Conference Report: Better Funding – Stronger multilateralism? Arming multilateral development organizations for the Agenda 2030

Photo: Gruppe von Experten

Jennifer Topping (Executive Director, UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office), Henrik Hammargren (Executive Director, Dag Hammarsköld Foundation), Silke Weinlich & Max-Otto Baumann (DIE)

How can the UN development system and multilateral development banks best be supported to play to their strengths in implementing the 2030 Agenda? Earmarking funds for specific purposes to multilateral organisations ha become increasingly important, yet this practice carries risks in terms of effectiveness and multilateralism. In order to draw lessons from recent analyses on the funding of the multilateral development system and political processes such as the UN funding compact and to identify further avenues for reform, DIE co-organised an expert workshop together with the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation on 19 and 20 March in Bonn. Around 40 experts, representatives from international organisations (including UN country representatives participating in a UNSSC course) and donor bureaucracies discussed what member states and international organisations can do to curb negative effectives of earmarking, strengthen multilateralism, and tailor earmarked funding arrangements to the demands of the 2030 Agenda for an integrated support at scale.