Power in Partnership: Reducing Fragmentation and Enhancing Effectiveness through Inter-Agency Pooled Funds for Unified Action

Background: 

The side event will highlight how inter-agency pooled Funds serve as effective vehicles for aligning, directing, and leveraging financing flows toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing from flagship examples such as the Joint SDG Fund, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, the Cali Fund, and the Uzbekistan Vision 2030 Fund, the session will illustrate how pooled funding models reduce fragmentation, promote joint programming across the UN system, and pilot innovative financing approaches. To provide context, the participants will be offered a brief presentation of the data on UN financing including the availability and quality of UN funding. 
 
The event will also showcase the added value of inter-agency pooled funds in leveraging external financing—an increasingly important objective as development funding landscapes shift. With references to the Outcome Document which explicitly mentions the role of interagency pooled funds as an approach to reduce fragmentation, the session will underscore the strategic use of such funds to enhance coordination, effectiveness, and innovation in development financing. 

Featuring high-level voices from the UN, Member States, and leading fund practitioners, the event includes a high-level opening, focused technical segment, and interactive discussion. Speakers include: 

Agenda: 

• Mr. Alain Noudéhou, Executive Director, UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO)
• Mr. Sergio Colina Martín, Director-General, Sustainable Development, Government of Spain 

Panel Discussion:

• Mr. Thomas Asare, Assistant Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization
• Ms. Eleanora Betancur González, Director-General, APC, Government of Colombia
• Ms. Lisa Kurbiel, Head, UN Joint SDG Fund
• Mr. Yabenex Batista, Deputy Director, Global Fund for Coral Reefs