Remarks by Estonia at the UNHCR Standing Committee 79th Session held 21-22 September 2017
21.09.2017
UNHCR
Standing Committee 79th Session
Remarks by ESTONIA
Agenda item 2 b: Management
Geneva,
21 September 2017
Ms./Mr. Chairperson,
Allow me to thank the UNHCR for the presentations today, the Director of
External Relations for her remarks under this agenda item and the background
documentation for this session on progress toward implementing the UNHCR’s
“grand bargain” commitments.
The World Humanitarian Summit and the adoption of more than 6000
commitments was an important milestone in 2016. The Grand Bargain, which was
one of the most tangible outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit, lays the important
and much needed ground for positive change in the humanitarian system towards
increased effectiveness, efficiency and transparency. It offers practical
solutions to address the increasing humanitarian funding cap. In this spirit,
we welcome the fact that UNHCR is now part of the grand bargain facilitation
group; 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 Bargain
signatories. As the Grand Bargain independent report reiterates, progress on
the Grand Bargain has been uneven with evidence of a frequent pick and-choose
approach and “there is growing impatience about the Grand Bargain’s impact on
field operations”. It is important to carry forward the momentum and achieve
tangible results. The very nature of the Grand Bargain means that changes need
to occur both on the donors’ as well as the implementers’ side and the UNHCR therefore
needs to make changes in both of these capacities.
Estonia appreciates the update given on UNHCR’s efforts to achieve greater
transparency; increased support for local and national responders, cash-based
programming; reducing costs with periodic functional reviews; improving joint
and impartial needs assessment; increasing collaborative humanitarian
multi-year planning and funding; reducing earmarking, and enhancing engagement
between humanitarian and development actors, to name a few areas. As we commend
the significant progress made, we also look forward to further tangible results.
In particular, we encourage the UNHCR to move further on using innovative
approaches and technologies, simplifying its tools and requirements towards its
partners, and on contributing to bridging the gap between humanitarian and
development activities.
Estonia considers, in the context of ever-growing needs, that innovation in
the humanitarian field is especially crucial. This includes working with
partners outside the humanitarian sector, while remaining committed to the
humanitarian principles. Securing cooperation between humanitarian actors and
development actors and between humanitarian actors and the private sector is
crucial to advance on the endeavor to bring in innovation to the humanitarian
field. Therefore, we much welcome UNHCR’s efforts to reduce costs and measure
the efficiency gain with technology and innovation, such as through the use of
biometrics for refugee registration, and are looking forward to further reports
on innovative approaches.
Thank you!
 
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