2026 Report of the Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group
The challenges to multilateralism and sharp declines in official development assistance, compounded by escalating conflicts and humanitarian crises, destabilised already precarious development trajectories and slowed progress towards the SDGs in 2025, according to the annual report of the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, in her capacity as Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG).
Nevertheless, eight years after the establishment of the reinvigorated Resident Coordinator (RC) system, dedicated and independent development coordination has demonstrated its value. Operating across more than 160 countries and territories, Resident Coordinators and their Offices (RCOs) provide the central leadership function of the UN development system (UNDS) — aligning UN Country Teams (UNCTs) behind national priorities, facilitating integrated policy and financing solutions, and driving coherence at a time of unprecedented global pressure. In 2025, 93 per cent of host governments affirmed that RCs provide strengthened leadership, a gain of nearly 30 percentage points since 2019.
The RC system's results in 2025 underscore both its impact and the urgency of adequate resourcing. The RC system faces a persistent and deepening funding gap: overall income in 2025 reached only $236.1 million against a budget requirement of $281.8 million, with voluntary contributions declining to their lowest level since the system's establishment.
Read the official document of the report below and browse through the interactive version of the report on the UNDCO website.
