BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
MBABANE– The United Nations plans to concentrate its development support to Eswatini on fewer, high-impact priorities over the 2026–2030 period, with greater emphasis on strengthening national systems, improving service delivery and mobilising resources for sustainable development.
The priorities are outlined in the United Nations Annual Results Report for Eswatini 2025, which sets out the direction of the UN’s work under the new Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2026–2030.
In his foreword, UN Resident Coordinator George Wachira says the final stretch towards 2030 requires the organisation to deliver “greater impact with greater efficiency”. He says the UN must use its collective strengths alongside Government, the private sector, development partners and civil society, while ensuring that every resource mobilised produces results.
The report presents the UN Country Team (UNCT) in Eswatini as the collective United Nations system working with the Government and people of Eswatini to advance national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The UNCT comprises 21 agencies, eight resident and 13 non-resident. These are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Women, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), International Trade Centre (ITC) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
According to the report, the new framework reflects lessons from an evaluation of the previous cooperation cycle. Its structure has been streamlined from four outcomes to two, while the number of outputs has been reduced from 16 to nine.
The intention is to improve coordination and reduce fragmented interventions by concentrating resources on integrated programmes that address underlying development challenges.
Priority areas include inclusive economic growth and livelihoods, health and social development, accountable governance and human rights, and climate resilience and environmental sustainability. The UN also intends to strengthen institutional capacity, governance, data systems and evidence-based policymaking.
The report emphasises partnerships with Government, international financial institutions, development partners, businesses and civil society. It also points to the need for innovative financing, including pooled and blended finance, domestic resource mobilisation and private-sector investment, as traditional development assistance comes under pressure.
In 2025, the UN mobilised approximately US$22 million (E396 million) in new resources for climate-resilient agriculture, biodiversity conservation, hazardous waste management and nature-based tourism. This was funding mobilised during 2025, not a confirmed investment commitment for the entire 2026–2030 period.
Wachira says the UN’s achievements in 2025 were made possible primarily through its partnership with His Majesty’s Government. He also acknowledges the support of local and international development partners.
The report does not provide one consolidated monetary figure for all future UN investments in Eswatini under the new framework. Instead, it outlines a shift towards coordinated, high-impact programmes intended to strengthen national systems and accelerate progress towards the 2030 development targets.
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