Transcript Project Management Training Day 2

THE UN IN A
CHANGING WORLD:
Update on UN reform
Inyang Ebong-Harstrup, Associate Director
UN Development Group Office
1
Presentation
1. Context for UN reform: Rationale and Drivers
3. Key global challenges
2. Progress to date
4. “One UN” pilots: Emerging thinking and
challenges
2
The Case for Reform – Why now?
Significant challenges ahead …
• Unprecedented global change (speed, scope & scale)
• MDG deadline close
• Increase in victims of natural disasters
• Environmental threats on the rise
• Changing aid modalities (direct budget support – what is
UN role?)
… but
3
The Case for Reform – Why now?
… also windows of opportunity
• Reform momentum of the 2005 Summit
• Millennium Declaration, Monterrey, Paris Declaration
• Increases in ODA – to be spent wisely (is UN
positioned to take a larger share?)
4
Drivers of UN reform in 2007
•
Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR)
•
SG’s High-Level Panel on UN system-wide coherence
(November 2006)
•
New Secretary-General
•
Varying views of member states (e.g. Donors, G77,
governing boards)
5
Key challenges for reform
• Striking a balance between Inclusiveness (within the
UN family) vs. Effectiveness (cost & programmatic)
• Fragmented UN agency governance
• Operational issues: proprietary policies, systems &
tools
• Complexity of reform with parallel structures on
security, humanitarian, and development agendas
• Allaying agency fears of losing mandates and identity.
6
TCPR 2008 - Highlights
• Acknowledgment of the positive trends in the
2004 TCPR implementation
• Emphasis on National ownership
• Leading role of Governments in coordination
• Clear reference for the importance of a neutral
UN, in the context of multilateralism
7
TCPR 2008 - Highlights
• No “one size fits all” for the UN reform at
country level;
• Acknowledgment of added value of different UN
development institutions
• Focus on effectiveness and impact of the
activities, rather than process
• Call for more regular/core funding
8
TCPR 2008 - Highlights
• UNDAF, common programming tool of the UN
development system
• Highlight the need of UN support in MIC
development agenda
• Need for the UN to participate in the aid
effectiveness agenda, using the new aid
modalities
9
Progress to date
• Focus on more strategic CCA/UNDAFs, better
aligned with national priorities
• Harmonized and simplified programming
cycles, tools and procedures
• Increasing number of joint programmes (with
better guidance on modalities)
10
Progress to date …continued
• Strengthened RC system
• Rationalized UN presence & reduction in
transaction costs
• Improved quality assurance/oversight through
regional structures
• Stocktaking reports from the “Delivering as
One” pilots
11
Implementation of the “One UN”: Mandate
The HLP wording was not openly mentioned in the
inter-governmental process for the Triennial
Comprehensive Policy review, however, the “One UN”
pilots are moving ahead, and other countries will build
on their experience, with the context of the new
TCPR.
Governments of 8 countries volunteered to become
“One UN” pilots
Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Uruguay and Viet Nam
12
The Four “Ones”
• One Programme
• One Empowered Leader and Empowered Team
• One Budgetary Framework
• One Office
13
Main findings of the stocktaking exercise
One Programme:
• “One Programme” elaborated rather as an operational
document than a simple framework
• Agency roles clearly defined for each result in the
costed Results Matrix of “One Programme”
• Need for harmonized programme reporting → still a
challenge (use of SPR?)
14
Main findings of the stocktaking exercise
One empowered leader and empowered team:
• Acknowledged role of the RC in ‘positioning’ the UN,
drawing on UN assets and advocating for all UN
organizations
• Empowered team: All members are leaders in results
areas
• Set up of a ‘mutual’ accountability framework (Codes of
conduct) → RC accountable to UN System
15
Main findings of the stocktaking exercise
One Budgetary Framework:
• Costed Results Matrix for the One Programme,
showing resources – indicative available resource and
funding gaps – against results → clearer role of the UN
in the country
• Common approach to results based budgeting → still a
challenge
• One Budgetary Framework conceived to be used for
monitoring and reporting over time
16
Main findings of the stocktaking exercise
Country Level Fund:
• Unfunded gaps in One Programme included in the
pooled One Programme Fund, managed through JP
pass-through funding option, e.g. in MDTFs
• Clearer leading role of Governments, compared to the
past, in decision making, through a Government/UN
Steering Committee
• RC accountable for allocation and reporting
• Agencies accountable for use of funds received and
report to donors through the RC
17
Emerging Thinking on the “Ones”
One Office:
• Is varying greatly in pilots
• Based on common services framework
→ Key constraint - different operational procedures, but
interim solutions possible
18
Current Challenges
•
Decision-making: how do we ensure a fully inclusive
nature of the “One UN” process, without slowing it
down?
•
Keeping the UN presence light, but maximize use of all
agencies’ expertise and adapt the UN capacity to
deliver on the One programme
•
Space for experimentation in pilots
•
Communications from HQs and regions
•
Expeditious mobilization of capacities to support the
pilots, including further technical guidance
•
Monitoring and Evaluation of results
19