UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
|
| UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) |
|
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This document has been prepared by the Secretariat of the United Nations
Inter-Agency Task Force on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of
Action. For further information please contact the United Nations
Population Fund, Task Force on ICPD Implementation, 220 East 42nd Street,
New York, NY 10017 USA, or send E-mail to: pierce@unfpa.org
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ICPD United Nations
Inter-Agency Task Force on the Implementation
of the ICPD Programme of Action
GUIDELINES FOR THE UNITED NATIONS
RESIDENT COORDINATOR SYSTEM
September 1995
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ICPD/IATF
11 September 1995
Dear Colleague,
As part of the follow-up to the International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD), an Inter-Agency Task Force has
been established to enhance system-wide collaboration in the imple-
mentation of the ICPD Programme of Action at the country level
under the leadership of the United Nations Resident Coordinator.
This Task Force will also help to delineate a common framework for
follow-up to other United Nations conferences dealing with social
issues.
The Task Force set up six working groups addressing the key
areas for action corresponding to the goals and objectives of the
Programme of Action -- education, empowerment of women, repro-
ductive health, the development of a common data system for infant,
child and maternal mortality, international migration and policy
related issues in the social sector. The Working Groups in the
first four of the areas listed have produced a set of "Guidelines"
for use by Resident Coordinators.
These Guidelines are designed to facilitate the task of the
Resident Coordinators in supporting the implementation of the
recommendations of recent United Nations conferences in an
integrated manner and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of
operational activities of the UN system at the field level. The
Guidelines delineate the basic issues in a given area, provide key
reference materials and, in some cases, a sketch of the mandates of
the various UN organizations in the respective sectors. The
priority given to each sector will, of course, depend on the needs
and particular situation of each country. We would like to
emphasize that these "Guidelines" are in essence "guidance notes"
and are not meant to supersede technical guidelines. Sources of
technical support can be identified from the listing at the end of
each set of guidelines. Such expertise may be sought from the
relevant parts of the United Nations system and other appropriate
entities. It is hoped that the information provided will better
equip Resident Coordinators in their dialogues with Governments
and in the overall effort to strengthen national capacity to
effectively manage development assistance.
We would also like to remind you that the UNDP/UNFPA Executive
Board, at its recent session, approved the use of 1.7 per cent of
UNDP's overall resources by the Resident Coordinators to support
the UN system's coordination activities from 1997 onwards. UNDP
is now actively pursuing an arrangement to make part of that
funding available earlier and you will be advised about when the
resources can be drawn on to enhance country-level coordination in
implementing the Programmes of Action from Cairo, Copenhagen and
Beijing, as part of an integrated follow-up of major UN
conferences.
These Guidelines should be regarded as a "work in progress";
hence, they are being sent to you in a loose leaf binder. Ideally,
we would like to prepare a document on "success stories/lessons
learned" for selected sectors and would draw on your experiences as
the basis for such a piece.
We look forward to receiving your reaction to the usefulness
of this material. We shall utilize your comments to modify existing
guidelines and as input for future work.
With kind regards,
James Gustave Speth Nafis Sadik
Administrator Executive Director, UNFPA
UNDP and Chairperson
ICPD Inter-Agency Task Force
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