utilization in support of the realization of Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the “Big Four”.