United Nations Reform at country level

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United Nations Reform at country level

• INTERREGIONAL INFORMATION SEMINAR
• FOR NEW SECRETARIES-GENERAL
• OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSIONS FOR UNESCO
• (Paris, 26 February - 2 March 2007)
• Presentation by Ms Lamia Salman-El Madini
• Director, Bureau of Field Coordination (BFC)

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Background

• Calls for much stronger system-wide coherence by
• General Assemblys 2004 Triennial Comprehensive
  Policy Review of operational activities (TCPR)
  strengthened Resident Coordinator System and
  joint UN planning and programming
• 2005 World Summit Outcome Document
  strengthening linkages between the normative
  work of the UN system and its operational
  activities and implementing current reforms
  aimed at more effective, efficient, coherent,
  coordinated and better performing UN country
  presence with a strengthened role for the senior
  resident official, includingappropriate
  authority, resources and accountability, and a
  common management, programming and monitoring
  framework

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Background

• Establishment by the Secretary-General in
  February 2006 of a High Level Panel on UN
  System-wide Coherence with the aim to develop a
  common vision among the various stakeholders
• 3 co-chairs Prime Ministers of Pakistan,
  Mozambique and Norway
• HLPs report issued on 9 November 2006. Not
  yet discussed by the General Assembly

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HLP report structured around

• The three pillars of the UN action
• (i) development, (ii) humanitarian assistance
  and (iii) the environment.
• Cross-cutting issues sustainable development,
  gender equality and human rights.
• Governance, funding, management of the system
• The development pillar addresses country-level
  coherence and impacts on all UN agencies

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HLP ReportDevelopment pillar country-level
coherence

• Country ownership as a basis for all development
  action.
• Deploy normative and policy capacity in support
  of countries development efforts.
• Need for the UN to position itself in a larger
  market of expertise (NGOs, private sector,
  growing presence of bilateral donors).
• For that, a more coherent and effective framework
  needed the concept of the One UN at the country
  level, i.e. integrated and coordinated responses

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HLP ReportThe One UN approach at country level

• One Programme
• One Leader
• One Budgetary framework
• One Office

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HLP Report - One Programme

• country-owned signed off by Government
  responsive to the national development framework
  strategy and vision including internationally
  agreed development goals
• built on UN country teams common country
  assessment, reflecting UN added value in the
  specific country context
• strategic, focused and results-based, with clear
  outcomes and priorities
• drawing on all UN services expertise, including
  those of non-resident agencies (NRAs) in order to
  deliver and country-specific added value to
  deliver as one negotiated by RC

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HLP Report - One Leader

• UN Resident Coordinator authority to negotiate
  the One Country Programme with Government on
  behalf of the entire UN System and to shape the
  One Country Programme (including authority to
  allocate resources from pooled and central
  funding mechanisms).
• Clear accountability framework for Resident
  Coordinators and effective oversight mechanism
  for the RC system.
• Resident Coordinator authority to hold members of
  the team accountable to agreed outcomes and to
  compliance with strategic plan. The RC should
  also be accountable to the members of the UN
  Country Team (UNCT).
• Strengthened RC capacity with adequate staff
  support to manage UNCT processes and ensure
  effective dialogue and communication with
  partners.
• Competitive selection of RC candidates, drawn
  from the best talent within and outside the UN
  system

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HLP Report - One Budgetary Framework

• Transparency, management, and the effective
  implementation of the One Country Programme
  through One Budgetary Framework.
• Funding should be linked to the performance of
  the UNCT preparing and implementing a strategic
  One Country Programme.
• The budget should be completely transparent,
  showing clearly the overheads and transaction
  costs of the UN and all of its funds, programmes
  and specialized agencies in the country

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HLP Report - One Office

• One integrated results-based management system,
  with integrated support services.
• Joint premises (where appropriate).
• A common security infrastructure and clear lines
  of accountability

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HLP Report Other recommendations

• Establishment of a UN Sustainable Development
  Board to oversee the One UN Country Programmes.
• Appointment by the Secretary-General of a UN
  Development Coordinator with responsibility for
  the performance and accountability of UN
  development activities.
• Establishment by the Secretary-General of an
  independent task force to further eliminate
  duplication within the UN system, and consolidate
  UN entities, where necessary
• Establishment of a MDG Funding Mechanism to
  provide multi-year funding for the One UN Country
  Programmes
• UN organizations committed to and demonstrating
  reform to receive full, multi-year core funding.
  Funding must follow performance and reward
  results both for the One Country Programmes and
  for Headquarters funding
• Establishment of a UN common evaluation system,
  based on a common evaluation methodology to
  promote transparency and accountability

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• January 2007 annoucement of the first One UN
  Pilot in Vietnam
• February 2007 annoucement of other pilots

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One UN pilots the rationale

• Pilots should serve as experiments to try and
  analyze new modalities and approaches, draw
  lessons and learn from mistakes. They will not
  constitute binding  precedents  or  models 
  for other countries
• Pilot experience will inform intergovernmental
  discussion on possible wider application/scaling
  up and faster rollout of the One UN approach
• Pilots have been selected on the basis of the
  policy defined in the 2004 TCPR resolution and
  not on the basis of the HLP recommendations (not
  yet discussed by the General Assembly)
• Criteria for pilot selection (in line with TCPR)
• Strong government commitment
• Well-functioning UN Country Team
• UN policy work at both the global and national
  levels seen as useful and relevant to national
  concerns

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One UN pilots implementation schedule

• 2007 8 country pilots (Viet Nam, Pakistan,
  Mozambique, Cape Verde, Tanzania, Uruguay,
  Albania, Rwanda)
• moving in 2009 to 20 One UN countries
• and in 2010 to 40 One UN countries
• 2012 all others

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One UN pilots scope

• In order of priority
• One programme/ plan (strategic)
• One budgetary framework (mapping of agencies
  core and extrabudgetary funds, and identifying
  unfunded needs gap, based on a rigorously costed
  strategic programme)
• One leader (of the UNCT empowered RC)
• One office (and joint business practices), where
  appropriate
• Other ones
• One communication strategy
• more to follow

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One UN pilots UNESCO involvement

• UNESCO is/will be participating in all pilots
• UNESCO is resident in 5 out of the 8 pilots, and
  non-resident in Albania, Cape Verde and Rwanda
  and will have to find different modalities of
  interaction with the UNCTs concerned, in addition
  to the Non-Resident Agencies focal points being
  established within the RCs offices
• UNESCO is one of the 10 members of the Steering
  Committee established by UNDG (UN Development
  Group)