Remarks at the 78th UN Day Dinner with Staff by the UN Resident Coordinator.

I am happy to welcome you all tonight as we celebrate the 78th anniversary of the United Nations under the theme Building Resilience: Sierra Leone and the United Nations. This special occasion not only allows us to reflect on the incredible journey of the UN but also presents an opportunity to highlight the remarkable role of you, our dedicated UN personnel, and your unwavering commitment to Sierra Leone's quest for the Sustainable Development Goals.

I make this set of remarks on behalf of the UNCT – the Heads of Agencies, Funds, and Programmes. I know that many of you might not know them all apart from your Head of Agency. So, may I respectfully ask all Heads of Agencies present to stand up for recognition.

Three years ago, I was given the privilege by the UN Secretary-General to serve as your RC. The initial period was challenging not only for all of us and the country but also for the rest of the world. We were at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there were fears that this would unleash another Ebola-type devastation.

However, like the resilient Sierra Leoneans that we serve, we pulled through. You, the staff, are our organization's most precious asset, and the support that we collectively provided to our partners ensured that Sierra Leone responded reasonably well to COVID-19 and is now striving to build back better after the pandemic.

Beyond that, as we commemorate this momentous day, it is crucial to acknowledge the pivotal role that each member of the UN family plays in shaping Sierra Leone's development trajectory. Our collective efforts, dedication, and resilience are the cornerstones of our mission to create a brighter future for this nation. Together, we stand as a testament to the values and principles championed by the UN, striving to uphold peace, security, and prosperity for all.

Currently, we are supporting the Government in its efforts to develop a new Medium-Term National Development Plan (2024-2030). Subsequently, we will make sure that our next UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2025-2030) to be developed early next year is well aligned with the new MTNDP.

Colleagues, we make these commitments bearing in mind that we have a team of dedicated staff who will serve as the machinery for fulfilling these objectives. I therefore want to note all the support you have provided through your respective agencies' mandates, our joint efforts, and overall collaboration to ensure that we deliver on the development priorities of Sierra Leone and its people.

On a day like this, we must commend ourselves for the difference our efforts are making, such as strengthening systems and wider adoption of sustainable and climate-smart agricultural, fishery, and agri-business practices, facilitating the enactment of several development-enabling bills, including the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act, contributing to the rise in the gross enrollment rate for pre-primary education, and helping to strengthen the national emergency preparedness and response capacity, and institutional capacities to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence (including harmful practices).

Even with these accomplishments, Sierra Leone continues to be confronted by significant development challenges in the context of multiple and interconnected global crises.  So, today, you as UN personnel are needed more than ever!

In all this, our national staff are hurting. I get it. We, as a UNCT, feel your pain as members of the one UN family. That is why we continue to work with FUNSA to ensure that the salary conditions of our national staff are regularly reviewed to meet the growing demands that come with the massive rate of devaluation of the Leone and strong inflationary trends. 

If you have received your payslip this month, you will notice some slight increment. It is not a huge thing, but it is a good starting point from the other efforts we have made for the past three years since I came here. By next year, a comprehensive salary survey will be conducted taking into consideration new comparators so that you, our staff, have the edge once and for all when you receive your payslip subsequently.

We will continue to fight for you, and we plead for your continued patience and understanding.

On this auspicious occasion, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to every member of the UN family in Sierra Leone. Your dedication, passion, and resilience are the driving force behind our shared mission to create a better world for the present and future generations.

So, tonight, as we celebrate in the spirit of unity and collaboration, let us reaffirm our commitment to building a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future for all. Let us continue to work hand in hand, leveraging our collective expertise and diverse perspectives to create a Sierra Leone and a world where every individual can thrive and prosper.

Let me conclude with the words of the UN Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres, who, in his message for the 78th UN day, said:

"The United Nations is guided by timeless values and principles, but it must never be frozen in time. That is why we must always keep strengthening ways of working and applying a 21st-century lens to all we do."

Thank you and I hope to see you all again at the Beach Clean-up exercise in Lumley tomorrow morning.