Opening Remarks
UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Director,
Ms. Lydia Zigomo
ESARO 2022 Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Strengthening on Results Based Management and Data for Action
Delivered by Deputy Regional Director, Chinwe Ogbonna
Good morning and a warm welcome on behalf of the East and Southern Africa Regional Director Ms Lydia Zigomo to all colleagues joining us in person and virtually for this regional workshop convened in collaboration with the Policy, Strategic Information and Planning Branch, of the Policy and Strategy Division, Population and Development Branch in Technical Division and the Evaluation Office.
This workshop truly demonstrates the power of harnessing assets across headquarters, regional, and country offices as we accelerate towards the transformative results.
As the world builds forward from the COVID pandemic, hosting hybrid meetings has become one of the ways of working, through which large audiences can be reached, as is applicable to this particular capacity building effort.
I trust that we are all looking forward to the learning, information sharing, exchanges and networking that will happen over the next couple of days, irrespective of whether you are here present or joining virtually.
This is because of the importance of the workshop focus on improving results-based management and data for action capacities in the region; while also empowering Country Offices to better develop, manage, monitor and evaluate "business unusual" programmes.
Colleagues, I believe we are all acquainted with the bold ambition of the UNFPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025 which calls us to Accelerate, Innovate and Motivate - towards reaching the mountain top of rights and choices for all. By so doing we would contribute to transforming the lives of women, adolescents and youth and those furthest behind.
We have less than 8 years to the 2030 timeline for the Sustainable Development Goals. This is important because we know the three transformative results contribute towards all the 17 SDGs, particularly Goals 3, 5, 10, 13, 16 and 17; the commitments of Our Common Agenda and aspirations of Africa Agenda 2063.
At the current pace and scale, we may not get there so pls lets us challenge ourselves during this workshop on what more we must do in leveraging results based management and data for action in our programmes. Looking at the rich agenda co-created by colleagues that organised this workshop, I note that we have the right sessions and tools for the critical thinking, learning and exchange required.
So please allow me to pose seven questions for reflections and considerations in the workshop deliberations... If I were the one participating I figured I would be asking through my role...
How best can I measure, track, report and communicate our progress?
How best can I guide targeted investments for multi-sectoral interventions required to achieve measurable results?
How can I in a timely manner, identify programme gaps, populations left behind and underserved geographic areas?
How can I better anticipate disruptions and shocks that have impact on our agenda
How can I in turn ensure agile and adaptive responses across the humanitarian, development and peace contexts in our region?
How can I strengthen and broker the right partnerships with academia, research institutions, professional groups, in ways that clearly communicate our common shared agenda and also strengthen national capacities for sustainability?
How can I, from an RBM and Data for Action perspective further advance the ICPD Agenda through the UN Reforms, as well as, with Continental and Regional Institutions?
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As UNFPA leaders, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Population and Development experts, your role in these efforts cannot be overemphasised. While you acquire relevant knowledge, pls also do share your thoughts, reflections, ideas, perspectives in the course of the workshop.
As I conclude, urgency in the scale and pace of action is critical and required of us, even as we learn, adapt, course correct our actions in the Decade of Action. So pls do approach this workshop with the seriousness it deserves. So that our subsequent policy and programme related actions can impact positively on the significant proportion of women, adolescents and youth we serve in our region.
Let me end by thanking my colleagues in the Regional Office that co-designed this workshop together with you. It has been months and weeks in the making and I know the delivery will be excellent.
I wish you all a successful workshop and thank you for listening.
