Statement of the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Nathalie Ndongo-Seh, at the CANGO Annual General Meeting

Directors of the Board,

CANGO Management and Staff,

Members of CANGO,

Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good morning to you all, dear friends.

It is with a great sense of solidarity, privilege and honour that I join your Annual General Meeting today on behalf of the United Nations Family in Eswatini.

The invitation extended to me to make remarks in this important meeting, speaks volumes of the level of partnership, solidarity and collaboration the UN in Eswatini continues to enjoy with civil society.

I would like to take a moment to appreciate the dedication, hard work and commitment of CANGO to the people of Eswatini, under the leadership of the passionate Executive Director, Mr Emmanuel Ndlangamandla, and Members of the Board.

You are an invaluable partner of us all and thank you for the support and guidance that you willingly provide in our pursuit of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

The theme of your Annual General Meeting, “Building resilient organisations and communities to mitigate the effects of COVID-19”, further demonstrates of our common understanding of what needs to recover better from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and forge ahead with speed to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

For many decades, civil society groups have been a vital and indispensable ally of the UN; helping to address challenges that our nations and communities have faced and continue to face.

In Eswatini civil society groups have helped the country to fight the scourge of HIV&AIDS which was threatening to wipe out communities; delivered life-saving humanitarian aid; helped communities to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change and protect the environment; helped to improve water & sanitation; helped to advance gender equality; fought inequalities and other human rights violations; improved access to education; enhanced livelihoods of vulnerable groups. The list is endless.

You are again with us today as we face the COVID-19 pandemic and the civil unrest.

You are our allies in upholding human rights.

You are indispensable partners in our immediate challenge to restore peace in this beautiful nation; pushing for climate action; advancing gender equality, delivering life-saving humanitarian aid and ending AIDS as the country is already ahead of other countries in achieving the set targets of 95-95-95.

It is clear that achieving Agenda 2030 of the SDGs with less than 8 years remaining, is unthinkable without you.

In these trying times, your passion, pressure and policy advice are needed more than ever. The pandemic has been a wake-up call for all us in the manner it has exposed the inequalities and fragilities of our time.

We cannot go back to a pre‑COVID world of inequality and fragility.

We count on you to help us to recover better and to build inclusive and sustainable economies and societies. You can count on the United Nations to do our utmost to protect and promote civic space.

As of the 1st of January 2019, the UN system began implementation of a wide-ranging repositioning and reform process intended to make the organization more transparent, accountable, decentralized and effective. 

One of key components of the reform is the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, and we were among the first 10 African countries to transition to this strategic framework.

I look forward to even closer ties as we work to bring the vision of the UNSDCF 2021-2025 to life. We have committed to “a prosperous, just and resilient Eswatini where no one is left behind.”

I would like to express appreciation to  the active participation and valuable contributions from CSOs during the development of the UNSDCF; which was done in record time in 2020 despite the onset of COVID-19 which had affected our ability to meet.

Now that the UNSDCF is being implemented through the JWPs, we do expect the strong  involvement of civil society, especially in the regular UN Result Groups meetings.

While the UN has been engaging with individual CSOs on pertinent issues warranting attention, the UNSDCF processes, specifically JWPs, remain the best way to engage the UN Development System.

As a matter of fact, the first JNSC of 2020 will be held on the 4th October 2021 and CSOs will be represented by CANGO

Using the strong connections that CSOs have with groups and communities, the UN has been able to reach out to vulnerable groups. These include rural women, youth, the elderly, persons with HIV and AIDS, children and persons living with disabilities who are at risk of being left behind, especially in the Kingdom’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Civil society organisations remain our key allies in ensuring that no LiSwati is left behind.

CSOs, especially through CANGO, have been key in assisting the UN to understand developments on the ground in the face of an uncertain and fast-changing context. This has included drawing the attention of the UN to the plight of those affected, especially women and children and making suggestions on measures to ensure human rights protection and to rebuild and promote social cohesion; post the unrest.

There is still much room for improvement in the engagement between the UN and CSOs. For example, joint advocacy on specific issues is one way in which the UN can amplify the voice of CSOs.

With more than 200 formal and informal NGOs in the nation, CANGO’s mission to: “coordinate, advocate, strengthen capacity and empower NGOs to effectively deliver on their mandates,” is essential to the prosperity of our nation.

I would therefore like to take a moment to commend the resilience, endurance and commitment of NGOs and CSOs across the nation, who have continued their work under tremendously hard circumstances, including with diminishing funding related to the classification of the country as a lower middle income country and others issues.

I encourage you all to maintain a sense of urgency, dedication and resilience, in our efforts to recover better from the pandemic, leaning on the powerful partnerships that have grown within the sector.

It is only in solidarity, with a shared responsibility, accountability, and mutual trust that we will achieve Agenda 2030.

We all have a role to play in achieving the SDGs, no matter how small or insignificant we may consider ourselves to be.

I will end my talk by sharing an African proverb, which says:

“If you think you are too small to make a difference; then you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.”

I thank you.

Enjoy your AGM, dear friends!