UNFPA and Young People

1

Moving towards One UN UN Coordination and
Harmonization Efforts in Mongolia Presented
by Delia Barcelona, UNFPA Representative on
behalf of the UNCT in Mongolia
2
Mongolia MDGs

• Parliament approved
• Nationalized
• -includes a Goal 9 on strengthening
  democratic governance and human rights
• -Moved target on employment under Goal 8, to
• Goal 1, to better link with income poverty
• -already includes target of universal access to
  RH, under Goal 5
• Forms basis of Govt-led national devt strategy
  process (instead of PRS)

3
The Extended UN in Mongolia

• 4 Residential agencies UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and
  WHO, with local staff/liaison officers from some
  other agencies
• Non-resident agencies (operating from Beijing)
  ILO, FAO, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNHCR, IFAD, UNEP,
  Habitat
• ADB, WB, IMF, EBRD also present in country

4
Moving towards ONE UN in Mongolia

• Government has expressed interest to be a pilot
• UNCT has prepared a position paper
• Currently one of informal pilot countries for
  joint office (vs. formal pilots Vietnam and
  Pakistan)
• Further discussions/consultations happening
  within UNCT, with Government/some donors

5
UNCT fully adheres to ONE UN Guiding Principles

• To improve coherence
• To improve programme delivery
• To reduce transaction costs
• To pool funding
• To develop national capacities

6
Distinctive features of Mongolia

• One of few countries that has completed an
  MDG-based needs assessment and costing exercise,
  towards devt of long-term ND
• government led
• UN supported
• Big donors present (Japan, USA, UK, Germany,
  Switzerland, Netherlands, Russia, Korea, China,
  India, etc.) but with limited interest in
  multilateral devt cooperation at CO level,
  somewhat indifferent to UN reforms , preoccupied
  with bilateral interests

7
UNCT Position on ONE UN Initiatives

• Reforms will be gradual, pragmatic and
  programmatic, pace to depend on HQ harmonization
• Serious harmonization needed to implement ONE
  management practice
• Gradual move towards ONE leader (Reps already
  accredited)
• -RC expected to assume greater responsibility
  for programmatic coordination and representation
  on common issues
• -Agencies to maintain technical and programmatic
  leadership of their specialized mandates
• -UNDP to appoint its Country Director

8
Some components of ONENESS already emerging

• ONE Team Effectively functioning UNCT, with
  strong partnership with the Government and
  national counterparts
• ONE Programme
• -Harmonized programme cycle (at least for ExCom
  agencies)
• -UNDAF as strategic programme framework has been
  endorsed by Cabinet
• -CPAPs have been signed by Govt
• -Joint programmes areas identified, with plans
  for joint resource mobilization strategy

9
More Oneness features

• ONE Budget Parallel funding modality already
  being used, especially for joint initiatives and
  common services (security plan, medical, common
  house) but will expand to pooled funding for
  joint programmes
• One inter-agency communication group already in
  place, to formulate One Strategic Communication
  Plan and promote ONE UN voice
• Fully functioning OMT in place, overseeing common
  services already on going
• Some agencies already in common house
• Common security plan and common budget house in
  place

10

One UN logo to be used for major joint
efforts (Logo adopted from Vietnam)
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Recent Succesful Joint Efforts

• Joint UN technical support to Govt led MDG-based
  needs assessment and costing exercise
• Community Development Nadaam (including pooling
  of resources)
• Support to several major conferences, e.g. LPC
  HIV regional conference
• Joint missions (food security) and joint field
  trips
• Joint courtesy visits to Govt officials
• Sharing of administrative and logistics support,
  e.g. use by other agencies of UNFPA sub-office in
  Khovd for most UN missions to the West region

12
Restructuring efforts to enhance coordination
and harmonization

• Shifting some UN theme group functions to
  national mechanisms (e.g. NAC, NCGE,CHR)
• Establishment of TWGs and programme coordination
  teams (with dedicated focal points) on priority
  issues
• -For 2007, two TWGs to develop joint programmes
  (HIV, MDG monitoring/data)
• -Programme teams to harmonize work in MMR,
  Watsan, Gender/GBV, Human Rights, and Comm
• Plans to organize discussion forums on key policy
  issues

13

UNCT
UN Programme Team Prg Coor, DRRs, ME officers
UNFPA TWG HIV
UNDP TWG MDG Monitoring
WHO TCG WatSan
UNICEF TCG MMR
TCG GBV
UNDP TCG HR
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Challenges in moving towards ONE UN in Mongolia

• Incompatibility of HQ procedures and rules
• UN reforms will require Government leadership,
  discipline among agencies and effective
  communication with staffI
• Lack of substantive nodal agency as UN
  counterpart, some specialized UN agencies deal
  directly with line ministries
• Weak financial and aid accountability and systems
  to promote direct budget support, to affect HACT
  implementation
• Specialized agencies receive contrary
  instructions from HQs, and non-resident in
  country
• IFIs not engaged

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Concerns from non-resident UNCT members

• ILO policy coherence, not sure about one
  leader, given agency mandates/governing board,
  funding constraints for common services,
  tripartite mandate (trade unions , not just govt)
• UNESCO some technical areas exclusive to
  agency, lack of presence in some countries, does
  not accept Vietnam model
• FAO the move is inevitable, but the methodology
  not clear on how to get there
• UNHCR deals directly with beneficiaries, reform
  process is unproductive, not member of UNDG
• UNIDO reform issues handled from HQ, not at CO
  level

16
Actions needed in order to move forward

• Immediate actions
• -Brief UN staff
• -Present concept and scenario to (1) Govt, (2)
  donors (3) Beijing based agencies donors
• -UNCT agreed to revise position paper in this
  weeks retreat, and jointly present to PM soon
• Medium term actions
• -Implement key elements in framework in gradual
  manner
• -Conduct national level SWOT analysis
• -Review SWOT and external analysis
• -Get external team to guide UN management
  practice and harmonization process
• -Continue to enhance coordination and
  harmonization efforts, regardless of piloting
  status!