UN Women Structured Dialogue on Financing, Executive Board Second Regular Session September 2014 Informal Consultation Brief by Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director

UN-Women: the “Big Picture” Agreed resource targets needed to: 1.Fulfill universal mandate 2.Provide policy-based advocacy and technical support in programme countries. 3.Fully engage in coordination processes, particularly in complex coordination environments. 4.Be “Fit for Purpose” and respond to the Post-2015 agenda.

Budget Context Institutional Budget Initial Baseline. Yet the entity was still unaware of financial requirements to fulfill its mandate Integrated Budget Implement the Regional Architecture within the existing Post structure approved by the Executive Board (426 Posts already approved within the IB. Limited increase of 5 posts approved for ). Resource mobilization target slightly reduced to $690 million from $700 million. Supports the maintenance of a minimum capacity for UN-Women to be operational.

Budget Plan & Shortfall The Field Capacity Assessment in 2010/2011 recommended a minimum capacity for all country offices of 5 people. The approved Regional Architecture proposal envisaged regional technical advisors in each Regional Office for all priority areas of the Strategic Plan. Some countries officers revised the minimum staff requirements to 3 covered under Institutional Budget funds. Regional Offices have not been able to afford the full complement of technical advisors, limiting support to Country Offices, and direct technical support at regional level and to non-presence countries.

Financial context UN Women Critical Mass The Secretary-General stated a minimum funding level of $500 million per annum as expectation for UN-Women budget. Approved budgets Core $350m Non-core $350m actual contributions Core $271m Non-core $213m Shortfall $216 million

Financial Context Donor base: 55% Regular (core) and 45% Other (non-core) resources

Funding Context This political support has partly translated into financial commitments as evidenced by the following facts from last year: Highest number of Government core contributions : 130. Highest number of “double digit” core contributions: 7 countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom). Highest amount for core $ 157 million. Currently UN-Women already has a new record with the Government of Finland with the highest individual contribution in the amount of $ 27 million for 2014.

Funding – Challenges 1. Low base line when we started in Gender equality and women’s empowerment is a societal and behavioral change that takes time and funding. 3. Funding response to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment remains uneven with realization of its importance to achieve the MDGs and Post-2015 development agenda.  It is imperative that UN-Women attracts more predictable multi-year start-up capital with a stronger core base to be able to have the “minimum critical mass” needed to implement its critical mandate.

Imminent Funding Needs 1. Maintaining the upward trend and momentum to meet the annual funding targets as we are approaching the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action imminent 2. Continuing to diversify and deepen UN-Women’s donor base Deepening the contributions from the world’s largest economies. Expanding contributions from emerging donors 3. Soliciting flexible non-core linked to specific areas of the Strategic Plan 4. Strengthening end-of-year resource mobilization outreach for 2014 and future years

Executive Board Second Regular Session September 2014 UN Women Structured Dialogue on Financing,