Distinguished members of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel,
Dear colleagues,
It is my great privilege to welcome you to this inaugural meeting.
Your appointment marks a pivotal step in operationalizing the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) —a milestone born from decades of tireless advocacy by developing countries, especially Small Island Developing States.
The MVI exists because income alone does not tell the full story of risk. It captures what traditional metrics overlook: a country’s structural exposure to external shocks and stressors, alongside its capacity to absorb, adapt, and ultimately recover.
As an independent panel, you are entrusted with a critical four-fold mandate:
? First, safeguard methodological rigor: ensuring the MVI remains robust, relevant, and credible through regular reviews as data and risks evolve.
? Second, track progress: assessing where policy and finance are making a measurable difference, and where gaps persist.
? Third, evaluate emerging concepts and indicators: ensuring that the MVI keeps pace with the complex world it measures.
? Fourth, draw lessons from across the UN system and partners: translating evidence into improvements for both the MVI and its practical application.
In fulfilling these mandates, the Panel’s independence is essential. Methodological choices should be evidence-led, well-documented, and open to scrutiny.
The MVI should not label countries as perpetually vulnerable, but identify pathways to resilience. As such, the Panel will need to identify policy levers that strengthen resilience, such as risk-informed planning, while tracking improvements over time.
On our part, the Secretariat stands ready to support you in several areas:
First, the MVI must remain transparent, explainable, and replicable. The Secretariat will work with you to strengthen indicator quality, bridge data gaps, and clarify its technical foundations so that policymakers, financing institutions, and citizens can trust and use it. We will also facilitate your engagement with the UN Statistical Commission for technical review of any proposed enhancements.
Second, the MVI must be integrated into decision-making. It is expected to inform concessional finance frameworks, development cooperation policy making and national planning. The Secretariat will work with UN entities, international financial institutions, regional development banks, and Member States to pilot MVI-informed policymaking and planning.
Third, capacity and ownership are critical. The value of the MVI grows when national institutions can use it to design policies and track results. The Secretariat will expand technical assistance so countries can develop Vulnerability and Country Resilience Profiles and embed appropriate metrics into their budgets and strategies.
By the time we meet to review your first set of recommendations, I hope we can point to two tangible results: a refined, documented methodology that strengthens confidence; and initial use cases where the MVI has informed financing or policy choices.
Thank you for answering this call to serve, and for your leadership. I look forward to the vital work ahead and to the life-changing impact this Panel will help deliver.