Ministry of Finance, MoF, Ms. Lila Pieters, UN Resident Coordinator, development partners, distinguished colleagues, media persons, ladies and gentlemen, a very good afternoon.

Let me begin by congratulating the Ministry of Finance for its strong leadership in formulating Nepal’s Integrated National Financing Framework Financing Strategy. UNDP feels privileged to have supported the Ministry in this important, government led process.

As you heard, INFF (which is a global framework adopted in more than 80 countries), are designed to help governments bring together all sources of finance—public revenues and expenditures, concessional finance, private capital, remittances, and financial markets—and align them coherently with national development priorities.

For Nepal, the INFF serves as a powerful organising platform, linking planning and financing around a single, shared priority: productive employment at home.

Just to clarify that this is not about inventing new ideas in isolation. Nepal has long pursued reforms and instruments to support employment-oriented growth, and in fact, many Development Partners have a strong focus in this area. What the Pro Employment INFF does is bring these efforts together. It translates labour market objectives into budget ceilings, credit windows, investment pipelines, and policy reforms, and it provides a framework to track both financial flows and job outcomes in a coherent way. In doing so, it strengthens coordination across government and offers development partners a common reference point for engagement.

Looking ahead, the most important task is execution. Finalising the framework is only the beginning. Establishing a strong governance and coordination mechanism, under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance, will be critical to align financing decisions across government and to monitor progress over time. The Strategy has identified key priority actions, but its successful implementation will depend on partnerships—on policy, finance, and technology.

UNDP stands ready to continue supporting the Ministry of Finance—particularly in strengthening governance, coordination, and monitoring, and in building national capacities to confidently engage with a broader range of financing instruments, including thematic bonds, climate and disaster risk finance, credit guarantees, and just transition pathways such as climate smart agriculture.

Let me close by once again thanking the Ministry of Finance for its leadership, and by expressing my hope that the same spirit of ownership and commitment will now guide the implementation of this important framework.