E/1999/55/Add.1
Distr.:General
25 May 1999
Original: English
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Substantive session of 1999
Geneva, 5–30 July 1999
Item 3 of the provisional agenda*
Operational activities of the United Nations
for international development cooperation
* E/1999/100 and Add.1.
Operational
activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation
Report
of the Secretary-General
Addendum
Progress
in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/192
Contents
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Paragraphs |
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Page
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I. Introduction........................................................................................................... |
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1–2 |
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3 |
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II. Common country assessment and United
Nations Development Assistance Framework............................................................................................................ |
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3–16 |
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3 |
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III. Resident coordinator system................................................................................... |
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17–29 |
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7 |
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IV. Planning, programming and implementation............................................................. |
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30–79 |
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10 |
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A. Civil society................................................................................................. |
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31–37 |
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10 |
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B. Simplification, harmonization and
rationalization of programme procedures.... |
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38–48 |
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12 |
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C. Follow-up to global conferences and the role
of thematic groups................... |
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49–62 |
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14 |
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D. Cooperation with Bretton Woods
institutions................................................ |
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63–72 |
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17 |
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E. Common premises and sharing of administrative
services.............................. |
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73–79 |
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18 |
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V. Humanitarian assistance, peace-building
and development...................................... |
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80–96 |
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20 |
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VI. Regional dimension............................................................................................... |
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97–103 |
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24 |
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VII. South-South cooperation/TCDC-ECDC............................................................... |
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104–106 |
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25 |
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VIII. National execution................................................................................................ |
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107–112 |
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26 |
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IX. Monitoring and evaluation..................................................................................... |
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113–122 |
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27 |
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Tables |
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1. UNDAF pilot phase countries..................................................................................................... |
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6 |
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2. Status of harmonization of programme
cycles as of 30 April 1999................................................ |
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6 |
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Annex |
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Management
process for the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/192 and
related resolutions.................................................................................................................................. |
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30 |
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I. Introduction
Background and
context
1. The structure of the
present addendum follows the one established in General Assembly resolution
53/192, except that resources and action by the executive boards of the funds
and programmes are contained in the main report (E/1999/55), rather than in the
present addendum, together with the two themes chosen for the 1999 operational
activities segment. It should be recalled that the report of the
Secretary-General submitted to the General Assembly in 1998 for its conduct of
the triennial comprehensive policy review contained an in-depth assessment of
most of the subjects addressed in the resolution; the present addendum should,
therefore, be considered in the light of the previous report (A/56/226 and
addenda). Further progress is reported, notably within the framework of the
United Nations Development Group (UNDG), and the Consultative Committee on
Programme and Operational Questions (CCPOQ) on all provisions of Assembly
resolution 53/192. Significant steps were taken in the preparation of
dissemination of a set of guidelines on common country assessments and the
United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), in close consultation
between UNDG and CCPOQ (see sect. II below). Similarly, further steps were
taken in strengthening the resident coordinator system (see sect. III below).
With respect to the information provided in section IV on the follow-up to
global conferences, the resident coordinator system and cooperation with the
Bretton Woods institutions, it should be borne in mind that separate reports
are before the Council under the appropriate agenda items. The same applies to
section V on humanitarian assistance, peace-building and development. As to
technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC), covered in section
VII, the Council will have before it the report of the High-level Committee on
Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries scheduled for June 1999.
2. The Council also has
before it in the annex the management process called for by paragraph 60 of
Assembly resolution 53/192, which contains in addition an important statement
of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) on its strong commitment
to enact the resolution in a coherent and coordinated manner. The management
process was prepared in close consultation with CCPOQ and UNDG and all
organizations of the United Nations system engaged in operational activities
for development. While it attempts to capture some of the steps being
contemplated, it was not always possible to meet the requirement of specifying
targets and time-frames for all aspects of the Assembly resolution, partly
because on some questions action will be required by intergovernmental bodies,
as indicated in the management process, and partly because some questions are
still being elaborated by inter-agency mechanisms, as for example in the area
of monitoring and evaluation. The Council may wish to use the information
provided in 1999 as a reference point for assessing progress over the next two
years, and to provide guidance on areas that may require additional action and
information.
II. Common
country assessment and United Nations Development Assistance Framework
3. Significant progress is
being made with the implementation of the United Nations Development Assistance
Framework (UNDAF) as a tool for promoting goal-oriented collaboration,
programmatic coherence and mutual reinforcement.
4. Lessons identified through
the two independent internal and external assessments of the UNDAF pilot phase
and the policy guidance provided in General Assembly resolution 53/192, as well
as comments by agencies of the United Nations system, formed the basis for the
revision of the UNDAF guidelines and shaped the modalities for the gradual
extension of the UNDAF exercise to other countries, approved in April 1999.
5. Systematic and extensive
consultations with all member organizations of the United Nations system,
including the World Bank, significantly enriched these efforts and contributed
to the endorsement of the revised guidelines, as reflected in the ACC statement
on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/192 (ACC/1999/4) (see
annex, appendix I) and the ACC guidance note on the implementation of the
common country assessment and UNDAF processes (ACC/1999/7). The provisions of
resolution 53/192 on the system-wide support expressed by ACC is expected to
facilitate the effective use of the common country assessment and UNDAF at the
country level, and to empower country teams to achieve greater unity of purpose
in responding to the pressing needs of the countries and people they serve,
especially the most vulnerable and poorest.
Nature and function
of UNDAF
6. UNDAF has been conceived
as a country-driven exercise aimed at achieving goal-oriented collaboration
between United Nations system organizations in support of national priorities.
In the Philippines, for example, the resident coordinator reports that most
collaboration prior to 1997 was done in parallel or through information
exchanges undertaken under inter-agency task forces organized for the follow-up
to global Conferences. In 1998, with the consensus achieved on collaboration
through the UNDAF process, the United Nations country team is now moving
collaboration into the arena of collaborative programming.
7. Most UNDAFs in the pilot
countries were formulated at mid-cycle of approved country programmes. This
timing affected the development of a common response, and limited the
articulation of a strategic and holistic United Nations programme which could
cover all existing and approved programmes. The resident coordinator in Morocco
noted that in the particular case of Morocco, this initiative was launched
after the country cooperation programmes were already formulated and approved.
The UNDAF exercise in Morocco was perceived not only as a planning and
eventually, a joint programming tool, but also as an opportunity to clearly
identify areas of convergence between the respective funds, programmes and
specialized agencies, as well as the gaps that need to be filled in order to
maximize the impact of United Nations system cooperation activities in Morocco.
One of the most important lessons learned from the 18 pilots was the
recognition that (a) the formulation of a UNDAF needs to precede individual
agencies’ programme formulation, and (b) for an optimal United Nations response
and impact, all United Nations organizations’ programme cycles need to be
harmonized, with the same starting year and same duration. Steps have thus been
taken by UNDG to achieve harmonization of programme cycles, as shown in table
2.
Common country
assessment
8. Another key lesson learned
was the importance of a common country assessment as an essential first step
for the formulation of a UNDAF. This has now resulted in the elaboration of
common country assessment guidelines and relevant provision in the UNDAF
guidelines. Common country assessments undertaken and/or updated by some of the
18 pilot countries (see table 1, column 4) were often limited in their scope.
The clear need to proceed beyond a general assessment to a second level of
analysis of key areas emerging from the assessment and then on to a third level
of identification of a set of key issues for priority attention by the United
Nations system, as well as key issues to be taken up by other partners, has now
been made explicit in the common country assessment guidelines.
9. Besides the necessary
analytical depth and selectivity of key issues for the United Nations system,
broad participation is essential. In addition, a wealth of knowledge can be tapped
through a participatory process and strategic partnerships forged at the common
country assessment stage, not only among the United Nations system partners,
including the Bretton Woods institutions, but foremost with relevant government
entities, civil society, including NGOs, and the private sector, as well as
other multilateral and bilateral development partners. The common country
assessment guidelines assumes that the broader and more active the
participation in the common country assessment process, the more the process
improves the potential for success in creating alliances around the issues and
thereby ensuring follow-up.
10. Agreements reached at
United Nations summits and conferences can form a strong and legitimate basis
for preparation of a common country assessment and UNDAF, taking fully into
account national priorities and plans. The common country assessment,
particularly through its indicator framework, can offer a renewed basis for the
integrated and coordinated follow-up to United Nations conferences.
Role of the
Government
11. The pilot phase showed
varying degrees of government involvement. The General Assembly’s subsequent
discussions and guidance resulted in common country assessment and UNDAF guidelines,
with very clear provisions on the critical role that the recipient Government
must play during the common country assessment and UNDAF processes, ultimately
leading to Governments’ full ownership through the agreement to the finalized
framework.
Participation of
specialized agencies
12. As indicated above, United
Nations system organizations involved in operational activities are committed
through ACC to the common country assessment and UNDAF processes, and have
indicated their willingness to provide the necessary support through the
dissemination of the guidelines to the concerned officials at the Headquarters
and field levels and appropriate briefing and training.
Challenges
13. While taken into account in
the common country assessment and UNDAF guidelines, the following issues remain
a challenge for the whole United Nations system:
(a) Rationalization and
simplification of programming procedures. The streamlining of programming
procedures, identified during the assessment of the pilot phase as a necessary
measure to reduce the burden on government authorities, will require active
follow-up and strong continued commitment by the United Nations system. The
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) decision to no longer require an
advisory note is an initiative that other UNDG members may wish to consider so
as to adjust their programming procedures to the common country assessment and
UNDAF realities;
Table 1
UNDAF pilot phase countries
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Regions |
Countries |
CSN status |
CCA |
UNDAFs Final |
UNDAFs co-signed by World Bank |
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Africa |
Ghana |
Completed |
ü |
x |
Yesb |
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Kenya |
Completed |
ü |
x |
Yesb and IFC |
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Madagascar LDC |
Preliminary draft prepared |
ü |
x |
World Bank and IMF were fully informed |
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Malawi LDC |
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– |
x |
Yesb |
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Malia LDC |
Completed |
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x |
Yes |
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Mozambique LDC |
Completed |
ü |
x |
No |
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Namibia |
Completed |
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Senegal |
Completed |
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South Africa |
Process at initial stage |
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Zimbabwe |
Agreed work programme |
ü |
x |
Yes |
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Asia |
India |
Government does not intend to pursue a CSN |
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Philippines |
Completed |
– |
x |
No |
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Viet Nama |
Completed |
– |
x |
Yes |
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Arab States |
Morocco |
Completed |
ü |
x |
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Latin America |
Colombia |
Final draft being reviewed by Government |
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Guatemala |
Completed |
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Europe and CIS |
Romania |
Process at initial stage |
ü |
x |
No |
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Turkey |
Completed |
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Key: CSN: country strategy note; LDC: least developed country.
a UNDAF-World Bank country assistance strategy
country.
b UNDAF final document was also co-signed by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF); of the 11 final UNDAF
documents received six were co-signed by the World Bank.
Table 2
Status of harmonization of programme cycles as of 30 April 1999
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Category |
Description |
No. of countries |
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A |
Countries with programme cycles harmonized |
72 |
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B |
Countries planning to harmonize programme cycles (awaiting final
alignment by Executive Committee members) |
14 |
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C |
Countries where plans for harmonization have not been finalized |
14 |
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Subtotal of countries qualifying for harmonization |
100 |
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D |
Countries where situation is uncertain/unstable and harmonization is
not feasible |
11 |
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E |
Countries where harmonization not appropriate due to limited
presence/programmes |
45 |
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Total countries |
156 |
(b) Linkages. Linkages
with other core missions of the United Nations need to be further explored and
analysed. A comprehensive approach to countries in crisis will require
adaptation and compatibility between the various frameworks and programming
instruments in place or under development, especially in the recovery phase.
The linkage between UNDAF and the consolidated appeal process, in particular,
should be strengthened. The common country assessment process should be used
and adapted for a wide variety of country situations;
(c) Bretton Woods
institutions. The comprehensive development framework, as recently
introduced by the World Bank on a pilot basis, is taken account of in the UNDAF
guidelines. Since the comprehensive development framework is still evolving,
further work will be needed to explore the optimal interface between the common
country assessment/ UNDAF and World Bank instruments, such as the comprehensive
development framework or the country assistance strategy (see sect. IV.D
below);
(d) Impact. While it is
too early to measure the impact of UNDAF on development activities, steps are
being taken through the Inter-Agency Working Group on Evaluation to provide
guidance on the design of a monitoring mechanism that can provide relevant
information by using, inter alia, data and information generated from
the annual reports of resident coordinators, as well as to ensure the
availability of data for the impact evaluation foreseen by the General Assembly
in its resolution 53/192.
14. Initial evidence from the
country application of the common country assessment and UNDAF indicate that
United Nations conferences are reflected in their content. They provide a means
of articulating support to national efforts through enhanced collaborative
programming of the United Nations system activities. In some cases, the UNDAF
process is already providing a platform for the formulation of issue papers on
follow-up to major world conferences, focusing on issues common to the United
Nations system.
15. The common country
assessment indicators framework, which was recently endorsed by UNDG along with
the common country assessment and revised UNDAF guidelines, provides a basis
for using common indicators. This framework builds on widely accepted
indicators established by the United Nations and the World Bank, including the
Minimum Social Data Set and the ACC guidelines on basic social services for
all. The quantifiable indicators, which will form one of the empirical leases
for the common country assessment, may turn the common country assessment into
an important monitoring tool of performance and achievements for the
implementation of an integrated and coordinated follow-up to global
conferences.
Recommendation
16. The Council may wish to
take note of progress made in the introduction of UNDAF and the common country
assessment in accordance with the provisions of Assembly resolution 53/192,
paragraphs 17–22. The Council may also wish to call for further progress on the
harmonization of programming cycles (see para. 13 above and table 2), as well
as steps to simplify and harmonize relevant programming procedures.
III. Resident
coordinator system
Strengthening of the system
17. In line with paragraphs 24 and 25 of
General Assembly resolution 53/192 and further to the information provided in
the Secretary-General’s report to the Assembly (A/53/226), continuing steps
were undertaken over the past few months to strengthen the resident coordinator
system, in particular to improve the resident coordinator selection process and
to improve the appraisal system and training for resident coordinators on the
basis of an agreed job description, competency-based assessment and the
resident coordinator system work plan. The progress noted in the
Secretary-General’s previous report (E/1998/48 and Add.1) is thus being
continued and consolidated.
18. An independent competency assessment
initiative was launched in May 1998 as part of the effort to improve selection
criteria and procedures of resident coordinators and to increase the number of
women.1 The initiative targeted the 1999 resident
coordinator vacancies, and its implementation started in November 1998. The
General Assembly, in its resolution 53/192, paragraph 25, endorsed the
approach.
19. The first competency assessment centre was
organized at Turin for 40 first-time candidates, 17 from agencies other than
UNDP and 11 women. A steering committee, comprised mainly of human resource
specialists drawn from several organizations of the United Nations system,
supervised the pilot, which was conducted, in close consultation with UNDG and
CCPOQ, by a specialized firm selected on the basis of competitive bidding. A competency
review, which included extensive interviews with five former resident
coordinators at Headquarters and a one-week resident coordinator job
observation’s visit in Mozambique, was conducted prior to the competency
assessment, and produced a job analysis and a ranked behavioural competency
profile. Both were used to design United Nations-specific assessment
simulations, hosted by the United Nations Staff College and supervised by a
team of 14 gender-balanced assessors, chosen from a mix of both developing and
developed countries. As a result of the first competency assessment, 31
candidates (17 from UNDP and 14 from other agencies) were presented to the
inter-agency advisory panel.2 A
second competency assessment was organized in Pittsburgh between May and June
1999 for 32 candidates, including 11 from agencies other than UNDP and
11 women.
20. A review of the pilot concluded that the
effort was successful. CCPOQ, as the responsible body for resident coordinator
system matters within ACC, encouraged a broader application of the
competency-based method, both as one input to vet candidates and in view of its
by-product value for selection, appraisal, training and career development
purposes. CCPOQ endorsed the proposal of the competency assessment steering
committee to continue to outsource the competency assessment. Competency
assessment will be kept under review by CCPOQ in September 1999 as part of the
reforms in the coordinator selection process.
21. As part of the system-wide efforts to
strengthen and support the resident coordinator system, steps were also taken
regarding training and learning issues. At its March 1999 meeting, CCPOQ
endorsed the recommendation of its working group on the resident coordinator
system to abolish the advisory panel on operational activities and training and
use the UNDG working group on training as the task manager to carry out its
former functions, subject to UNDG agreement. In its function as task manager,
the working group will enlarge its membership to benefit from system-wide
participation of both specialists in learning and operational issues, and will
coordinate closely with the United Nations Staff College and the relevant UNDG
sub-groups. Its work will focus on reviewing learning needs of the resident
coordinator system and improving the effectiveness of ongoing training courses,
including the induction course for first-time resident coordinators and the
management of field coordination. The results of this review will be presented
to both UNDG and CCPOQ in September 1999 for system-wide consideration and
action. Issues on common system learning needs in the programme area, before
being considered, will await the outcome of this review and the Staff College
review scheduled for the end of year 2000.
22. A priority concern of the efforts made to
strengthening the resident coordinator system has been to ensure that all
United Nations system staff in programme countries are fully aware of their
responsibility for the effective functioning of the system, including by
ensuring that they provide support in accordance with their dual responsibility
as representatives of their own organization and as members of the system. The
teamwork of a United Nations country team is viewed as a key factor for the
success of the United Nations system at the country level. An improved resident
coordinator system and representative appraisals by agencies of their own staff
as part of the system plays a critical role in identifying major performance
problems as well as achievements of the system, which will contribute in turn
to strengthening the system’s performance evaluation and management.
23. The resident coordinator appraisal system
plays an important role in the strengthening of its performance evaluation.
Performance appraisals by agencies of their own staff as part of the system is
also a critical aspect of managing the system. The current performance
appraisal system is an exception-based reporting procedure. CCPOQ, at its thirteenth
session, in September 1998, decided to continue to apply this system for a
trial period of two to three years before embarking on a more comprehensive
exercise. For the 1998 performance appraisal exercise, the UNDP Administrator,
in a letter dated 16 October 1998, invited all agencies to participate and
submit their organization’s appraisals by the end of March 1999 (later extended
to the end of April). A reassessment of the present system will be carried out
between May and September 1999 on the basis of the experience of the last two
years. The review will emphasize the need to ensure a proactive and steady
contribution from all members of the country team through self-assessments
carried out in conjunction with the resident coordinator annual report and work
plan. The performance appraisal system will also be reviewed on the basis of a
clear distinction between the resident coordinator and UNDP resident
representative functions and on the basis of the resident coordinator job
description approved by CCPOQ in September 1998. It also needs to be aligned
with the competencies for potential resident coordinator candidates.
24. Also part of the efforts for strengthening
the resident coordinator system are the ACC guidelines on the functioning of
the system currently being finalized. A text was prepared on the basis of the
1997 Turin workshop on best practices, the 1995 statement on the role and
functioning of the system (see ACC/1995/1), General Assembly resolutions
47/199, 50/120 and 53/192, and the comments received by CCPOQ members in
January 1999 through the CCPOQ working group on the resident coordinator
system. A revised version of the guidelines will be prepared and considered at
the July 1999 session of CCPOQ for which approval/endorsement will be sought.
Recommendation
25. The Council may wish to take note of the
continuing efforts being made to strengthen the resident coordinator system,
especially through improved selection procedures, including competency
assessment and an appraisal system, and to encourage UNDG and CCPOQ to give
continuous attention to this matter in accordance with Assembly resolution
53/192.
Field-level
coordination (field-level committees and thematic groups) and the role of the
resident coordinator system (particularly country teams)
26. The resident coordinator plays a
significant role in supporting Governments, whenever requested, in the
discharge of their primary responsibility to coordinate all external
assistance. This is done by ensuring that all United Nations system programmes
and projects are better integrated with the national development plans and
strategies and fully respond to priorities of the host country. Coordination
mechanisms, such as field-level committees, as well as thematic groups and programming
frameworks, such as the country strategy note, UNDAF and the common country
assessment, are among the instruments designed to achieve better United Nations
system coordination at the field level and more effective collaboration with
Governments and the other relevant partners.
27. Assessment conducted last year for the 1998
triennial policy review on the formulation and implementation of the country
strategy note and the preliminary assessment of the UNDAF process have shown
that the essential precondition for the successful implementation of these
instruments and thus of effective field-level coordination is well functioning,
highly participatory and active country teams. This conclusion was then
confirmed by the evolution of the UNDAF pilot phase.
28. Activities to strengthen country teams
undertaken at both the Headquarters and field levels should thus focus on
increasing the role and function of the resident coordinator system as a truly
United Nations system mechanism involving the entire United Nations development
system.
Recommendation
29. The Council may wish to take note of the
efforts already made in this direction, and to encourage further steps towards
greater collaboration among United Nations system organizations in
consideration of their respective mandates.
IV. Planning,
programming and implementation
30. Under this heading, the General Assembly,
in its resolution 53/192, established policy directives on civil society,
simplification and harmonization of procedures, follow-up to global
conferences, cooperation with the Bretton Woods institutions and other multilateral
financial institutions, and common premises and shared services, including
common budget formats. The present section, which provides information on
progress made in those areas, should also be read in conjunction with future
action scheduled in the annex.
A. Civil
society
31. In paragraph 30 of its resolution 53/192,
the General Assembly decided that with the agreement of the host country, the
United Nations system should assist Governments in creating an enabling
environment that strengthens linkages between Government, the United Nations
system, civil society, national non-governmental organizations and
private-sector organizations that are involved in the development process with
a view to seeking innovative solutions to problems.
32. Several organizations of the system have
long-standing working relationships with civil society. In the area of
operational activities, the broad experience of the system was recently
reviewed by CCPOQ at its March 1999 session. Building upon the significant
growth of relations among the United Nations, Governments and other development
partners, CCPOQ adopted, on behalf of ACC, a guidance note on the principles
underpinning the United Nations system’s operational collaboration with civil
society organizations. Entitled “The partnership approach”, these guidelines
emphasize that recent global conferences and reform initiatives within the
United Nations system recognize that working in partnership with civil society
organizations should enhance the system’s efforts to assist Member States in
achieving economic and social progress. The guidelines focus on helping to
foster an enabling environment, which may include supporting Governments in
their responsibilities as prime framers of domestic policies and programmes;
strengthening linkages among the various entities involved in the development
process; facilitating creation and consolidation of mechanisms for dialogue
between Governments and civil society organizations and among civil society
organizations themselves; helping Governments to develop legal and regulatory
frameworks that encourage civil society organization operations and growth;
supporting government departments that work with civil society organizations;
and providing information on the benefits of working with them. The guidelines
also stress that United Nations system organizations should likewise seek to
help to augment the capabilities of civil society organizations, for example in
the areas of technical know-how, management, accountability, advocacy and legal
literacy. These guidelines will be circulated widely and be incorporated in the
operational activities reference manual used by the resident coordinator
system.
33. A system-wide survey of experiences and
best practices in civil society organization capacity-building and
institutional development provided the basis for further actions at the spring
CCPOQ session. The large majority of United Nations system organizations
described support for increasing the dialogue among Governments, civil society
organizations and the private sector, and increasing collaboration among them.
Illustrations of efforts to strengthen the enabling environment at the country
level included institutional development in the areas of exchanges of
information, ideas and experience, and consultations at strategy and policy
levels, as civil society organizations have an important role as advocates for
policy change and institutional reform. Support for the enabling environment at
the international level was another area of concern and action, ranging from
assistance in the establishment of regional associations and networks to
facilitating the arrangements for the growing numbers of NGOs in consultative
status with the Council. The system-wide survey also focused on examples of
support to capacity-building of individual civil society organizations to
improve their performance and sustainability. Another study, currently in
preparation for CCPOQ, will examine the administrative and financial procedures
through which United Nations agencies engage civil society organizations or
provide assistance to them with the aim of achieving a more coordinated
approach by the United Nations system.
34. Guidelines for the common country
assessment and UNDAF strongly support efforts to strengthen closer relations
with civil society and other development partners as concerns identification,
analysis and prioritization of elements for the common country assessment, and
in consultations and collaborative work to achieve the objectives of UNDAF.
They foresee active involvement and encouragement of participation of civil
society, including non-governmental organizations, research institutions, local
communities and associations, women’s groups, interest groups and others, and
suggest that mechanisms be set up to do so.
35. The guidelines further indicate that
country teams may wish to explore ways in which private enterprises, companies
and business associations can be engaged in the common country assessment
process, both in terms of drawing on their expertise and perspectives and in
terms of influencing their practices to elevate social standards and contribute
to the overall development objectives.
36. Follow-up to global conferences has
accelerated cooperation with civil society organizations in advocacy areas,
information-sharing and networking. Overall, significant progress is being made
in the recognition by all partners of the critical role of civil society in
development. Governments have come to perceive the role and potential of civil
society organizations in a positive way, and consequently have shown
willingness to enter into partnerships and to ask the United Nations system to
facilitate this process. At the same time, civil society organizations have
advanced in organizational, communication, networking, advocacy and
strategizing skills, and have shown greater interest in cooperating and
collaborating with Governments. United Nations system organizations have
contributed to this, and can continue to do so, by assisting in fostering an
enabling environment.
37. Regarding the private sector, emphasis is
currently being given to enhancing relations, in keeping with an initiative
launched by the Secretary-General in January 1999 at the World Economic Forum
at Davos, Switzerland. At its April 1999 session, ACC agreed to pursue actively
a “compact” or understanding with the private sector, to stress the development
dimension, and to engage the members of the United Nations system in further
dialogue with the private sector in relation both to normative and operational
matters. It was acknowledged that operational cooperation could raise some
difficult issues in the future.
B. Simplification,
harmonization and rationalization of programme procedures
38. In its resolution 53/192 and preceding resolutions,
the General Assembly called for the simplification, harmonization and
rationalization of rules and procedures for United Nations system field-level
operational activities for development in order to facilitate their integration
into national development strategies and programmes and facilitate
collaboration among United Nations system organizations. In paragraph 62 of its
resolution 53/192, the Assembly recommends this subject as a focus area for the
substantive session of the Council for the year 2000, and the Council may wish
to bear in mind that guidance in this area may generate the required progress
on some of the initiatives before UNDG and CCPOQ.
39. The analysis conducted for the preparation
of the 1998 triennial policy review and previous analyses confirmed that
notwithstanding the progress made, particularly in harmonizing programme
cycles, the heterogeneity and complexity of rules, procedures, policies and
formats governing the different United Nations system programming processes and
operations do place a considerable burden on many countries, including country
offices, and pose the greater challenge to their coordination and
implementation capacity, which in turn creates a significant barrier to the
expansion of national execution and the enhancement of national capacity.
40. Some progress was made during 1998 towards
more simplified and harmonized United Nations procedures for programming and
operations. Thus, UNDG set among its priorities for 1999 the rationalization of
policies and practices of its member organizations in the area of national
execution so as to contribute to the advancement of national ownership and the
enhancement of absorptive capacity in recipient countries. This followed the
endorsement of the conclusions of an independent study on “absorptive capacity”
sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which recognized
national capacity as the main factor affecting the efficiency, effectiveness
and speed with which United Nations system support can be transferred and how
financial resources are utilized. In reviewing this study, UNDG reaffirmed the
need on the United Nations/donor side to streamline and simplify the ways that
development cooperation is packaged and delivered in order to foster a broader
use and enhancement of national capacity. The study was presented to the 1998
annual session of UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board.
41. Another step is being taken by ACC through
its commitment in its statement on the implementation of resolution 53/192.
This statement foresees, inter alia, that relevant governing bodies
of the United Nations system take appropriate supportive steps over the next
three years to simplify and harmonize programming processes and procedures,
whenever necessary.3
42. Having to deal with different United
Nations system financial and administrative requirements, which are often
complicated, time-consuming and lack harmonization, prevents recipient
countries from establishing more coordinated arrangements at the country level
and translates into significant barriers for the implementation of
programmes/projects by Governments and national agencies. National capacity to
manage external assistance in a coordinated, transparent and accountable
fashion is affected by the ever-increasing and diverse requirements, which
impose higher costs and efforts in a situation of declining resources. As a
result, the pace and quality of programme implementation and the effectiveness
and extension of national execution are significantly affected.
43. Specific measures and timetables, through
country-specific action plans, have been put in place to advance the
harmonization of programming cycles of the United Nations funds and programmes.
To date, the United Nations funds and programmes have fully harmonized their
programming cycles in 86 countries.4
UNDG is now working on an overall action plan to further accelerate
harmonization with the intention to achieve harmonization in 99 countries by
2003. Progress will be reported to the Council in the year 2000.5
44. United Nations system programming cycles
discrepancies, different degrees of decentralization and delegation of
authority for decision-making at the country level and different levels of
commitment at Headquarters significantly hinder a more effective and
coordinated United Nations system response to national development needs and
discourages joint United Nations system/Government activities, including
monitoring and evaluation of programmes.
45. The introduction of the UNDAFs provides
opportunities for more streamlined and collaborative United Nations system
programming and operations at both the Headquarters and field levels. UNDP has,
for example, decided to dispense with the advisory note (which becomes optional
for the country office) and programme outlines, which will be replaced by
UNDAF. UNFPA has also made a concrete effort to simplify programming processes
and instruments, and has produced new programme guidelines that foresee the use
of common country assessments and UNDAFs as the starting point for the
programming. Common or parallel terminology on programming processes and
products as well as a common country assessment common indicator framework were
also agreed to by UNDG organizations in March and April 1999, respectively. In
the course of 1999, a set of instruments to operationalize common definitions
will be developed and examples of programmatic collaboration identified.
46. To remedy this situation and achieve
progress on important issues, such as coordination, national execution and
programme approach, much greater priority must be accorded to this matter by
United Nations system organizations at both the Headquarters and country levels.
An important criterion in deciding which procedures to simplify first could be
the burden that they place on recipient countries. Other considerations could
be the enhancement of national capacity to coordinate external assistance and
the expansion of national execution. Efforts in this area should be carried out
in collaboration with Governments and other external donors and by taking into
account existing national capacity and country specific situations.
47. Efforts have also been made to promote
greater consistency in the presentation of budgets at the Headquarters level,
and the sharing of administrative systems and services at the country level.
The use of the same format (revised accordingly) for budgets presentation was
recently approved by the executive boards of the funds and programmes, while a
pilot exercise has been launched in the area of common and shared services, for
which a progress report will be soon available.
Recommendation
48. The Council may wish to request the funds
and programmes to accord the issue of simplification and harmonization a high
priority, undertake concrete steps to reduce, simplify and harmonize their
procedures and reporting requirements placed on recipient Governments for
programmes approval and financing and to report to the Council in 2000 on
progress made. In addition, the Council may also wish to urge the full
harmonization of programme cycles in all countries where this is feasible in
accordance with the schedule indicated in the UNDG initial action plan.
Moreover, in line with paragraph 2 above, the Council may wish to give
further guidance on the matter, especially in view of the decision to focus on
progress at its substantive session of 2000.
C. Follow-up
to global conferences and the role of thematic groups
49. The analysis conducted by the General
Assembly for the 1998 triennial comprehensive policy review of United Nations
system operational activities for development confirmed that resident
coordinators have an important role to play in assisting Governments in the
discharge of their responsibilities for the coordinated and integrated
follow-up to the major international conferences, and that thematic groups and
programming frameworks, such as the country strategy note, UNDAF and the common
country assessment are the main instruments to facilitate the performance of
this task.
50. Important progress has been made in the
last year by the United Nations system, both at the Headquarters and country
levels, to promote a greater and more effective use of these instruments, in
particular of the thematic groups, common country assessment, and UNDAF, in
accordance with General Assembly resolution 53/192. The challenge is now how to
link the development issues at the community level with policies and actions at
the national and international levels.
51. Global programmes of action do provide
overall blueprints for the activities in the various field of development
initiatives, but they still need to be translated into a coordinated and
integrated set of national normatives to be made operational at the country
level (for more detailed information on progress made towards an
integrated and coordinated follow-up of major United Nations conferences and
summits, see E/1999/59).
52. Progress towards a more coordinated and
integrated follow-up to major global conferences is being facilitated by a
number of ACC initiatives. The ACC second guidance note on the integrated
follow-up by the United Nations system to major United Nations conferences,
prepared by CCPOQ, was endorsed by ACC in September 1998 and made available to
the resident coordinator system. The follow-up work of the three inter-agency
task forces established by ACC on basic social services for all (April 1998),
full employment and sustainable livelihoods (March 1997), and an enabling
environment for economic and social development (October 1997) was also widely
disseminated, including at the country level.
53. The second guidance note provided further
system-wide policy orientations on the subject, while the three ACC task forces
produced a set of guidelines which assists both Governments and United Nations
system organizations in their efforts to implement a coordinated and integrated
conference follow-up at the country level. The work of the task forces focused
on the identification of best practices, key strategic partners, links between
intergovernmental work and international global conferences, on the one hand,
and on country-level implementation within an integrated and coordinated
framework on the other hand. Country reviews, basic principles and important
guidelines to facilitate programming at the country level emerged as final
outputs of these initiatives. United Nations system organizations are committed
to apply both ACC guidance principles and the guidelines of the task forces at
the country level through collaborative programming and the establishment of
inter-agency cross-cutting thematic groups.
54. Thematic groups, in their function as
mechanisms of coordination and policy dialogue with the Government and of
regular consultation within the United Nations system, provide an opportunity
to contribute to identify congruence of national policies and priorities with
policy commitments included in the conference outcome, determine the
effectiveness of the existing institutional structures to fulfil them, and
identify system-wide measures to be taken in support of Governments’ follow-up
actions to these commitments.
55. Thematic groups continue to be the main
United Nations system instruments for coordinated conference follow-up. In
particular, thematic groups on human immunodeficiency virus/acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are the most successful example across the
board of thematic groups working in a coordinated fashion. They often involve
the participation of key stakeholders, including major donors and civil
society, whose extended collaboration provided a unique policy framework to
coordinate efforts to fight the HIV epidemic. In many cases, this has also
resulted in the formulation of national medium-term plans, including resource
mobilization for specific programmes and projects.
56. Preliminary reviews of the 1998 resident
coordinator annual reports and UNDAF pilot exercises shows that thematic groups
work more effectively when linked to or the result of combined efforts of
major/key stakeholders to develop a framework for a coordinated and integrated
country-level response to cross-cutting themes derived from major international
conferences. These collaborative efforts range from a common situation analysis
and programming frameworks, such as the country strategy note, the common
country assessment and UNDAF, to initiatives for financial pledging and
coordination, such as round tables and consultative groups, including poverty
eradication country-level initiatives. They provide the basis for more
coordinated and integrated United Nations system support to national efforts
for conference follow-up, by facilitating the placement/ integration of
conference specific commitments in the broader context of national development
programmes and strategies. They have also supported the formulation of national
strategies and programmes.
57. The participation of the World Bank in
thematic groups, particularly in countries where it is a major donor, has been
an important factor in increasing their effectiveness as country-level
mechanisms for coordinated follow-up to conferences. This seems to be
especially the case for thematic groups established around cross-cutting themes
chosen as the focus of consultative groups and round-table exercises.
58. In general, in the countries were the
United Nations system is present, thematic groups have been and continue to be
instrumental to ensuring coordinated United Nations system support to follow-up
activities of individual world conferences, a role that should continue to be
extended to include all conferences and summits. Such thematic groups as those
on HIV/AIDS could provide a model in terms of coordinated approach, level of
participation and lessons learned.
59. The work of the various thematic groups,
organized around specific cross-cutting themes emerging from the international
programmes, should now be further integrated to ensure a more comprehensive
approach to conference follow-up, facilitating the development of a
corresponding integrated follow-up at the national level.
60. Important progress has been made in this
direction in the last year by the United Nations system, at both the
Headquarters and country levels. In particular, the introduction and
implementation of common country assessments and UNDAFs, by providing a
framework for a consistent and coordinated interaction among national
priorities and international objectives as identified by global conferences and
possible United Nations system response, is expected to contribute to more
integrated United Nations system support for conference follow-up and to
redefine and enhance the work of thematic groups accordingly.
61. In particular, UNDAF provides an
opportunity to increase synergies and complementarities between United Nations
system organizations in policy dialogue with Governments and to initiate
further collaboration in new areas of assistance. Common country assessments,
by providing a quantitative foundation and an analytical framework for the
assessment of conference follow-up, may become an important monitoring
instrument for the integrated and coordinated implementation of international
conferences. This tool will be particularly effective if it becomes an
instrument of dialogue and interaction with the different stakeholders at the
national level and with the mechanisms established at the country level for the
individual follow-up to global conferences.
Recommendation
62. The Council may wish to note the progress
made by the United Nations system in supporting a conference-by-conference
coordinated follow-up, and to encourage the system to continue efforts to
ensure a more integrated approach. It may also wish to take into account
matters reviewed in the present section and section I above concerning the
common country assessment and UNDAF and other programming mechanisms.
D. Cooperation
with Bretton Woods institutions
63. In paragraph 35 of its resolution 53/192,
the General Assembly encouraged greater cooperation between the World Bank,
regional development banks and all funds and programmes. For the present report,
the focus is on the World Bank and IMF, bearing in mind also the provisions of
Council resolutions 1996/43 and 1999/1 and Assembly resolution 51/166, in each
of which the desirability was emphasized of strengthening collaboration between
the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions in relation to
operational activities. Analysis and reporting on relations with the regional
development banks will be the object of a future study.
64. A progress report on the three main categories
of relationship between the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions,
namely intergovernmental, secretariat, and country levels, is before the
current session of the Council in response to its resolution 1999/1, and is
contained in document E/1999/___. That report indicates that the relationships
between the institutions’ governing bodies has undergone a “sea change” in the
past two years, with a series of “first ever” moves towards greater dialogue
and understanding of each other’s mandates, functions, work processes and
strategic approaches. Similarly, at the secretariat level, the report
highlights a growing culture of cooperation and consultation, and a greater
commitment by the World Bank and IMF to collaborate with the United Nations
proper and with the other organizations of the system.
65. At the country level, the report indicates
that the building of strategic partnerships is moving forward, with various new
avenues of collaboration being established. These build upon existing vehicles
for support to Governments in information-sharing, policy dialogue and aid
coordination. Obviously important to this process is the impact of the United
Nations reform programme, which is building more cohesive country teams and
focusing more attention on support for the implementation of global conference
agreements and the related social and economic concerns of Governments. Also
important is the growing cooperation in countries facing crisis situations,
whether from natural disasters or complex emergencies (see sect. V
below).
66. Information from the resident coordinator
annual reports shows that in most programme countries, the grant resources from
the United Nations system are responsible for only a small percentage of total
official development assistance (ODA) annual expenditures, and that when
resources from the World Bank are also included, the amount is still usually a
rather minor portion of the total. Financial figures alone do not measure the
significance of United Nations and World Bank involvement, however, because of
the issues treated and the leverage often provided in relation to other
multilateral and bilateral donors, in support of the programme priorities of
the Governments.
67. The United Nations and the World Bank
frequently cooperate in the area of aid coordination. In many countries, the
United Nations (resident coordinator/UNDP resident representative), the World
Bank or often the two together convene meetings with donor and national
government representatives to exchange information on current and planned
programmes and discuss critical policy issues. In some countries which use the
consultative group mechanism, the resident coordinator chairs regular meetings
of locally represented donors, while the World Bank convenes the consultative
group itself. Attention is being given to increasing the involvement from
throughout the United Nations system in the preparation, discussion and
follow-up of such meetings, as has been invited by the Council in its
resolution 1996/43, though this is occurring mostly on a case-by-case basis.
68. Thematic groups are increasingly being used
by country teams as forums to encourage greater coherence and complementarity
of actions. The Bretton Woods institutions are not members of the resident
coordinator system but are often considered as part of the country team. In
most countries where the World Bank has representation, it participates in one
or more of the thematic groups, chairing or co-chairing a number of these. IMF,
which has offices in far fewer countries, participates in only a few such
groups.
69. The common country assessment and UNDAF,
recent components of the United Nations reforms, are already developing the
ground for greater United Nations-Bretton Woods institutions collaboration.
Building on preliminary efforts in the pilot phase, including close involvement
from the World Bank and IMF and experimental linkage of UNDAF and the Bank’s
country assistance strategy in two countries, the guidelines for UNDAF specify
that policy instruments of the Bank and Fund and related agreements by
Governments should be fully taken into account. As for the common country
assessment, as it is put into effect it may become a useful basis for broad
review and analysis of national development situations and for the
identification of key issues for policy and action within the United Nations
system and beyond.
70. The World Bank President’s recent proposal
for a comprehensive development framework has provided a specific focus for the
ongoing debate on ways to enhance the coherence and increase the effectiveness
of development activities. The UNDP Administrator, as chair of UNDG, has
encouraged resident coordinators to respond in a positive and constructive
manner to requests from the Bank or host Governments to participate in piloting
the comprehensive development framework process, while at the same time
encouraging the Bank to participate in the common country assessment and UNDAF.
Within the context of strengthening the strategic partnership with the World
Bank, high-level consultations were held on issues pertaining to the
comprehensive development framework. The current pilot phase of the
comprehensive development framework will be used to draw appropriate lessons
for future cooperation. Principles that form the basis of the comprehensive
development framework will be considered in further consultations.
Recommendations
71. The Council may wish to consider further steps
to strengthen collaboration between the Bretton Woods institutions and the rest
of the United Nations system in the area of operational activities for
development. The presence of World Bank representatives at Council sessions,
including in the country team panels, will provide a better opportunity to
obtain further information on the status of country-level cooperation with that
institution in Indonesia and Mali.
72. The Council may wish to explore the
interaction between the United Nations and World Bank in the support of aid
coordination, participation in thematic groups organized by country teams,
linkage of the country assistance strategy and UNDAF; and the potential of
cooperation in using the common country assessment as a basis for a broader
analysis and identification of key issues.
E. Common
premises and sharing of administrative services
73. A number of elements have been put into place
to support the planning, implementation and oversight of the United Nations
house programme: a clear definition and criteria for the identification of the
United Nations house, a new methodology for the selection and analysis of
opportunities to establish additional common premises/United Nations houses,
and an executive decision-making process to facilitate the entire process. In
addition, the guidelines on the administrative management of the resident
coordinator system, approved by CCPOQ in September 1998 on behalf of ACC, are
expected to help to promote common services by providing a basis for their
equitable co-management by user entities, a question that had hindered their
expansion in the past.
74. The definition and criteria for the name
United Nations house were endorsed by the Secretary-General on 10 February
1998. The name is conferred by the Secretary-General, upon the recommendation
of the UNDG Executive Committee.
75. During 1998–1999, the following results
have been achieved:
|
Date |
Status |
No. |
Countries |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1998 |
Inaugurated |
9 |
Algeria, Bhutan, Lesotho, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritius, Libya, Russian
Federation, South Africa |
|
1998 |
Proposed for designation as United Nations houses |
22 |
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Comoros,
Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Honduras, Lithuania, Maldives, Nepal,
Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe,
Swaziland, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates |
|
1998 |
In-depth evaluations for the possible establishment of United Nations
house |
9 |
Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Gambia, Honduras,
Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Mexico |
|
1999 |
Proposed relocation to new premises |
4 |
Belize, Honduras, Latvia, Republic of Moldova |
76. The following lessons can be drawn in the
area of common premises:
(a) Many existing premises are insufficient in
size to accommodate the staff of the four UNDG Executive Committee members;
(b) Buildings of sufficient size to
accommodate all entities are in short supply in many countries, and
accommodation in them, where available, may involve significant additional rent
and other costs;
(c) The modality of seeking adequate rent-free
premises from Governments needs to be pursued further;
(d) After in-depth evaluation, UNDG decided
that obtaining land grants from the Government for the construction of office
buildings by UNDG participating organizations is moving to be the highest-risk
and least preferred modality for the establishment of United Nations houses.
Instructions have been issued to resident coordinators to return land donations
to the Government. Meanwhile, at its 1999 second regular session, the
UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board recommended, in the case of land grants from the
Government for the construction of office buildings, to use a more balanced
case-by-case approach before returning land donations to the Government.
77. In the area of common and shared services,
the progress achieved is limited so far, although there is general agreement
that participating in common services arrangements can yield significant
benefits to United Nations organizations. While many benefits can be achieved
even in the absence of common occupancy of a building, opportunities are
maximized in the use of the United Nations house concept.
78. Based on the recently approved CCPOQ
guidelines concerning the administrative management of the resident coordinator
system covering the area of common services, the UNDG Management Group on
Services and Premises is developing tools and guidance on the development and
implementation of common and shared services. As a first step, the Management
Group is collecting systematic information on the current status of and
experience with common or shared services in the field offices. On the basis of
this information and best practices, the Management Group intends to develop
prototype service agreements, pre-established standards for services provision,
measures of service performance and suggested governance arrangements for
common and shared services, as well as related accountability and cost-recovery
aspects. It is important to consider the premises and services aspects together
to help realize the benefits of co-location for organizational synergies and
cost efficiencies in the operation of field structures of the United Nations
system.
Recommendation
79. The Council may wish to take note of progress
made in increasing the number of United Nations houses and the new approach
adopted to achieve common premises and services, particularly by members of
UNDG, in cooperation with other organizations of the system. The Council may
wish to encourage further progress based on the principles of shared
governance, transparency, quality assurance and demonstrated cost-benefits. The
Council may also wish to recommend that the executive boards of the funds and
programmes consider the subject of further progress to achieving common
premises and shared services, possibly at upcoming joint session of the boards,
and consider a practical joint programme of action, including appropriate
cost-sharing and adequate financing.
V. Humanitarian
assistance, peace-building and development
80. In paragraphs 38 to 40 of
its resolution 53/192, the General Assembly focused on the need for linkage of relief,
rehabilitation, reconstruction and development efforts in situations of natural
disaster and countries in crisis. The Assembly noted an urgent need to develop
a comprehensive approach, involving national authorities, the United Nations
system, donors and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. It
also noted the need for early application of developmental tools in
humanitarian emergencies, and stressed that the international community should
make available sufficient resources for both humanitarian assistance and
development.
Related
intergovernmental actions
81. Several related
intergovernmental actions have recently been adopted, each of which has
implications for the Council at its substantive session of 1999. Further
conclusions will arise from the Council’s consideration of international
cooperation and coordination in the transition from relief to rehabilitation,
reconstruction and development, chosen as the theme for the humanitarian
assistance segment.
82. It may also be recalled
that the General Assembly, in its resolution 53/92 on the causes of conflict
and the promotion of peace and development in Africa, stressed the importance
of improved coordination among relevant bodies and agencies of the United
Nations system, requested the Secretary-General to seek further measures in
that regard, and invited African countries and their partners to agree on
priorities, responsibilities and targets during the coordination segment of the
substantive session of 1999 of the Council.
83. It is also useful to keep
in view Security Council resolution 1212 (1998), in which the Security Council
invited United Nations bodies and agencies, especially the Economic and Social
Council, to contribute to the designing of a long-term programme of support for
Haiti. In keeping with Article 65 of the Charter, the Council adopted
resolution 1999/4, by which it created the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, to
be designated in consultation with regional groups and the Government of Haiti.
The Council also calls on the Secretary-General and his Special Representative
to Haiti, relevant United Nations funds and programmes and the specialized
agencies, including the World Bank, to provide necessary assistance to the
Group. The Group is to submit its recommendations to the Council at its
substantive session of 1999.
84. At its second regular
session, held in April 1999, the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board considered a number
of proposals on the relation of operational activities and humanitarian
assistance. The Board decided to transmit these proposals to the Council
together with the comments of delegations. Proposed recommendations dealt with
the strategic framework approach, UNDAF in post-conflict situations,
consolidated appeals process-UNDAF linkage, and full country team involvement
in designing necessary tools. Commenting on the document, the Board addressed
the role of UNDAF, the importance of a comprehensive approach with the involvement
of all actors, and creation of flexible mechanisms for crisis countries.
Actions by the
United Nations system
85. The United Nations system has
taken several steps to implement General Assembly resolution 53/192, including:
(a) adoption of a strategic framework for Afghanistan and a paper entitled
“Next steps for the United Nations in Afghanistan”, as basic references for the
relevant political, humanitarian and development activities by the United
Nations system; (b) approval by ACC and circulation by the Deputy
Secretary-General of generic guidelines for a strategic framework approach for
response to and recovery from crisis, that had been drafted in CCPOQ for use in
selected countries; (c) establishment within the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs-led Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Humanitarian
Assistance of a UNDP-led reference group to explore issues of post-conflict reintegration
with the aim of providing greater support to the field in addressing
operational aspects of improving United Nations performance; and (d) convening
of a round table by the Brookings Institution, co-sponsored by UNHCR and the
World Bank, for discussion and follow-up within the larger community of the
United Nations system, Governments of donor and affected countries, and
international and non-governmental organizations, leading to recommendations on
institutional arrangements and financing strategies. A working group composed
of participating organizations is preparing appropriate recommendations.6
86. The UNDAF and common
country assessment guidelines, recently circulated throughout the United
Nations system, include references to the comprehensive approach sought by the
General Assembly. The guidelines for the common country assessment note that it
can be useful in situations requiring risk and vulnerability assessment,
disaster preparedness and mitigation, and post-conflict and post-natural
disaster recovery and rehabilitation. The guidelines for UNDAF note the
importance of its linkage to strategic frameworks and consolidated appeals
processes, where these exist, so as to build upon the relevant recovery
efforts. The recently revised technical guidelines for the consolidated appeal
process, including the common humanitarian action plan and the consolidated
appeal, call for description of other relevant assistance programmes and how
they relate to the consolidated appeals process. For both UNDAF and the
consolidated appeals process, the documentation is to be prepared at the
country level, under the leadership of the resident coordinator or
resident/humanitarian coordinator. Areas of commonality between these
instruments are being identified at headquarters and through field initiatives,
to assure complementarity, clarify respective roles and facilitate transition
from one instrument to the other.
87. At the request of ACC, in March
1999 CCPOQ considered the question of relief and development in relation to
follow-up to the Secretary-General’s report on conflict, peace and development
in Africa (A/52/871-S/1998/318) and issues of system-wide concern arising from
it. Members put forth a number of proposals, and the Committee agreed to
develop a joint work programme with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.
Country examples
88. UNDP currently identifies
some 51 countries in “special development situations”, of which 23 are covered
by the consolidated appeals process. Humanitarian coordinators are posted to 14
countries, in all but four of which the resident coordinator fulfils this
function. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has staff
assigned to 23 countries, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
has staff assigned to 22 countries, and UNHCR and the World Food Programme
(WFP) are broadly represented. With financing for reconstruction a major
question despite uncertain conditions on the ground, the World Bank and IMF
have representatives in most crisis countries. Special representatives,
personal representatives or special envoys of the Secretary-General are engaged
in relation to 26 countries or regions. In a few instances, the resident
coordinators also serve as deputy special representatives.
89. The resident coordinator
annual reports for 1998 reveal a wide range of responses by the United Nations
system in conflict and post-conflict situations and natural disasters. Country
teams have pulled together for major emergency efforts related to, for example,
floods in China and Bangladesh and hurricanes in Central America. In some
war-torn countries, the reports showed uncertainty as to what the development
partners could do until peace was restored, but in others the crises have led
to important actions and innovations in which the interconnections of the
relief, development, human rights and political concerns of the United Nations,
in relation to national authorities and the international community, were well
recognized.
90. In Afghanistan, for
example, it was reported that the close interest of the international community
in the programming and delivery of the aid response created an environment for
intense collaboration among the different stakeholders. In addition, the strong
presence of NGOs was seen as a welcome and continuous pressure on the United
Nations system to lead by example. All United Nations entities were active in
key areas, including preparation of dialogue agendas with the Afghan
authorities, and with donor and NGO constituencies; preparation of the annual
appeal; inter-agency management of the response to major natural disasters
(earthquakes and floods); and preparations for the six-monthly Afghanistan
support group meetings.
91. In the case of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the World Bank leads and coordinates external support to the
reconstruction programme, while IMF provides macroeconomic policy advice, other
advice and technical assistance in a variety of areas related particularly to
the banking system and essential balance of payments support. There are at
least 18 inter-agency task forces and theme groups functioning in the country,
none exclusively for the United Nations system. Their membership includes
representatives of bodies created by the Dayton Accords, United Nations
agencies including the World Bank, donor agencies, the European Commission,
foreign Governments, national and local government agencies and parastatal
bodies, international and national NGOs, and other ad hoc entities. The World
Bank chairs four of these.
92. In Burundi, where the
resident coordinator reported some parts of the country engulfed in conflict
but with all-party peace talks being convened in the United Republic of
Tanzania, the resident coordinator is focusing on four objectives: providing
humanitarian assistance while planning for recovery; defining the role of the
United Nations in a rapidly evolving situation, including dialogue with all
groups working towards reconstruction and peace; involving a broad range of
partners in all phases of activities and planning, implementation and
monitoring; and seeking to clarify roles and responsibilities among the
Government, communities and external aid agencies for actions that “bridge”
relief and development. Among innovative steps being taken, the United Nations
system collaborated on a publication entitled “Choosing hope: the case for
constructive engagement in Burundi” in order to seek international support. It
will also be used as a basis for a common country assessment.
93. In Tajikistan, the
resident/humanitarian coordinator is also the deputy special representative. In
this dual capacity, he actively promotes the role of the United Nations in the
peace process as well as in supporting sustainable human development since the
two are intertwined. This is also one of the several countries where UNDP is
supporting the development of a “strategy for assistance” which focuses on creating
a cooperative framework to integrate the mandates of the various United Nations
agencies with the priorities of the Government. The resident coordinator, in
his capacity as deputy special representative, has participated in the contact
group meetings held among the “guarantor Governments” and the local leadership
in order to discuss and assess the peace process, and to assist the leadership
in plotting its course towards fulfilling the protocols of the general peace
agreement.
Recommendations
94. While the United Nations
has successfully begun to address the issues of strategic coordination, the
mechanisms remain somewhat disaggregated, incompletely understood and not
widely known, especially outside the United Nations system. It is a time of
testing and growth as concerns several types of collaborative action. The
comprehensive development framework proposal from the World Bank further adds
to the mix. It is obvious that further attention will be needed for the
improvement of linkages and for development of a versatile “tool kit” of
responses, in which country teams would be encouraged to experiment, in
partnership with national authorities and with support from headquarters.
95. Regarding resources,
difficulties persist in obtaining support precisely where the issues are so
critical, namely the transition from relief to development. In particular, the
experience of the consolidated appeals is that the United Nations agencies most
involved with helping a country to rebuild capacities and livelihoods see the
greatest shortfalls in contributions to the consolidated appeals process. The
report of the Secretary-General for the humanitarian assistance segment deals
with this in further detail. Other financing mechanisms leading out of crisis
are similarly vexed.
96. Bearing the above features
in mind, the Council may wish to: (a) encourage the Secretariat and the United
Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, to continue to
develop collaborative efforts for a “comprehensive approach” that reflect
greater harmonization in the system, yet are flexible and appropriate to
individual country situations; (b) invite member States and other international
organizations to work with the United Nations system in building more coherent
overall programmes that respond to the complex problems of countries in crisis;
(c) invite member States and other international organizations to seek to
resolve the difficulties of segmented funding arrangements so as to facilitate
contributions to transitional situations; (d) decide to consider issues in
relation to relief, peace-building and development in a more integrated manner,
drawing together relevant matters pertinent to humanitarian assistance, human
rights, peacekeeping and peace-building, and operational activities for
development; and (e) decide to keep the matter under review and to request a
consolidated report from the Secretary-General for its consideration.
VI. Regional
dimension
97. In its resolution 53/192,
the General Assembly stressed the importance of the regional and subregional
dimension in United Nations operational activities, including a role for the
regional commissions in the UNDAF process. Other recent intergovernmental actions
also focus greater attention on the role of the United Nations system at the
regional level. These have implications for operational activities and
reinforce the intent of Assembly resolution 53/192.
98. In its resolution 1998/46,
annex III, the Council emphasized that the regional commissions have
norm-setting, dissemination and analytical functions that are complementary to
and reinforce their responsibilities for operational activities, and which
should be used more fully by other United Nations bodies, funds and programmes.
It urged closer relations between UNDP and the commissions, and welcomed the
idea of convening yearly inter-agency meetings in each region, chaired by the
Deputy Secretary-General, to improve coordination within the United Nations
system. A first round of these will have been held by June 1999, forming a
basis for continued dialogue on regional needs, trends and challenges, and the
identification of priorities for common assessments and joint work. A report of
the Secretary-General on regional cooperation is contained in document
E/1999/___.
99. The General Assembly, in
its resolution 53/92 on the causes of conflict and the promotion of peace and
development in Africa, also stressed the importance of improved coordination
among relevant bodies and organizations of the United Nations system. A report
of the Secretary-General on concerns in the African region is contained in
document E/1999/___.
100. The Administrator of UNDP
recently reported to its Executive Board (DP/1999/10) that the UNDP-regional
commissions task force has been reactivated and a draft strategic compact has
been prepared and is under discussion to clarify further mutual roles and
expectations. In its consideration of the matter, the Board emphasized the
importance of UNDP support to regional cooperation, especially through the
economic and social commissions. Interregional cooperation, including technical
cooperation among developing countries, was also seen as having continued
importance. The report of the Board on issues to be brought before the Council
is contained in document E/1999/___.
101. The guidelines for UNDAF and
the common country assessment, recently adopted, provide a new tool for linkage
of country and intercountry concerns. They specifically encourage resident
coordinators, in consultation with Governments, to secure greater involvement
of the regional commissions and to emphasize the significance of regional
issues, including through regional thematic groups. The intent is to situate
better the country’s development within its regional setting, and to account
better for regional and subregional influences.
102. CCPOQ has developed common
principles on how better to use the United Nations system’s comparative
advantage in bringing the regional dimension to bear on operational activities
at the country level. On behalf of ACC, the committee recently approved a
guidance note on regional and subregional development cooperation, for circulation
to resident coordinators, other United Nations system field staff and
headquarters units. It will also feature in the CCPOQ operational activities
reference manual.
103. The guidance note identifies
responsibilities throughout the United Nations system. The United Nations funds
and programmes, in particular UNDP, are to take the lead in promoting joint
system-wide collaborative action, bearing in mind policies, priorities and
strategies identified by the regional commissions and non-United Nations intergovernmental
bodies. Other funds and programmes are to re-examine their regional and
subregional activities and improve relevant linkages. Specialized agencies are
encouraged to set up joint teams or task forces with UNDP and the regional
commissions; link better their intercountry activities and the system’s
country-level work; and inform resident coordinators about relevant exercises.
The regional commissions are to engage fully in their main roles of advocacy
and consensus-building, analysis, standard-setting, operational activities and
exchange of experience. They should also expand relations with non-United
Nations regional and subregional intergovernmental bodies. In particular, the
regional commissions are to become more involved in UNDAF, in accordance with
Assembly resolution 53/192. As for the resident coordinator system, it is to
secure greater involvement of all components of the United Nations system at
all stages of programming; inject a regional and subregional dimension into
country-level activities; develop a country-level inventory of regional and
subregional activities carried out by various parts of the system; and maintain
liaison with non-United Nations intergovernmental bodies located in the
country. The guidelines also recommend steps towards a system-wide framework
for intercountry allocations of resources. Implementation of these arrangements
is to be monitored, inter alia, through the above-mentioned regional
meetings chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General.
VII. South-South
cooperation/TCDC-ECDC
104. Measures being undertaken by
the United Nations system to improve the effective incorporation of technical
cooperation among developing countries into their programmes and projects and
to intensify their efforts towards mainstreaming the modality of technical
cooperation among developing countries, in accordance with paragraph 42 of
General Assembly resolution 53/192, will be reviewed by the High-level
Committee on the Review of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries at
its eleventh meeting, in June 1999, to assess the activities carried out by the
various United Nations organizations, funds and programmes in support of such
cooperation, in accordance with the specific provisions of paragraph 45 of the
Buenos Aires plan of action on the promotion of TCDC and other mandates of
relevant intergovernmental bodies. The outcome of that meeting will be before
the Council.
105. Following the conclusion of
the High-level Committee, the UNDP Special Unit for Technical Cooperation among
Developing Countries will hold a meeting of TCDC focal points from specialized
agencies to review the implications of General Assembly resolution 53/192 on
the work of the United Nations system organizations, funds and programmes with
respect to TCDC, exchange of experience, best practices and innovative
approaches in technical and economic cooperation among developing countries
(TCDC/economic cooperation among developing countries (ECDC)), and discuss and
agree on concrete measures and indicators of success for implementing the
resolution. Common positions will then be submitted for review to CCPOQ in
December 1999. Each agency, fund and programme will carry out an assessment of
their impact/result in implementing resolution 53/192 in December 2000, and
share the conclusions with the Special Unit in preparation for a more
consolidated analysis of its implementation in the context of the next
triennial comprehensive policy review in 2001.
106. With regard to resource
allocation for TCDC, the Special Unit is preparing a report to the UNDP/UNFPA
Executive Board, for review at its June 1999 session, to consider increasing
resource allocation for TCDC activities.
VIII. National
execution
107. In paragraphs 48–51 of its
resolution 53/192, the General Assembly calls (a) upon all funds and programmes
to consider ways to increase, within existing rules and regulations, the
procurement of goods and services from developing countries, both as a
mechanism to promote South-South cooperation and for enhancing national
execution; and (b) for further work on the development of common guidelines at
the field level for the recruitment, training and remuneration of national
project personnel, including national consultants, in the formulation and
implementation of development projects and programmes supported by the United
Nations development system in order to enhance the coherence of the system.
108. In the same resolution, the
Assembly also decided that the United Nations system should use to the fullest
extent possible and practicable available national expertise and indigenous
technologies in the implementation of operational activities, and requested the
organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to continue to work on
promoting, improving and expanding national execution, including through the simplification
and strengthening of relevant procedures, so as to contribute to the
advancement of national ownership and enhance the absorptive capacity in
developing countries, in particular in the least developed countries in Africa.
109. In their reports to the
Council, the funds and programmes indicate the progress that has been made in
this regard. In the case of UNFPA, it is mainly in the area of improving their
arrangements for choosing an executing agent and how to assess national
capacity for programme development and implementation. The UNDP report points
out that there are two unresolved issues within the United Nations system where
practices vary considerably — approaches to the channelling of funds in
national execution and the extent to which agencies and entities are involved
in implementation.
110. The issue of national
execution came up in the impact evaluation undertaken in 1998. In one instance,
while praising part of the programme supported by the United Nations, the
evaluators noted that an agency considered the presence of long-term technical
assistance personnel as part of the national execution of a national programme,
a view with which the evaluators did not concur. Another evaluation raised
questions about donor-supported project implementation units and national
execution bodies working parallel to the departments of government, and
recommended that increasing use be made of national execution for United
Nations supported activities, with execution by government departments and district
offices and civil society organizations.
111. In another evaluation,
there are discreet signs of a possible tension between the accountability and
capacity-building aspects of national execution. This may need further scrutiny
in the future to clarify the issue further. On the one hand, there is a need to
ensure full compliance with established rules and procedures; on the other,
there is a need to promote maximal learning by doing. Different United Nations
entities have taken different approaches to dealing with this tension, and it
would be appropriate to monitor every agency’s experience and draw conclusions
after a year or two.
Recommendation
112. The Council may wish to urge
the funds and programmes to report to it at its substantive session of 2000 on
the use of the recently agreed CCPOQ guidelines on national execution with a
view to resolving the issues identified above. The Council may also wish to
call on the system to make full use of national capacity in the formulation,
implementation and evaluation of programmes and projects, including through the
use of national execution, as provided for by the General Assembly in its
resolution 53/192.
IX. Monitoring
and evaluation
113. In its resolution 53/192,
paragraphs 52–57, the General Assembly provides significant policy guidance in
the area of monitoring and evaluation. They can be summarized as involving at
least five goals:
(a) Evaluation criteria to be
built into all projects and programmes at their design stage, greater
collaboration on evaluation at the country level;
(b) Lessons learned from both
monitoring and evaluation exercises to be systematically applied into
programming processes at the operational level;
(c) Capacities of the
recipient countries to be strengthened to perform both effective programme,
project and financial monitoring and impact evaluations of operational
activities funded by the United Nations;
(d) Monitoring and evaluation
of operational activities, including joint evaluations, to be impartial and
independent, under the overall leadership of the Government;
(e) Experience to be
disseminated of effective and efficient cooperation within the United Nations
development system.
114. While it was not possible to
conduct an in-depth review of progress at the country level and within the
United Nations system for the present progress report, some specific initial
steps are reported here. It will be necessary for the system to take further
steps to strengthen aspects of the evaluation dimension of its operational
activities. Some of the steps are outlined in the management process contained
in the annex. Moreover, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the
United Nations Secretariat will continue to conduct impact evaluations on the
basis of a proposal reviewed with interested partners, and subject to continued
financing through the United Nations Trust Fund for Operational Activities Case
Studies. Based on the initial response and the resource levels currently
foreseeable, the programme has been reconfigured. It is now anticipated that no
more than 16 evaluations can be completed in time for the next triennial policy
review. It is anticipated that their focus will be on capacity-building and
poverty eradication. The first of these missions is anticipated to take place
in the United Republic of Tanzania in July 1999, and will examine both
capacity-building and poverty eradication. The material contained in the annex
concerning the management process for the follow up of Assembly resolution
53/192 gives greater details concerning this impact evaluation programme.
115. The Department of Economic
and Social Affairs has been active in producing a publication summarizing the
reports and passing on the lessons learned about capacity-building. It has also
organized, with help from Switzerland, a workshop designed to produce practical
guidance to programme managers and designers in the field and at headquarters.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UNDP, with extrabudgetary
assistance from the United Kingdom, are organizing practical seminars to
provide guidance to those designing and managing capacity-building initiatives
at the country level.
116. With regard to strengthening
national capacity in evaluation, UNICEF is involved in the inaugural meeting of
an African evaluation association foreseen for September 1999. This initiative
is designed to strengthen capacity in Africa for the monitoring and evaluation
of development programmes. The conference will aim to provide training in
evaluation methods and lay the basis for establishment of national associations
and networks of people working in evaluation in most African countries.
117. There are signs that steps
are being initiated to promote greater collaboration on evaluation at the
country level. The Secretary-General’s reform programme sought to achieve
goal-oriented collaboration, programmatic coherence and mutual reinforcement,
by arranging for United Nations programmes of assistance to be formulated and
presented as part of a single UNDAF with common objectives and time-frames. The
new guidelines for UNDAF prepared by UNDG offer an opportunity for those
country teams, which envisage that benefits can be gained from synergy while
not imposing unnecessary restrictions on those that do not find this
appropriate to their circumstances. Accordingly, under the guidelines, the
country team is expected to determine the most suitable approach to and
participation in the mid-term review of the UNDAF. As participating
organizations conduct the mid-term reviews of their programmes of cooperation,
either individually or jointly, they should aim to analyse the relevance of the
UNDAF and common country assessment, and assess progress towards the objectives
of the UNDAF.
118. Similarly, evaluations
organized at the end of the UNDAF cycle will give participating organizations,
in consultation with the Government, the opportunity to assess the achievement
of all or selected country-specific objectives of programmes covered under
individual UNDAFs and to take stock of the lessons learned. This will provide
an obvious opportunity for country teams, which so desire, to pursue several
objectives at the same time — lightening the burden on national officials by
having fewer evaluations, concentrating on fewer and more important issues and
using only one set of procedures; increasing focus on, and understanding at the
national level, of the overall contribution of the United Nations system;
economizing on scarce resources allocated for monitoring and evaluation.
119. In its report, UNDP notes
the difficulties inherent in arranging joint evaluation. This is consistent
with the experience of others. It is a complicated exercise for the
headquarters of different agencies, based in different capitals, with different
levels of skill and different technical leanings, to be called upon to carry
out evaluations of technically complex issues. As such, the effort and expenditure
on joint evaluations by agency headquarters is only likely to be justified
exceptionally, when there is a major topic or issue that needs a collective
look.
120. The planned programme of
impact evaluations may prove to be such an exception, although it will be for
the funds, programmes and specialized agencies and their respective governing
bodies to see where their evaluation agendas coincide and they have experience
worthy of being evaluated jointly and brought to the Council’s attention. For
its part, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs initiated a proposal
for extrabudgetary funding with interested member States in December 1998. The
proposal foresaw a comprehensive programme of some 24 evaluations.
Recommendations
121. The Council may wish to
reaffirm the importance of joint and collaborative evaluations by the United
Nations development system at the country level, in the context of ongoing
reforms aimed at goal-oriented collaboration and programmatic coherence. The Council
may also wish to call on countries to undertake, with the support of the
resident coordinator system, periodic evaluations of operational activities,
with a view to improving their efficiency and effectiveness and enhancing their
impact. The Council may also wish to encourage the funds and programmes to
increase collaboration in monitoring and evaluation within the framework of
UNDG, and in consultation with all relevant partners in accordance with the
provisions of paragraph 55 of Assembly resolution 53/192.
122. The Council may also wish to
take note of the plans for further impact evaluations as outlined above with
the aim of obtaining initial results of these evaluations in the year 2000 and
a more comprehensive analysis of the results achieved by the system within the
context of the next triennial comprehensive policy review in the year 2001.
Annex
Management
process for the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/192 and
related resolutions *
1. Implementation of the policy directives
contained in General Assembly resolution 53/192 on the triennial comprehensive
policy review of operational activities of the United Nations development
system requires a comprehensive approach over a three-year period. It involves
action at the intergovernmental and inter-agency levels, as well as requiring
action by individual Governments and United Nations system organizations. The
full and successful implementation of the triennial comprehensive policy review
process requires the continuing commitment of the whole United Nations system
at all levels.a The Council will also need to
provide guidance on policy as well as monitoring the process.
General Assembly
2. The General Assembly, as
the highest intergovernmental mechanism for formulation and appraisal of policy
matters relating to the economic, social and related fields, including overall
policy issues regarding modalities of funding of operational activities for
development and the triennial policy review, established a number of policy
directives in its resolutions 44/211, 47/199, 50/120 and 53/192. Based on the
recommendations of the Council in 1999 and 2000, the Assembly may take further
action. In 2001, it will conduct the next triennial comprehensive policy review
of operational activities of the United Nations development system, based on
the report of the Secretary-General as requested in paragraph 64 of Assembly
resolution 53/192.
Economic and Social
Council
3. The main responsibility of
the Council in the area of development cooperation is to improve the quality
and impact of the operational activities of the United Nations, to promote an
integrated approach and to ensure that the policy directives formulated by the
General Assembly during the triennial policy review of operational activities,
are appropriately implemented on a system-wide basis.b The
ongoing responsibility of the Council in this respect is recognized by the
Assembly in its resolution 53/192, in which it recommends that the Council
undertake some specific tasks. Moreover, when considering the reports of the
executive boards of the United Nations funds and programmes and other reports
submitted to its operational activities segment, the Council considers them in
the light of the implementation of Assembly resolution 53/192.
Executive boards of
the United Nations funds and programmes
4. In its resolution 53/192,
the General Assembly reaffirmed that the governing bodies of the United Nations
funds and programmes should take appropriate action for full implementation of
its provisions, and requested the executive heads of the funds and programmes
to submit a yearly progress report to their executive boards on measures taken
and envisaged for the implementation of the resolution, as well as appropriate
recommendations (para. 58). The executive boards of the United Nations funds
and programmes are asked to ensure that the heads of United Nations funds and
programmes include in their annual reports to the Economic and Social Council,
prepared in accordance with Council resolution 1994/33, a thorough analysis of
problems encountered and lessons learned, with an emphasis on issues arising
from the implementation of the Secretary-General's reform programmes, the
triennial policy review and the follow-up to conferences, so as to allow the
Council to fulfil its coordinating role (see Assembly resolution 53/192, para.
59; and Council resolution 1998/27, para. 1).
5. To fulfil this role, the
executive boards will consider the implementation of the policies formulated by
the General Assembly in its resolution 53/192 and other relevant resolutions
and put in place specific measures and timetables for their full
implementation.c
Specialized agencies
of the United Nations system
6. The General Assembly, in
successive triennial policy review resolutions, established and reaffirmed that
the governing bodies of specialized agencies of the United Nations system
should take appropriate action for the full implementation of these
resolutions, and requested the executive heads of specialized agencies to
submit a yearly progress report to their governing bodies on measures taken and
envisaged for the implementation of the resolution, as well as appropriate
recommendations (see Assembly resolutions 53/192, para. 58; 50/120, para.
55; and 47/199, para. 51).
ACC Consultative
Committee on Programme and Operational Questions
7. ACC, through CCPOQ, will
take system-wide steps to implement Assembly resolution 53/192 in a fully
coordinated manner,d
including by issuing guidelines on the functioning of the resident coordinator
system, and programming. In proceeding with the implementation of General
Assembly policy directives, account will be taken of the decisions emanating
from the Council and other relevant governing bodies.
United Nations
Development Group
8. UNDG will play an
important part in the implementation of resolution 53/192 by continuing its
efforts to improve the resident coordinator system, through further efforts to
continue to broaden the base of recruitment of resident coordinators,
increasing the number of women resident coordinators, and improving its
selection criteria and procedures, including through the use of competency
assessment and training and by ensuring that the resident coordinators take
fully into account the mandates of all organizations of the resident
coordinator system. Action has been taken in these areas, in close cooperation with
CCPOQ, particularly on matters pertaining to the functioning of the resident
coordinator system. Moreover, UNDG will take concerted action on the common
country assessment, UNDAF, common premises and shared services (for details,
see appendix II). UNDG is coordinating its activity with the Executive
Committee on Economic and Social Affairs and the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, in leading the implementation of Assembly resolution
53/192.
Appendix
I
ACC statement
on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/192
1. ACC notes the progress
made in strengthening the role of the United Nations system in providing
support to national efforts of recipient countries through more effective
development cooperation, greater efficiency and impact. This progress, enhanced
by the implementation of the Secretary-General’s reform initiatives and the
reforms undertaken by other organizations of the United Nations system, is
noted by the General Assembly in its resolution 53/192 on the triennial
comprehensive policy review and the related report of the Secretary-General,
which was fully endorsed by the Assembly in that resolution.
2. ACC will continue to take
the necessary steps to provide all recipient countries with effective
development support through full coordination at the global, regional and
country levels. ACC will ensure that this support achieves optimal results at
the country level, particularly in the eradication of poverty. The system will
continue its support to national efforts in the implementation of globally
agreed goals and targets, in accordance with national plans and priorities.
3. ACC will implement the
relevant provisions of Assembly resolution 53/192 in a fully coordinated manner
as outlined in the management process prepared in accordance with paragraph 60
of the resolution, which will be considered by the Economic and Social Council
at its substantive session of 1999. ACC notes the request made by the General
Assembly to relevant governing bodies of the United Nations system to take
appropriate action for the full implementation of the resolution in a
complementary and coherent fashion. The outcome of these bodies will be taken
fully into account in the implementation of the resolution over the next three
years.
4. In order to give full
effect to the relevant provisions of the resolution dealing with the resident
coordinator system, CCPOQ, and its working group on the resident coordinator
system will prepare relevant guidance and guidelines on the strengthening of
country-level cooperation through the resident coordinator system. Appropriate
supportive steps, including the simplification and harmonization of programming
processes and procedures, wherever necessary, will be taken by the relevant
members of ACC. Particular attention will be paid to the full and effective
participation of the organizations of the United Nations system in the
preparation of the common country assessment and UNDAF. Cooperation among all
relevant partners of the United Nations development system, including the
Bretton Woods institutions, will be ensured according to their respective
mandates. The guidelines for the common country assessment and UNDAF explicitly
provide for effective cooperation to this end. ACC welcomes the progress
achieved so far on strengthening the resident coordinator system and on increasing
ownership of it by the system as a whole.
5. ACC notes with concern the
continuing decline in core resources for development cooperation, and looks
forward to the successful conclusion of the negotiations on funding strategies
foreseen in paragraph 16 of Assembly resolution 53/192. In this connection, it
notes with pleasure the provisions of paragraph 11 which welcome the steps
taken by the system in achieving overall improvement in the efficiency,
effectiveness and impact of the United Nations system in delivering development
assistance.
6. ACC will undertake the
required steps to give full effect to the relevant provisions of the resolution
dealing with the coordinated follow-up to global conferences, gender in
development, technical cooperation among developing countries,
capacity-building, cooperation with civil society, supporting countries
involved in various stages of relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and
development, regional dimensions of development, national execution and monitoring,
and evaluation.
Appendix
II
Implementation
schedules
Contents
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Page |
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I. Funding for United Nations operational activities and
statistical reporting |
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34 |
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II. Strategic frameworks and programming |
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35 |
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III. Resident coordinator system |
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37 |
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IV. Decentralization and delegation of authority |
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39 |
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V. Simplification and harmonization |
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40 |
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VI. Common premises and shared administrative services |
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41 |
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VII. Civil society |
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42 |
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VIII. Follow-up to major United Nations global conferences |
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43 |
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IX. Gender in development |
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45 |
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X. Capacity-building |
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48 |
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XI. Humanitarian assistance |
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49 |
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XII. Regional dimension |
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50 |
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XIII. South-South cooperation/TCDC-ECDC |
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51 |
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XIV. Monitoring and evaluation |
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52 |
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XV. Impact evaluation |
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53 |
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XVI. World Bank and regional banks |
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54 |
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I. Funding for United Nations operational
activities and statistical reporting
|
Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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Assembly resolution 53/192, paragraphs 7 through 16.
Resources and funding issues need to be dealt with at the governmental level.
The discussions on funding strategies held in the executive boards of the
United Nations funds and programmes and the decisions adopted recently by the
executive boards of the United Nations Development Programme and the United
Nations Population Fund could lead to reverse the declining trend in core
resources and to put funding for United Nations development activities on a
predictable, continuous and assured basis. The results of this development
may have an important impact on a wide range of issues covered by resolution
53/192 and the ability of the United Nations system to respond to the
requirements of recipient countries |
Reverse the declining trend in core resources and to
put funding for United Nations development activities on a predictable, continuous
and assured basis with the aim to strengthen the ability of the United
Nations system to respond to the requirements of recipient countries |
New pledging process in 2000 Assessment of the overall financial picture of the
funds and programmes on an annual basis |
Action at the level of Boards in 1999 |
Executive Boards Council General Assembly Governments United Nations/Department of Economic and Social
Affairs United Nations funds and programmes CCPOQ United Nations system organizations |
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The reports of the Secretary-General to the Council
and the General Assembly will continue to provide statistical information on
resources trends of the operational activities for development within the
United Nations system. The funds and programmes also will report through
their respective executive boards to the Council, in accordance with Council
resolution 1998/27 and paragraphs 16, 58, 61 and 62 of Assembly resolution
53/192 CCPOQ guidelines drafted 1999 |
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II. Strategic frameworks and programming
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Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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General Assembly resolution 53/193, paragraphs 17–22
and 63 on UNDAF, paragraphs 22 and 31 on common country assessment
(considering paras. 18–20), paragraph 21 on country strategy note. General
Assembly resolutions 50/120, paragraphs 14 and 17 through 19 on country
strategy note, paragraph 28 on the programme approach, and paragraph 45 on
country strategy note (common databases) UNDAF: the General Assembly has requested the
Secretary-General to report, through the Council, on the results of an
evaluation of the impact of UNDAF in the field activities as an integral part
of the next triennial policy review of operational activities (para. 63 of
resolution 53/192) The General Assembly has also requested the
Secretary-General to report annually to the Council on UNDAF (para. 63 of
resolution 53/192) The General Assembly has defined general features of
UNDAF and its formulation process (paras. 17 through 22 of resolution 53/192) |
UNDAF to promote a country-driven, collaborative and
coherent response, by the United Nations system Full Government participation in the formulation of
UNDAF Full and active participation of the specialized
agencies in the preparation of UNDAF UNDAF to facilitate the United Nations contribution
to the coordinated follow-up to global conferences Involvement of their development partners in the
preparations of UNDAF |
Number of completed UNDAFs gradually increased every
year Continuous monitoring of the implementation of UNDAF
with special attention given to: · the country-driven, collaborative and
coherent nature of the UNDAFs · the agreement of the recipient Government · the degree of participation of the
specialized agencies · the coordinated follow-up to Global
Conferences · involvement of their partners Finding will allow the elaboration of a report to
the executive boards and the Council in 1999 and 2000 and the Assembly in
2001 on the evaluation of impact of UNDAF in the field of operational
activities |
Guidelines, revised on the basis of lessons learned
during the pilot phase and guidance of the General Assembly, shared with the
country teams (April 1999) Design and start-up of support arrangements to
assist country teams in the formulation of UNDAF (May 1999) Creation of monitoring mechanisms (June 1999) |
UNDG and its sub-groups on programme operations and
programme policies Director-General’s office Resident coordinator system CCPOQ, including the working group on the resident coordinator
system, and its member organizations Regional commissions |
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Common country assessment — the General Assembly
notes the importance of the common country assessment for the formulation of UNDAF
(para. 21 of 53/192, see also paras. 18–20 on the participants in the
formulation of UNDAF) |
Common country assessment — process implemented in
most recipient countries (when relevant) by year 2001, resulting in a quality
common country assessment, with regular updating and continuous improvement.
Highly participatory process |
Number of countries in which a common country
assessment process/document have been implemented; to be reported to the
Council Use of common country assessment for the formulation
of UNDAF. Evaluation of impact of UNDAF presented to the Council in 2001 |
Country teams to undertake common country assessment
with full support of various HQs, UNDG, UNDG sub-group on programme policies,
Director-General’s office. Support system to be made fully operational by end
1999 |
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Common country assessment serving as a key basis for
the effective formulation of UNDAF |
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Future UNDAFs designed and implemented based on a quality
common country assessment |
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The General Assembly calls for further
simplifications, harmonization and rationalization of procedures for
developing common databases of the United Nations system at the field level, in
consultation with national Governments (para. 31 of resolution 53/192 and
para. 45 of resolution 50/120) |
Improved United Nations collaboration, including the
mobilization of analytical and operational capabilities available in the
whole United Nations system, resulting in greater unity of purpose,
advocating United Nations values and global conferences follow-up, and
greater impact on the national development strategy and process Strengthening of common databases, including the development
and use of a common country assessment indicator framework, jointly developed
by the country and the United Nations |
Degree of participation of non-resident United
Nations entities in common country assessment Existence of a common country assessment database
and national capacity to support assessment and analysis, monitor trends |
HQs of all United Nations system organizations to
support such participation. Active role of CCPOQ Priority in common country assessment and support
system to be given to strengthening national information system and build up
a common country assessment indicator framework based on common country
assessment guidelines |
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Country strategy note — the General Assembly reiterated
the voluntary nature of the country strategy note and implicitly recognized
its function, where it exists, in the preparation of UNDAF since it reflects
national priorities (para. 21 of resolution 53/192, reiterating the
concept already present in para. 17 of resolution 50/120) |
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Programme approach — the General Assembly requests
the United Nations development system to continue to work on improving the
definition and guidelines for the programme approach. While new guidelines have
been issued by CCPOQ, the question stays of other actions required to ensure
that the new guidelines are adequately reflected into the operational
activities for development of the United Nations system, particularly taking
account of new mechanisms, such as UNDAF and common country assessment |
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III. Resident coordinator system
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Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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Resident coordinator system, field-level committee
and thematic groups The General Assembly stressed the need to increase
complementarity and avoid duplication at the field level within the United Nations
development system, in full respect of the mandates of each United Nations
system organization (paras. 5 and 6 of resolution 53/192) General Assembly resolution 53/192 has requested the
Secretary-General to continue to make the resident coordinator system more
participatory, adopt a more consultative approach within the United Nations
system and make greater use of thematic groups (para. 23 of resolution 53/192
and para. 36 of resolution 50/120) The General Assembly supported the initiatives of UNDG
to further improve the resident coordinator system (para. 25 of resolution
53/192 and paras. 37–38 of resolution 50/120, which includes the requests for
developing common guidelines) |
By 1999, revise guidelines for the resident
coordinator system Continue strengthening of the participatory nature
of the resident coordinator system (including improved performance in the
selection, clearance, appraisal and training) Improved performance of field committees by
systematically reviewing draft country programmes, sectoral programmes and
projects, prior to their approval. Inclusion of national focal points in the
outcome of the review process. Updating of this function in the light of the
introduction of UNDAF Improved performance of work groups, also in the
context of the UNDAF and common country assessment processes |
1999, the inter-agency advisory panel on resident
coordinators meets throughout the year All candidates to resident coordinator position will
be competency assessed |
CCPOQ working group on resident coordinators to deal
with system-wide issues Report of the UNDG steering committee on competency
assessment to CCPOQ (March 1999) Implement UNDG action agenda on resident coordinator
system Implement new resident coordinator selection
procedure |
CCPOQ and its working group on resident coordinator
system UNDG and its Executive Committee Support Group Steering committee on resident coordinator
competency assessment Sub-group on resident coordinator issues Working group on resident coordinator system Director-General’s office United Nations/Department of Economic and Social
Affairs UNDP |
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The General Assembly decided that the resident coordinator
should, at an early stage of formulation be informed of planned programme
activities of the United Nations organizations in order to promote
coordination and better division of labour (para. 40 of resolution 50/120) The General Assembly requested the field level
committees organized by the United Nations system country team to |
Identify support to resident coordinators:
resources, staff support, communications, networking, “good practices” etc. |
June 1999 |
UNDG concept paper |
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Improved resident coordinator annual reports Improved consolidation of annual resident
coordinator reports |
September 1999, on basis of analysis, resident
coordinator annual reports, take actions as required |
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review substantive activities, including draft
country programmes, sectoral programmes and projects — prior to the approval
by individual organizations, and should exchange experience acquired, on the
understanding that the results of the work of the review committee should be
submitted to national Governments for final approval through the national
focal points (para. 41 of resolution 50/120 and para. 40 of
resolution 47/199) |
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IV. Decentralization and delegation of authority
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Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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Assembly resolution 53/192, paragraph 29. The
needs and priorities of recipient countries require flexibility and
decentralization of operational activities to the country level, as well as
the continued application of these measures to further enhance programme
responsiveness and impact. Resolution 50/120, in its paragraph 31 also
requested the governing bodies of all funds, programmes and specialized
agencies to make further progress to ensure that delegated authorities should
be expanded to become equal and uniform, to the maximum extent possible |
Further decentralization and delegation of authority
by the various United Nations organizations to allow better flexibility to
meet the needs and priorities of recipient countries and to achieve equal and
uniform delegation of authority, as far as possible |
Action by all organizations and their respective
governing bodies, as required in 1999–2000 Monitoring report containing results of assessment
for substantive session of 2000 of Council |
Management actions and intergovernmental decisions Action by all organizations and their respective
governing bodies, as required in 1999–2000 |
Individual organizations of the United Nations
system CCPOQ CCAQ Other appropriate bodies |
V. Simplification and harmonization
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Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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Assembly resolution 53/192, paragraphs 31, 32, 33,
51. Further simplification, harmonization and rationalization of procedures
for operational activities of the United Nations development system at the
field level, developing common database and putting in place by funds and
programmes specific measures and timetables to advance the simplification and
harmonization of procedures. To promote greater consistency in the
presentation of budgets at the headquarters level, and at the field. To
promote, improve and expand national execution, including through the
simplification and strengthening of relevant procedures so as to contribute
to the advancement of national ownership and to enhance the absorptive
capacity in developing countries |
A concrete course of action will be worked out and
presented to the Council |
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Government Resident coordinator system UNDG, and its sub-group on programme operations and
sub-group on programme policy Director-General’s office CCPOQ United Nations/Department of Economic and Social
Affairs |
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Harmonization of most programme cycles by the year
2001 |
Country-specific action plan formulated by each
country team Assessment of the current situation and development
of the action plan UNDG Executive Committee decision on the action plan
(May 1999) Monitoring system established Reporting to the Council in 2000 |
Implementation of country-specific action plan by
country teams Monitor compliance and progress with implementation
of country-specific action plan Provide support to country teams in the
implementation of their action plan |
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Common database developed at the country level Common terminology on programming processes and
products agreed by UNDG leading to increased harmonization of programming
procedures |
Common country assessment indicator framework agreed
and shared with the field, April 1999 Common terminology on programming processes and
products agreed by the UNDG by March 1999 |
Note drafted, agreed by UNDG member organizations
and shared with country teams |
VI. Common premises and shared administrative
services
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Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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Assembly resolution 53/192, paragraphs 36 and
41. Further implementation of the initiatives in pursuing common premises,
including by taking a cost-benefit study as called for by relevant resolutions,
and to increase coordination and rationalization in developing shared
administrative services and the rationalization of existing procedures |
Substantially revise the target for achieving
“United Nations house” as new concept of common premises (30 officially
designated United Nations houses by the end of 1998) |
By the end of 1999 to achieve the target of 40
United Nations houses, depending on executive boards decision on this
question |
Decisions by executive boards on financial aspects
(2000–2001) UNDG Executive Committee decision on revised plan of
action with established targets and time-frame (1999) |
UNDG and its sub-group on common premises and
services United Nations resident coordinators CCPOQ CCAQ(FB) |
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Increased coordination and rationalization in
developing shared administrative services and rationalization of existing
procedures |
Guidelines on shared administrative services and on
the concept of a “virtual house” to be achieved through electronic connectivity
and compatibility among United Nations system organizations (by the end of
1999) |
Interaction with resident coordinator system on
development of rules relevant to all organizations operating in the field |
VII. Civil society
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Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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Assembly resolution 53/192, paragraph 30. The Assembly
decides that, with agreement of the host country, the United Nations system
should assist Governments in creating an enabling environment that
strengthens linkages between Governments, the United Nations system, civil
society, national non-governmental organizations and the private sector that
are involved in the development process, with a view to seeking innovative
solutions to problems |
Establish a stronger partnership with civil society
organizations so as to enhance the United Nations system efforts to assist
Member States in achieving greater economic and social progress Strengthen the enabling environment for the
effective functioning of civil society organizations in the development
process, including efforts in support of capacity-building of specific
entities, so as to help achieve innovative solutions to development problems Strengthen linkages and dialogue involving the
private sector and its role in the development process Clarify, facilitate and harmonize United Nations system
administrative and financial procedures for working with civil society
organizations with the aim of increasing civil society organization
participation in all stages of the programming cycle for United Nations
support to Governments |
Put into effect a set of ACC principles underpinning
United Nations system operational collaboration with civil society
organizations (CCPOQ March 1999). Implement these and assess progress Build upon the United Nations system-wide survey of
experiences in civil society organization capacity-building and institutional
development (CCPOQ March 1999). Expand the framework, replicate useful
approaches, and benefit from lessons learned Examine relations of United Nations entities with business
community and build upon findings Review an inter-agency study on procedures for
working with civil society organizations (CCPOQ March 1999). Expand and
finalize the study; devise common procedures, as appropriate |
Adopt ACC principles or other CCPOQ outcomes Stimulate familiarity with these at field and HQ
levels Consult with Governments Facilitate dialogue among Governments, civil society
organizations and business community Help in the development of civil society
organization relations |
ACC/CCPOQ All United Nations agencies United Nations resident coordinator system |
VIII. Follow-up to major United Nations global
conferences
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Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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General Assembly resolution 53/193, paragraphs 22,
26 and 34, and Economic and Social Council resolutions 1998/44 and 1998/290. Further
support the intergovernmental process for a coordinated follow-up to global
conferences as well as country-coordinator system and UNDAF |
The General Assembly reiterated the commitment of
the United Nations to implement the outcomes of the major conferences and the
importance to accelerate efforts for the coordinated follow-up to global
conferences (para. 34 of General Assembly resolution 53/192) The General Assembly also recognized the decision of
the Council (1998/290) on an intergovernmental process on relevant
indicators, and welcomed the decision to hold an informal Council meeting in
May 1999 (para. 34 of Assembly resolution 53/192 and para. (e) of
Council decision 1998/290) |
By the end of April 1999, a contribution of the UNDG
working group on indicators to the new guidelines of UNDAF and common country
assessment is expected By March 1999, an expert group meeting to review
ongoing work on development of indicators at international and national
levels will be organized by the United Nations Statistics Division,
immediately following the thirtieth session of the Statistical Commission |
Indicators to be incorporated into common country
assessment and UNDAF guidelines |
Within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs/United
Nations Secretariat In UNDG and its working group on development
indicators Director-General’s office Within CCPOQ, the working group on the resident
coordinator system Regional commissions |
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The Secretary-General will prepare a report for that
informal meeting on basic indicators used by United Nations system and other
relevant institutions to measure progress towards the implementation of the
integrated and coordinated follow-up to major United Nations conferences and
summits (subpara. (e) of Council decision 1998/290). Collaboration among
various entities of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and
consultation with system, in particular UNDG and CCPOQ, is expected |
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The Secretary-General will submit a progress report
to the Council on the implementation of its resolution 1998/44 on integrated
and coordinated implementation and follow-up of major United Nations conferences
and summits in 1999 (para. 18 of Council resolution 1998/44). A consultation
within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and with the United
Nations system is required. New targets for 2000 and 2001 on that subject
will be defined, after concluding that session in July 1999 The resident coordinators shall facilitate the
coherent and coordinated United Nations follow-up to major international
conferences at the field level (General Assembly resolution 53/192, para.
26). Consultation of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs with UNDG
and CCPOQ to report on this subject in the progress reports to the Council on
operational activities is expected UNDAF should play a facilitating role as a United
Nations contribution to the coordinated follow-up to the major United Nations
conferences at the field level (General Assembly resolution 53/102, para. 22) |
By the end of April 1999, the draft report to the
Council on follow-up to global conferences will be prepared By July 1999 and each year before the triennial
policy review of 2001, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs will
consult with UNDG and CCPOQ in order to monitor the status of implementation
of paras. 22 and 26 of resolution 53/192 |
Based on resident coordinator’s annual reports
inputs to the Secretary-General’s report |
UNDG and Director-General’s office |
IX. Gender in development
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Guidelines |
Targets |
Benchmarks and time-frames |
Actions |
Principal actors |
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The provisions of General Assembly resolution
53/192, paragraphs 25, 46 and 47 and paragraph 43 of resolution 50/120, as well
as Council resolution 96/26 deal with the implementation of the Beijing
Platform for Action as well as the recruitment of women to senior positions.
It should be noted that Council resolution 1998/26 is also cited in the first
preambular paragraph of resolution 53/192 and thus permeates all provisions
of this resolution |
50/50 gender distribution by 31 December 2000 Coordinate and mainstream gender issues in strategic
frameworks, common country assessment and UNDAFs Incorporate a gender perspective in the coordinated
and integrated follow-up to major United Nations conferences Target women and girls living in poverty and ensure
availability of funding for relevant activities Implement specific gender-oriented programmes for
the eradication of poverty and literacy and other areas (see para. 5 of
Council resolution 98/26) Establish and strengthen the role of gender units
and focal points, including guidelines and directives for mainstreaming a
gender perspective in policies and programmes |
Benchmarks to be established for individual
departments of the United Nations based on their gender action plans |
Application of the special measures for the achievement
of gender equality in the United Nations Secretariat (ST/AI/412) April 1999, gender mainstreaming in the UNDAF and
common country assessment guidelines, including in the common country
assessment indicators framework Design and implementation of action plans to achieve
gender balance in individual departments and offices (General Assembly
resolution 53/119) |
UNDG and its sub-group on gender and sub-group on
programme policies Director-General’s Office CCPOQ/ACC |
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In accordance with Assembly resolution 53/192,
gender mainstreaming is to take place in operational activities of the United
Nations system in all fields, in particular in support of poverty eradication
(47). The number of women resident coordinators should be increased and the
Secretary-General and United Nations development system are to take all
measures to ensure gender balance when making appointments, including at the
senior level and in the field, in accordance with relevant General Assembly
resolutions (25, 46) |
Gender considerations incorporated in increased
numbers of operational activities of the United Nations system Achieve time-bound measurable goals for achieving
gender equality Assist Governments in integrating data disaggregated
by sex and age in country programmes Strengthen the role of the resident coordinator
system, including through training of incorporating gender perspective in
operational activities |
Criteria for good practices of gender mainstreaming
set by October 1999 |
Prepare a compendium of good practices in
implementing the Beijing Platform for Action and gender mainstreaming —
publish selected good practice, June 2000 Organize round table on the best of United Nations
good practices, June 2000 IACWGE task force to follow up and develop
fund-raising proposal for the above actions |
UNIFEM as task manager |
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Database of good practices in gender mainstreaming
established |
Enter data into the inter-agency Web site
(WomanWatch) |
UNIFEM as task manager |
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Reporting on the use of resources allocated for
gender mainstreaming Take appropriate actions to implement other aspects
of Council resolution 1998/26 |
Several major methodologies for gender impact analysis
identified by March 2000 |
Collect existing practices and methods for gender
mainstreaming analysis Organize e-mail discussion on issues and experiences
of gender impact analysis |
World Bank as task manager |
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Systematic programme of work with other ACC
committees |
Maintain inter-sessional dialogue with IASCD and
CCPOQ Review the work programmes of AAC Committees to
identify entry points |
Division for the Advancement of Women |
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Increased gender mainstreaming in the policies and
programmes of UNDP, particularly its core programmes on governance and
poverty alleviation |
UNDP-funded poverty alleviation programme and
governance programme in 22 African countries examined from the gender
perspective by December 1999 |
Under a project on assessment of gender
mainstreaming in UNDP-funded governance and poverty alleviation programmes in
sub-Saharan Africa Design checklist, guidelines to national expert, and
questionnaire Prepare three thematic reports and one final report |
Division for the Advancement of Women, UNDP |
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Secretary-General’s report to Council in 1999 on
poverty and capacity-building should include a section on gender issues Reporting on gender perspectives in operational
activities will be part of the Secretary-General’s report to the preparatory
committee of the special session on the implementation of the Fourth World
Conference on Women in 2000 |
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