The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a Letter of Intent on Wednesday in New York to strengthen and structure cooperation in support of governance, sustainable development, and resilience across South East Europe.
The agreement was signed by Amer Kapetanovic, RCC Secretary General, and Ivana Zivkovic, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator, and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS.
The partnership will build on existing regional frameworks, including the RCC Strategy and Work Programme 2026-2028, the SEE2030 Strategy, the Common Regional Market Action Plan, the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, and the UNDP Strategic Plan. Officials said the goal is to maximize impact, ensure coherence, and avoid duplication of efforts.
“This agreement helps us move faster on what matters to people – better services, greener growth, stronger institutions, and a more resilient region – by aligning RCC’s regional platforms with UNDP’s expertise and reach,” Kapetanovic said.
The Letter of Intent foresees regular coordination between the two organizations, annual progress reviews, and operational focal points to steer implementation.
The signing took place during Kapetanovic’s visit to the United States on the margins of the UN General Assembly. It followed a ministerial meeting of the Adriatic–Ionian Initiative and precedes an annual gathering of ministers of foreign affairs of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), which the RCC will host later on Thursday in New York.