ÜRO Pagulaste Ülemvoliniku büroo alalise komisjoni79. sessioon
Remarks by ESTONIA
Agenda item 2 b: Management
Genf, 21 september 2017
Ms./Mr. Chairperson,
Allow me to thank the UNHCR for the presentations today, the Director ofExternal Relations for her remarks under this agenda item and the backgrounddocumentation for this session on progress toward implementing the UNHCR’s“grand bargain” commitments.
The World Humanitarian Summit and the adoption of more than 6000commitments was an important milestone in 2016. The Grand Bargain, which wasone of the most tangible outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit, lays the importantand much needed ground for positive change in the humanitarian system towardsincreased effectiveness, efficiency and transparency. It offers practicalsolutions to address the increasing humanitarian funding cap. In this spirit,we welcome the fact that UNHCR is now part of the grand bargain facilitationgroup; the release of UNHCR’s self-report on the first year of implementation;and the Grand Bargain independent report, to which the UNHCR contributed.
As we are ourselves taking steps to achieve our Grand Bargain commitments,we also follow with great interest the progress of other Grand Bargainsignatories. As the Grand Bargain independent report reiterates, progress onthe Grand Bargain has been uneven with evidence of a frequent pick and-chooseapproach and “there is growing impatience about the Grand Bargain’s impact onfield operations”. It is important to carry forward the momentum and achievetangible results. The very nature of the Grand Bargain means that changes needto occur both on the donors’ as well as the implementers’ side and the UNHCR thereforeneeds to make changes in both of these capacities.
Estonia appreciates the update given on UNHCR’s efforts to achieve greatertransparency; increased support for local and national responders, cash-basedprogramming; reducing costs with periodic functional reviews; improving jointand impartial needs assessment; increasing collaborative humanitarianmulti-year planning and funding; reducing earmarking, and enhancing engagementbetween humanitarian and development actors, to name a few areas. As we commendthe significant progress made, we also look forward to further tangible results.In particular, we encourage the UNHCR to move further on using innovativeapproaches and technologies, simplifying its tools and requirements towards itspartners, and on contributing to bridging the gap between humanitarian anddevelopment activities.
Estonia considers, in the context of ever-growing needs, that innovation inthe humanitarian field is especially crucial. This includes working withpartners outside the humanitarian sector, while remaining committed to thehumanitarian principles. Securing cooperation between humanitarian actors anddevelopment actors and between humanitarian actors and the private sector iscrucial to advance on the endeavor to bring in innovation to the humanitarianfield. Therefore, we much welcome UNHCR’s efforts to reduce costs and measurethe efficiency gain with technology and innovation, such as through the use ofbiometrics for refugee registration, and are looking forward to further reportson innovative approaches.
Thank you!