Pretoria, 10 July 2026 – The Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ms. Maropene Ramokgopa, and the United Nations Resident Coordinator in South Africa, Mr. Nelson Muffuh, today signed the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026-2030. The ceremony marked the start of a five-year partnership to support South Africa's national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The five-year Cooperation Framework is the UN's principal strategic instrument for supporting national development at the country level. It aligns the work of the UN development system behind South Africa's National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030 and the Medium-Term Development Plan (2024–2029), ensuring that the expertise, partnerships and resources of the UN are directed towards achieving shared national priorities.
The Framework provides the strategic direction for collaboration between the Government and the UN over the next five years. It focuses on three mutually reinforcing priorities: promoting inclusive economic growth, decent work and social inclusion; strengthening accountable governance, human rights, justice and safety; and building resilience through climate action, environmental sustainability and disaster risk reduction.
Through the Framework, the UN will support South Africa through policy advice, technical expertise, innovation, institutional strengthening, data and evidence, knowledge sharing, strategic partnerships, and resource mobilization to help accelerate sustainable development.
During the signing ceremony, the minister stated that “this moment [signing ceremony] is not just about signing another partnership agreement. It reaffirms government and the United Nations' shared commitment to work together towards a South Africa that is more inclusive, prosperous, resilient, and just."
The Cooperation Framework, which was adopted by the South African Cabinet, is an outcome of robust consultations with various stakeholders that included the UN as the main stakeholder and various Government departments, organized business and labour, civil society, academia and development partners.
Minister Ramokgopa acknowledged the valuable contributions that were received in developing the Framework. “Your involvement shows that sustainable development cannot be achieved by the government alone. It needs collective leadership, shared responsibility, and lasting partnerships. The first signing of the Cooperation Framework confirmed our shared vision," she said, adding, “It represents something even more significant – it shows our collective readiness to shift from planning to action, from commitments to measurable outcomes, and from aspirations to real improvements in the lives of our people."
As the Department responsible for planning, monitoring, and evaluation across government, it places great importance in ensuring that international cooperation supports national development goals, strengthens institutions, and leads to better development outcomes for South Africans.
Minister Ramokgopa noted that the Government of National Unity had adopted the Medium-Term Development Plan (2024–2029) as the strategic programme for the current administration, with a strong focus on inclusive economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, improved public service delivery, infrastructure development, energy security and building a capable developmental state. She added that ongoing structural reforms, including Operation Vulindlela and investments in energy, logistics and infrastructure, were creating conditions for long-term economic growth and greater competitiveness.
The Cooperation Framework is also largely an outcome of South Africa's commitment to international cooperation. “During our G20 Presidency, we consistently called for stronger multilateral cooperation, more inclusive global governance, sustainable financing for development, and partnerships that respond to the needs of developing countries. We emphasised that development challenges cannot be met through fragmentation or isolation, but through solidarity, shared responsibility, and collective action," said Minister Ramokgopa.
In his remarks, UN Resident Coordinator Nelson Muffuh said, “We are gathered here to launch a new Cooperation Framework, but we are also gathered to reaffirm a deeper commitment: that the decisions we take, the partnerships we build and the resources we mobilise must translate into real improvements in people's lives." He added, “This means that our commitments must be felt in homes, schools, workplaces and communities, and in the opportunities available to every child."
Mr. Muffuh emphasized that the Cooperation Framework was more than a planning document, but a programme of action that would guide the partnership between the UN and the Government “with greater focus, discipline and urgency during the final years leading to 2030."
Noting that the development picture in South Africa was one of progress but also of unfinished work, he pointed out: “Important gains have been made through social protection, expanded access to services, stronger data systems and resilient public institutions. At the same time, poverty, inequality, unemployment, climate vulnerability and insecurity continue to place pressure on people and communities."
The Resident Coordinator stressed that while South Africa continued to face persistent challenges, including poverty, inequality, unemployment and climate-related risks, the Framework seeks to help unlock significant opportunities arising from the country's young population, strong institutions, natural resources and growing digital and green economies.
He further stressed that development could not be measured by the number of policies or strategies produced, but by whether people's lives improved. Success, he said, would ultimately be reflected in more young people finding decent work, stronger public institutions, safer communities, growing businesses and greater opportunities reaching those who had been left furthest behind.
Implementation of the Cooperation Framework will be anchored in South Africa's existing national coordination mechanisms and supported through joint governance structures and thematic working groups. These mechanisms will strengthen coordination, monitor progress, mobilize partnerships and financing, improve the use of data and evidence, and ensure accountability for delivering measurable results.
Both Minister Ramokgopa and Mr. Muffuh underscored that the success of the Cooperation Framework would not be measured by today's signing ceremony, but by the difference it makes in the daily lives of South Africans. They called on the Government, the UN, the business sector, organized labour, civil society, academia and development partners to work together in translating shared commitments into meaningful action that creates opportunities, reduces inequalities, strengthens resilience and leaves no one behind.
