CDO SUPPORTS UN SECRETARIAT
Development Account Management
The Development Account is a capacity development programme aimed at enhancing capacities of developing countries in the priority areas of the UN Development Agenda.The CDO supports the USG in his role as Account Manager.
Development Account Website
The Associate Expert Programme
The UN Secretariat offers young professionals who are graduates opportunity to acquire experience in the technical cooperation of the United Nations Secretariat.
The CDO supports the programme with recruitment, personnel and finance functions.
Associate Experts Programme Website-
Fellowships Programme
A UN Fellowship provides monetary grants for specially tailored training activity that builds national capacity for development. The CDO supports the programme with recruitment, personnel and finance functions.
What is Capacity Development?
Capacity is defined as the ability of people, organizations and society as a whole to manage their affairs successfully. Capacity development is understood as the process whereby people, organizations and society as a whole unleash, strengthen, create, adapt and maintain capacity over time.
DESA joined the 2006 Position Statement on Capacity Development of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG). This guides UN organizations to place themselves in line with global development policy and practice in the area of capacity development and identify the roles they can play notably at country level, framed by national priorities and plans. It is grounded on policy orientations on capacity development given by the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR) on operational activities for development of the UN system.
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About DESA's Capacity Development Approach
About the TCPR
Capacity Development in DESA
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) pursues integration of its normative, analytical and operational work related to economic and social issues. In 2007, it was concluded that the Department must shift from its traditional set of activities in technical cooperation to more value-adding, better-focused and better-managed operational activities for development. DESA projects capacity development as an integrative concept that allows it to convey to Member States and other key stakeholders the overall contribution and significant added value of the Department in all its dimensions: normative, analytical and operational.
Priority is given to operational capacity development activities in five priority areas, which show the greatest concentration of technical cooperation resources and which demonstrate greatest potential because of the unique added value of DESA, a clear demand from Member States, the existence of minimum critical mass within DESA and complementarity with the role and contribution of other parts of the UN system.
The five areas are:
a) operational activities for the strengthening of statistical capacities (including monitoring of MDGs);
b) capacity development on climate change in the context of sustainable development;
c) Public administration, ICT and development, including e-Government;
d) social inclusion and integration of vulnerable groups (disability, indigenous issues, ageing, youth);
e) technical assistance and advisory services on the development dimension of the financial and economic crisis.
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From Technical Cooperation to Capacity Development
The Capacity Development Office
The Capacity Development Office (CDO) aims to support the various divisions of DESA in the formulation and implementation of the Department’s capacity development approach and promote coherence as well as the integrated delivery of the Department’s operational activities.
While DESA’s divisions continue to be responsible for the design and implementation of projects and activities, the CDO works to facilitate the overall coordination, guidance and quality assurance for DESA’s operational activities for development. The CDO is also responsible for assisting DESA’s divisions in their administration and management, and ensures increased accountability and enhanced efficiency in the delivery of DESA’s operational activities.
The CDO also supports the USG of DESA in his role of Development Account Manager and administers programmes such as the Associate Expert Programme and the Fellowship Programme for the UN Secretariat.
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