The future of development and how the multilateral system can do more to prevent crisis and conflict were amongst the topics high on the agenda as the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner concluded his missions to Munich and Berlin, Germany, and Brussels, Belgium where he met with high-level officials from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union (EU) respectively.

At the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2022, Administrator Steiner participated a townhall discussion on Preventing the Next Polypandemic with a panel that included the Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva; the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the President of the World Bank Group, David Maplass; and the German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Svenja Schulze. During the MSC, Administrator Steiner also availed of the opportunity to hold a number of bilateral meetings during the MSC, including with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; the German Special Envoy for International Climate Action, Jennifer Morgan; and State Secretary at the German Federal Foreign Office, Susanne Baumann.

Administrator Steiner met with key interlocutors in the new coalition government in Germany, formed after the September 2021 federal elections, for the first time. In a meeting with the Head of the German Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks, Wolfgang Schmidt, discussions focused on ways to enhance global cooperation to prevent crisis and conflict and Germany’s leadership of the G7 to push climate ambition and inject an ‘SDG push’. During Administrator Steiner’s meeting with the Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Steffi Lemke, both parties highlighted the unique UNDP-Germany partnership to drive forward global environmental protection.

In a wide-ranging dialogue with State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Jochen Flasbarth, Administrator Steiner thanked Germany for its continued strategic investment in the UNDP Accelerator Labs network, which is allowing it to surface and scale-up much-needed local development solutions. Both parties also underlined key avenues to spur an inclusive digital transformation. In meetings with the German Federal Minister for Development, Svenja Schulze, and State Secretary at the Federal Foreign Office, Tobias Lindner, Administrator Steiner pinpointed opportunities to deepen the partnership between Germany and UNDP to support crisis prevention and advance sustainable solutions for peace and recovery in fragile and conflict-affected areas.

In a roundtable discussion hosted by UNDP that focused on the findings of the 2022 Special Report on Human Security, Administrator Steiner engaged in a stimulating discussion with a panel that included experts from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, the German Council on Foreign Relations, the German Development Institute, and the Center for International Peace Operations.

In Brussels, Belgium, Administrator Steiner met with high-level officials from the EU, one of UNDP’s key important partners. For instance, the EU supports UNDP’s Climate Promise that works with 120 countries to enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions, as well as the Biodiversity Finance Initiative that is assisting 40 countries to create sustainable finance solutions to protect biodiversity. In his engagement with EU officials, Administrator Steiner presented UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, outlining how UNDP works with partners to address complex and interconnected development challenges, including in the areas of climate action, the digital transformation and crisis prevention.

In a meeting with the Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships, Koen Doens, discussions focused on the longstanding EU-UNDP partnership, which involves the implementation of joint global initiatives worth over €2 billion the area of crisis and fragility, governance, and climate action. During a conversation with the Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Climate Action Mauro Petriccione and the Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate General for the Environment, Florika Fink-Hooijer, Administrator Steiner outlined how the EU and UNDP can scale-up their cooperation on climate action, nature-based solutions, and biodiversity protection. In a dialogue with the EU Commissioner for Energy,  Kadri Simson, Administrator Steiner underlined UNDP’s commitment to assist an additional 500 million people to gain access to clean energy by 2025 and the potential avenues to partner more closely with EU to deliver on this ambitious target. In a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability, and Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness, Administrator Steiner discussed the successful collaboration between UNDP and the EU to support Integrated National Financing Frameworks in over 70 countries as well as new ways to drive finance towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Meeting with the President of the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer, Administrator Steiner discussed the specialised expertise that both institutions can offer to developing countries on climate finance, sustainable energy and the green transition.

In a meeting with representatives of EU Member-States, Administrator Steiner stressed the vital support that the EU and its Member States provides to countries in crisis or conflict settings such as Yemen, Afghanistan, and countries in the Sahel region of Africa. For example, as part of the ABADEI strategy in Afghanistan, UNDP and the EU launched a $16.9 million livelihoods recovery initiative to safeguard women’s livelihoods and women-led small businesses. In Yemen, the EU-UNDP partnership has helped thousands of people to access food, jobs, and electricity. Administrator Steiner and the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič, discussed the importance of deploying development, humanitarian and peace assistance in a synchronized manner to reduce humanitarian needs. They highlighted the potential of a structured dialogue between the EU and the UN on humanitarian, development, and peace collaboration as well as possibilities for new joint initiatives to tackle food insecurity in the Sahel.

Concluding his missions with a meeting with Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Europe fit for the Digital Age (Competition) Margrethe Vestager, Administrator Steiner highlighted UNDP’s new Digital Strategy, which aims to harnesses the potential of digital technology to reduce inequalities and accelerate progress towards the SDGs. Commissioner Vestager highlighted an interest to scale-up initiatives to help create jobs and livelihoods for young people, such as the EU-UNDP Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme.