UNDP



The Honorable Deputy Minister of Finance, Government Representatives, the Vice President of Grant Program, Conrad N. Foundation and senior representatives of major philanthropies, foundations and trusts, UN colleagues, experts, invited guests, the media, ladies and gentlemen.I am very pleased to welcome our philanthropic partners, who have come from afar, and who have collaborated with the government and ourselves in the organization of this event and offer a few opening remarks. The timeliness of this forumThe launch of Philanthropy Platform in Ghana and the focus on “Fostering Commitment and Leadership for Philanthropy’s Engagement in the Post 2015 and Ghana’s own Development Agenda is very timely. This is the first time that the United Nations, The Government of Ghana and Foundations are coming together to strategically discuss long term collaboration on the sustainable development of the country. These discussions are coming at an important time with only a few months to the end of MDGs, and at a time when the world is in the final stages of deciding upon the next set of development goals, the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Moreover, for middle income countries such as Ghana, philanthropy is likely to play an ever more important role in the future . What will be the focus and what do we hope to achieve today?We know that there is a lot of charitable giving, philanthropic and CSR activity in Ghana. There are individual trusts, grants and support from major philanthropic foundations, contributions to religious institutions, corporate social responsibility etc. However, in Ghana, as in many other countries, we don’t have good data. Further, it also seems like the opportunities and platforms for formal engagement with philanthropy, to identify challenges as well as to explore how they might contribute in priority areas or align themselves better with national or global development goals is still in its infancy. There are many opportunities that can be tapped into going forward which is why the UN is so pleased to collaborate in organizing this forum, which we hope will be the start of many fruitful discussions and engagements going forward.There are a number of themes that we will explore together today. We will begin with a conversation with government and key stakeholders about the national development agenda and the implications of the post-2015 global development agenda, particularly the sustainable development goals which will be agreed to in September at the general assembly. What are priority areas for government and where philanthropy can make the most difference?There will also be a session on the enabling environment as this is key for Ghana. Is it easy for wealthy and ordinary individuals to make contributions? How many domestic philanthropy organizations are there? The session on data will cover a number of different areas not least the kind of information that would assist philanthropy and all of us in aligning our interventions. There will also be a focus on data and reporting about philanthropic activities so that there is an awareness of value added and also so that people can see where the money is going! In the afternoon there will be more focused discussions on specific sectors and thematic areas – education, water and sanitation and how to promote livelihoods and productive inclusion of women and youth- to deepen the discussion as to where philanthropy can make the most difference and what are the platforms for engagement with government and key stakeholders? Imperative for collaboration to meet the transformational development agendaBefore I conclude, I want to speak a little about the global and national development landscape against which these discussions are taking place since that provides both context and I hope, additional momentum, to the reasons that I have already alluded to which come from Ghana’s own development context. We live in a time of change. A number of new global agreements will be signed onto by world leaders this year. Come September 2015, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) will replace the MDGs. Next week in Addis Ababa, the third financing for development conference – the FfD -will be held. Then there is also the climate change agenda. These agreements call for change in the way that development take place. It is becoming increasingly clear to all that we cannot continue with business and development as usual if we care for what happens to people and what happens to the planet.The SDGs raise the bar. There is a focus on the ‘unfinished MDG agenda’ but there is also a concerted focus on goals that seek to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability, peace and governance as well as a much more holistic global partnership for development. More importantly, the SDGs promise to be transformative and set new higher level of ambition across a number of different dimensions. The goals will be universal in that will apply to all countries around the world and they seek to ensure that no one will be left behind. The scale of change and transformation that is needed is significant. For example, the total African population is expected to nearly double to almost to 2 billion over the next 25 years. More children will need access to good schools and tertiary institutions so as to be equipped with skills that will get them jobs in the changing global environment. The demand for water, for example, is expected to triple or even quadruple over the next 20 years as Africa’s urban population doubles. Meeting these types of development imperatives at the national, regional and global levels will require broad based partnerships to be achieved because no government or the UN has the human, financial, or technical resources needed. This is where philanthropy comes in. In the recent years, we have seen an increase in philanthropic giving to development from both from institutions and individuals. It is our responsibility to ensure that this giving is matched with improved lives at the grassroots. Collaboration among different players is critical. We all need to ensure that our activities are aligned to national development agendas – i.e., the Ghana shared growth and development agenda (GSGDA II) and the realization of the post-2015 Agenda in Ghana. To deliver on the unfinished business of the MDGs and also on the broader and even more ambitious sustainable development goals, we need must create a broad based partnerships between governments both local and national, Private Sector, Philanthropy and the Civil Society.This type of consultative process and engagement has in fact already begun at the global level and to some extent at the national level. The current proposal of the SDGs, which are expected to be adopted at the UN General Assembly this September has been broadly consulted with millions of individuals and institutions around the world. The UN alone engaged in a conversation with over 5 million people around the world to understand the development priorities. What we heard laud , including here in Ghana, is that while the core issues of the MDGs -- poverty reduction, health and education -- are extremely important, people are also concerned about the state of natural environment, lack of jobs and growing inequalities. Therefore the current proposal of 17 goals integrates social, environmental as well as economic concerns which reflect these aspirations and priorities of the majority of global citizens. These concerns and ideas have also been contributed by Ghanaian organizations through a number of national consultations. To meet these vast development aspirations of the global citizens as well as us here in Ghana, we must acknowledge the importance of all development partners. We will need a lot of resources that lie outside of the UN and the government and therefore cross sectoral partnerships are crucial in making progress towards the goals. Role of PhilanthropyPhilanthropy brings with it many unique strengths such as agility, flexibility and commitment to innovation and experimentation which are important assets for the development community. We have the responsibility to create strong links between foundations, the UN and the government and build solid foundations for a dialogue and partnerships. Looking ForwardTo conclude, I am really excited that Ghana was selected as a pilot country for the collaborative initiative on philanthropy - the Post-2015 Partnership Platform for Philanthropy which we are officially launching in Ghana today. This is therefore a milestone Workshop.? By launching this partnership, we aim to demonstrate that collective action is the way forward in implementing the long term development vision for Ghana.? The partnership will test new approaches and methodologies of working together where our unique strengths can be put to best use. We, at the United Nations are committed to learn and adapt to new ways of engaging with Foundations. This will help to skillfully facilitate philanthropic partnerships, appreciate their ways of doing business, and leverage each other's resources and networks in responding to challenges.??Here in Ghana, our efforts will focus on developing capacities of local partners – actions which are crucial as we support the government and civil society partners in prioritizing the SDGs.?I am delighted to see such as strong buy-in and leadership on the SDGs from the government. During pivotal times like this year, which will see the general adoption of the SDGs and set the development priorities for the next fifteen years, visionary leadership is essential in creating unity that will drive large national level cross sector coalitions to achieve goals which are important for Ghana. Finally I take this opportunity to congratulate all our partners in the Platform, thank you all who travelled from many places to contribute to the discussions today. I would like to wish you all stimulating and productive discussions. I advise that each session and all the conversations have specific actions points for follow up. We are very excited about the next steps and shaping up specific action plan for the Platform.?Thank you.?? ................
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