NEW YORK, USA — Liberia has urged the United Nations to strengthen its Resident Coordinator (RC) System through improved financing, adequate staffing, and reforms that reflect the varying development needs of countries.
Liberia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Baba Sillah, made the call Wednesday during the 2026 Resident Coordinators Global Meeting in New York, where he expressed concerns over the potential impact of ongoing restructuring on the system’s ability to deliver effective development support.
Sillah warned that persistent funding constraints, staffing shortages, and proposed reductions or downgrading of critical professional positions could undermine the operational effectiveness and technical capabilities of Resident Coordinator Offices.
He stressed that specialized personnel, particularly economists, data analysts, and development policy experts, remain essential to helping national governments formulate policies, address development challenges, and implement their priorities.
The Liberian diplomat also cautioned against adopting a standardized staffing arrangement across African countries, arguing that such an approach could overlook significant differences in national development conditions and institutional capacities.
According to Sillah, countries classified as least developed, those recovering from conflict, and nations confronting climate-related and institutional challenges require specialized technical assistance and consistent engagement from the United Nations at the country level.
To address these concerns, he outlined three key recommendations for the reform process: establishing reliable and sustainable funding arrangements, protecting essential technical and analytical expertise, and ensuring meaningful consultations with host governments when determining staffing structures and operational requirements.
His remarks came during discussions involving African member states and Resident Coordinators on ways to reinforce the effectiveness and sustainability of the UN Resident Coordinator System across the continent.
The Resident Coordinator System serves as the central mechanism for coordinating the activities of the UN development system at the national level. It is designed to improve collaboration, efficiency, and consistency among UN agencies while ensuring that their interventions align with national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda.
Through this coordination framework, Resident Coordinators bring together various UN entities operating in individual countries, including agencies without a formal physical presence, to promote a more coordinated and effective development response.
