Excellencies,

Distinguished Resident Coordinators,

At a time of growing demands and financial constraints, the Resident Coordinator system remains indispensable to ensuring that the United Nations delivers coherent, effective and tangible results at country level.

Our experience offers three important lessons.

First, recalibration must be country-driven and nationally owned.

Albania’s new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2027–2031 demonstrates the value of strong national ownership and strategic coordination. Developed through consultations involving more than 600 stakeholders, it brings together 20 UN entities around three national priorities: human capital development; sustainable economic transformation; and governance, justice and human rights.

It has reduced the number of outcomes from four to three and outputs from 22 to 11, while aligning UN agency programmes with a single, jointly agreed framework. This demonstrates how strong Resident Coordinator leadership can reduce fragmentation and enable governments to engage with the UN as one development partner. We thank the RC in Albania Ms. Ingrid Macdonald for her leadership and partnership with the Albanian Government.

Second, we must preserve the expertise and capacity required to deliver.

Albania’s commitment of an initial USD 6 million to the SDG Acceleration Fund is a concrete expression of confidence in the Resident Coordinator system and its ability to mobilize integrated UN support around national priorities.

This investment demonstrates that a well-coordinated UN system can mobilize not only expertise, but also national resources and partnerships to accelerate results.

Third, the UN must adapt to the evolving needs of middle-income countries.

As an upper-middle-income country progressing towards EU membership, Albania increasingly needs specialized technical expertise, integrated policy advice and support for complex institutional reforms, rather than fragmented project delivery.

Our proposed Human Capital Development Acceleration Platform, building on joint EU–UN–World Bank analytical work, illustrates the importance of bringing together expertise, financing and institutional capacity around systemic national challenges.

Excellencies,

Recalibration should not be driven by income classifications or staffing reductions alone. It must be based on actual country needs, evidence and measurable development outcomes, while preserving substantive expertise, continuity and the capacity to convene the entire UN system.

Albania therefore encourages transparent and inclusive consultations with Member States, predictable financing for the Resident Coordinator system, and reforms that strengthen rather than weaken its authority and effectiveness.

Ultimately, a successful UN80 reform must deliver a United Nations that is more coherent, responsive and better equipped to support national priorities and transformational development.

Thank you.