The United Nations team worked alongside the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Territorial Cohesion, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Family, Inclusion and Social Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration, who were the main national partners. Responding to a multilevel and multi stakeholders’ approach for Agenda 2030 and  localizing the SDGs, the 22 municipalities and its National Association (ANMCV) were fundamental partners together with national and local Civil  Society Organisations (CSOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs).

The European Union and Luxembourg continued to be the top international development partners, contributing USD 4.2 million (21% of the total  available budget of USD 20,3 million). Luxembourg is the only donor in the country to finance through the Multi Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) Cabo Verde 2030 Acceleration Fund, which also received funds from UN global funds. The UNCT also built partnerships with Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, South Korea, Spain, USA, China, and Greece.

The main global and vertical contributing partners were the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with USD 4 million (20% of the budget), the Joint SDG  Fund, the Global Partnerships on Education (GPE) and the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS). Agencies core funds, global and vertical funds that the Resident Coordinator (RC) and UNCT successfully mobilized together, stands for USD 15.2 million (75%) of the annual joint work plan. A strategic alliance with the World Bank (WB) was fostered by coordinating advocacy efforts and interventions in strategic areas such as health, financing,  poverty eradication, social basic services, blue economy, and more. The WB is part of the UNCT and signed the new UNCF 2023-2027 in October 2022.

*The UN Core Funds includes $90,000 from USA through INL for the Global Programme CRIMJUST

UNCT Results achieved by implementing Global Initiatives and Partnerships

Cabo Verde, a small island developing state (SIDS), has been making significant strides towards achieving its sustainable development goals with the  support of the United Nations and its partners. The country has identified national key commitments to enhance the education system through a broad national consultative process supported by UNICEF and the Resident Coordinators Office (RCO), with the backing of the Global Partnerships for  Education (GPE) and the UN Development Coordination Office/UNICEF/UNESCO. The Government presented these commitments at the Transforming Education Summit during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2022. These commitments have been incorporated into the new UNCF, 2023-2027, approved in October 2022.

During 2022, four joint programmes were implemented with significant results, two of which are highlighted below:

• With the support of the Joint SDG Fund, a sustainable finance platform (Blu-X) was launched and implemented in capital markets, raising over USD 26  million to finance National Sustainable Development Initiatives in Cabo Verde. The Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) joint programme,  led by UNDP with ILO and UNODC, played a pivotal role in this endeavour.
• The UN Trust Fund for Human Security Joint Programme successfully integrated a human security approach into the participatory local strategies of  three highly vulnerable urban communities to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme was supported by UNODC and UN- HABITAT. At the international level, Cabo Verde’s participation and partnering in the SIDS network have been boosted by the UN’s support for the Technical Secretariat for the Multi Vulnerability Index (MVI) and the political leadership of Cabo Verde in advocacy efforts. The goal of these efforts is to coordinate and build a MVI that will facilitate access to concessional finance for SIDS countries. The UN has also supported the country in convening SIDS countries of the AIS region (Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and South China Sea) to have a stronger voice in the international arena. As a result, Cabo Verde was selected to host the AIS-SIDS regional conference in preparation for the 4th International Conference of SIDS (SIDS Summit) in 2024 in Barbados.

Leveraging UN investments to advance the Sustainable Development Goals

Resource mobilization, quality of funding and expenditure in 2022

In 2022, the United Nations in Cabo Verde made significant progress in supporting the country’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, the UN secured 93.6% of the required resources, amounting to USD 20.3 million, for this purpose. Out of this total amount, 16% was  dedicated to advancing SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being, which included support to tackle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and fortify the  health system response and sectors in the country. It is worth noting that approximately 58% of the funding for SDG 3 was specifically allocated to  COVID-related efforts.

Beyond SDG 3, the UN in Cabo Verde made significant efforts to advance and achieve the targets of several other SDGs. These included SDGs 16, 17,  and 1, with 13.5%, 11.5%, and 8.2% share of the resources, respectively.

Together, these SDGs represented almost 50% of the total efforts channelled by the UN in 2022. This demonstrates the UN’s commitment to supporting a comprehensive approach to sustainable development in Cabo Verde. By focusing on multiple SDGs, the UN can help to address the interconnected nature of sustainable development challenges and promote positive outcomes across various sectors of the economy and society. Overall, the UN’s efforts highlight the importance of national and international cooperation and partnership in achieving the SDGs.

Major development partnerships that the UN forged that helped advance the SDGs for leveraged financing for the 2030 Agenda in the country

The United Nations played a vital role in forging significant development partnerships that helped advance the SDGs and leveraged financing for the 

2030 Agenda in Cabo Verde.