National statement by Sweden at the plenary meeting and four regionally focused exchanges between the United Nations Resident Coordinators and Member States, New York, 2 December 2025
Excellencies, Resident Coordinators,
Sweden aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the European Union and its Member States and would like to add the following:
Sweden wishes to express its appreciation to the Development Coordination Office for offering us this opportunity to dialogue with the Resident Coordinators.
First, we thank the Resident Coordinators for their dedicated work in increasingly complex country contexts, often under severe resource constraints. Expectations on RCs and their teams continue to grow, while funding remains limited.
Sweden is a strong supporter of the RC-system and a reliable donor, contributing consistently since the creation of the RC Fund. We have also actively engaged in the negotiations in the Fifth Committee to secure funds through assessed contribution – an essential element for shared ownership and the legitimacy of the RC system.
A more efficient and effective UN-system is imperative. Sweden fully supports the Secretary General’s UN80 initiative and believes RCs will be crucial in delivering on its objectives, as well as providing evidence-based guidance throughout the process. We expect RCs to be fully engaged, particularly on the UNCT-configuration package, regional reset and expertise-on-demand mechanism, to mention a few.
We would also welcome explicit proposals on strengthening the RC role. How can we best support you? What would be most helpful for your work?
Sweden has consistently emphasized the need to reduce administrative and over-head costs. Given financial constraints, safeguarding programmatic operations must remain a priority. In this regard, we are concerned about the slow progress on UNCT configuration and the establishment of common-back offices – commitments we all agreed to years ago.
From your perspective, what is holding up these processes? What decisions, guidance or messaging do you need from Member States to advance?
Finally, we underscore the importance of the UN system’s normative mandate, with Resident Coordinators upholding these values at country level where they matter the most.
Let me conclude by reiterating Sweden’s full commitment to the RC-system.
Thank you!
