Transcript Localizing the MDGs

Localizing the MDGs
Definition: The process of localising the MDGs
• the disaggregation of nationally adjusted global goals at
the sub-national and local levels, combined with
capacity development for strategic planning, budgeting,
implementation and monitoring in a systematic and
integrated manner, is relatively new
• Nationally defined targets and development strategies
are being translated and adopted to meet
developmental needs of local communities in various
countries.
• The MDGs may be global targets, but they need to be
addressed locally at the national and sub-national levels,
• the exercise of localising the MDGs implies that subnational actors and institutions have a fundamental role
to play if the MDGs are seriously taken as an
opportunity to improve people’s lives.
• This capacity to address the MDGs is inextricably
linked with how governmental policies perceive local level
needs.
THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR LOCALIZING THE MDGS
• localizing the MDGs does not suggest the invention or
reinvention of another new goal framework.
• ‘localizing the MDGs’ is the process of aligning the
existing MDG goals and targets to local contexts i.e.
reshaping and restating the goals as they apply to local
development contexts and relate to local development
challenges
• Another clarification is required vis-à-vis the term
‘local.’
• ‘local’ is a relative concept and may well mean ‘national’
when viewed from the global perspective;
• it may mean ‘district’ when viewed from the national
perspective;
• it may mean ‘village’ when viewed from the district
perspective.
CORE PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE PROCESS OF
LOCALIZING THE MDGS
• Process is owned and led by the community.
• Key drivers, i.e. the political will for achieving the
goals are translated into actionable interventions.
• Space and opportunities for civil society’s organizations
and the private sector engagement is available and
supported.
• The needs (that the goals represent) are defined and
prioritized by the community.
• Assessments are qualitative as well as quantitative.
• Mainstreaming issues of gender, human rights and social
inclusion is essential if we are to achieve equity and
equality.
• All stakeholders are involved.
• Partnerships are actively sought.
• Ensuring the centrality of aid coordination, fiscal
decentralization and public-private partnerships.
AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK FOR MDG ACTIONS AT THE
LOCAL LEVEL
When it comes to the ‘how’ of localizing the MDGs, there
are four main categories for consideration:
• Advocacy and Learning for the MDGs.
• MDG-Based Strategic Planning.
• Resources for achieving the MDGs.
• Management and monitoring of Implementation.
A)
Advocacy and Learning for the MDGs
• Enhancing awareness on the MDGs and the international
commitments for development.
• Generating knowledge products and codifying case
studies to provide an adequate diagnostic of the status
of the MDG and challenges faced in progress.
• Advocacy on the importance of capacity development
strategies that must accompany this effort, including in
the facilitation of multi stakeholder engagement.
• Exchanges on the principles and mechanisms of
mainstreaming issues of gender, human rights, conflict
resolution and others as underpinning the MDGs.
• Sharing and access to information regarding
experiences and expertise available, locally and globally,
to support this effort.
• Training in the use of operational guidelines such as
‘how to’ guides, tools and methodologies.
B)
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MDG-Based Strategic Planning
Preparatory meetings for agreement on objectives, implementation
strategy and needs for MDG-based local planning processes.
Conducting capacity assessments and needs assessments.
Engaging in data collection and analysis, including disaggregation of
data by gender, locality and ethnicity etc.
Consultations on the adaptation of MDG targets and indicators; and
agreement on the set of appropriate local level indicators to monitor
and track the progress of the MDGs.
MDGR formulated through CSO consultations.
formulation of local level MDG based development plans.
Capacity development interventions incorporated in MDG-based
strategic plans and budgets.
Analysis of decentralisation and devolution systems and structures,
including legal and regulatory frameworks.
Strengthening inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms and support
for integrated sector planning.
Negotiating and establishing clear national-local level linkages in the
planning, budget and feedback processes (upstream-downstream
linkages).
Community action Plans.
Introducing or facilitating mechanisms and processes for community
monitoring and evaluation.
C)
Managing and Monitoring Implementation
• Enabling legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks to
facilitate multi stakeholder engagement in monitoring and
implementation of MDG actions.
• Strengthening institutions and networks of service delivery
agents, and facilitating supply chain management through
transparent procurement services.
• Deepening local project management capacities, introducing
techniques for efficient financial monitoring and accounting, as
well as leadership and change management.
• Facilitating community dialogue and mutual accountability
mechanisms that act in watch dog roles to oversee appropriate
use of funds and achievement of desired results.
• Enhancing capacities of civil society organizations and
associations to increase their participation in policy development,
implementation, monitoring and review.
• Skills and systems for local government administration in
process facilitation, to work effectively with civil society and
other partners.
D)
Resources for Achieving the MDGs
• Advisory services to manage fiscal decentralisation at
national and local levels.
• Enabling dialogue and coordination mechanisms with donors at
sub national levels.
• Analysis, advocacy and directing of international and
domestic private sector flows, to benefit the MDGs.
• Study of the fiscal space available at local level, and
linkages to national level policy dialogue in this area.
Step 5:
Monitoring
and review,
with
feedback to
national and
local decision
making and
dialogue
processes
Step 1:
Advocacy,
dialogue and
learning/traini
ng processes
initiated
Localizing the
MDGs
Step 2:
Data
gathering and
analysis;
capacity and
needs
assessments;
and MDGR
formulated
Step 4:
Managing
and
implementati
on of MDG
programmes /
local
initiatives
Step 3:
CD actions
for MDG
planning and
programme
formulation;
MDG based
local plans
developed
framework for localizing the MDGs
Advocacy and Learning
Underlying Principles for localizing the MDGs:
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Managing and
Monitoring
Implementation
Process is owned and led by the community
Key drivers most prominently the political will for achieving
the goals are translated into actionable interventions
Space and opportunities for civil society’s organizations and
the private sector engagement is available and supported
The needs (that the goals represent) are defined and
prioritized by the community
Assessments are qualitative as well as quantitative
Mainstreaming issues of gender, human rights and social
inclusion is essential if we are to achieve equity and equality
All stakeholders are involved
Partnerships are actively sought
Ensuring the centrality of aid coordination, fiscal
decentralization and public-private partnerships.
Resources for the MDGs
MDG-Based
Strategic Planning
THE CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT NEXUS
• for each of the proposed actions for localizing the MDGs, the
question of the ‘capacity for what, and for whom’ is key.
• Achieving the MDGs at the local level requires prioritising a
two-pronged capacity development (CD) approach:
• a) CD for local administration of decentralised policy,
programmes and procedures; and
• b) CD for enhancing multi stakeholder engagement in the
localisation process, to deliver the necessary development
results.
• CD centres on engaging different arms of local government,
domestic business and civil society in decision making,
• enhancing its ability to design, deliver and monitor policies.
• administrative capacities and fiscal management.
THE CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT NEXUS
• Without good governance at the local level focusing
on information flows, and transparency and
accountability for resources, the localizing process
will be flawed.
• Improvement in local capacities, cannot function
without a cooperative enabling environment.
• In localizing the MDGs, an effective entry point is
the assessment of the capacities of local
government administration, domestic private sector
and civil society’s organizations to play their
respective and often complementary roles, from
oversight, to service delivery.
• The results of such an assessment point to the
capacity assets and the capacity needs required in
that locality to address the MDG challenge.
Measuring Capacity Development Impact – What are
We Looking For?
• To obtain and use disaggregated data and capture such in
MDGR (or equivalent) analysis.
• To introduce longer term visioning and strategising into the
planning process.
• To unify concepts and methodologies across sectors and
institutions that underpins an integrated approach to MDGbased local planning.
• To enable a more sustained financial framework for the
MDGs at local level, and a transparent and inclusive
budgeting and public expenditure management process.
• To enable multi-stakeholder engagement in the MDG dialogue
and results oversight process.
• To intensify learning and exchanges among localities to
ensure knowledge spread on good practices.
• To better utilise the comparative strengths of partners,
including the roles of the private sector, donors and others,
towards achieving the MDGs.
LESSONS LEARNT AND WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
IN LOCALIZING THE MDGS
• Process and substance are equally important.
Allocate more time on getting the inter sector and
multi stakeholder processes right.
• Invest more upfront for both short term and
longer term capacity development. Local ownership,
empowerment and capacity development are
intrinsically linked.
• Increase national and sub national awareness and
mobilization around the MDGs, to ensure political
support for the essential national-local linkages
required. Without political commitment among
leaders at national and local levels, these
interventions have little space to succeed.
• Introduce learning and experiences from other
countries and regions, on the results of fiscal and
administrative decentralisation. If there is no
intent to support decentralisation, focus there
first.
LESSONS LEARNT AND WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
IN LOCALIZING THE MDGS
• Institutionalize civic engagement in policy
development, implementation, monitoring and review.
Informal consultation and feedback mechanisms can
only go so far. Invest in leaders willing to drive
these processes.
• Strengthen local-level institutional development
through improving procedures and practices (for
human resource and performance management,
budgeting and public expenditure procurement and
internal controls), to enhance the effectiveness,
efficiency and accountability of local bodies to
their local clients. Without these early investments
in local institution change management, little can
happen on the implementation and monitoring of
local plans and programmes.
LESSONS LEARNT AND WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
IN LOCALIZING THE MDGS
• Prioritise investments in institutions of service
delivery – at the heart of each MDG is the
equitable and sustained provision of essential goods
and services to the poor.
• Codify local knowledge and promote learning and
experience sharing at local levels. This is time
consuming and the positive results are not always
seen immediately, but history shows we learn from
the past and we learn from each other.
• Protect and promote those willing to innovate. The
MDGs are only a reality when adapted to local
needs and creative ways to get to them must be a
part of the local public dialogue.
LESSONS LEARNT AND WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
IN LOCALIZING THE MDGS
• One of the biggest challenges is the absence of data at the
local level. While there is adequate data at the national level,
it is not easy to extrapolate such to the local level. Capacity
development of the national department of statistics and its
representatives at the local level in collecting disaggregating
data, and in using interim proxy measures is essential.
• Never underestimate the power of advocacy and repeat
advocacy. There is still a significant lack of awareness and
knowledge on MDGs, especially at the local level. It is not
clear how nationally defined targets can be translated and
adopted to meet developmental needs of local communities;
how local development strategies and action plans relate to
the MDGs; and what mechanisms should be adopted to
implement and monitor progress towards the achievement of
the MDGs at the local level.
LESSONS LEARNT AND WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
IN LOCALIZING THE MDGS
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The politics of internal disparities and discriminations must be
addressed, albeit treading on politically sensitive ground. Even
where national averages are achieved, countries must address
internal country disparities. This is sometimes subsumed by the
politics of minorities, whether of gender, class or ethnicity.
The global and national debates around different standards used in
collecting or analyzing data, and measurement indicators, find
themselves also present in articulating MDG indicators at the local
level. One example is the poverty baseline, which differs in
different countries. Agreement on indicators and the use of a single
or multiple methodologies takes negotiation skill and time.
Regular consultative sessions engaging civil society organizations, the
private sector and local government representatives are an essential
element of the process, at every step. However, the need to be
clear on what it is that ensures that such stakeholders invest their
time and energies to this endeavour must be understood and
addressed, if to sustain commitment and engagement. These
incentives do not have to be monetary, but they must be a part of
the process.
Forward Looking
• Localizing the MDGs is the way ahead, and there is a need
for both UNDP and governments to reinforce and support
this process and to establish national/local linkages.
• Inclusive Approaches: There is a need to work with other
counterparts and stakeholders, the donor community, NGOs,
the UN system, government, civil society, etc.
• Coordination: There is a need for much more coordination
between governments and UN agencies on the one hand, and
among UN agencies and with the donor community on the
other.
• Capacity development is essential to ensure the success of
the process. Capacity needs required are multifaceted
including econometric capacities, capacities for planning and
implementation, capacities for monitoring and evaluation, data
capacities, judicial reform, decentralization, and
regionalization.
• Governance: reinforcing good governance is a must for
achieving the MDGs.
challenges in terms of the methods/approaches and
processes to achieve these, for example:
• What Capacities: the need to build up local and regional
capacities should be one of the main areas of intervention of
UNDP in the near future.
• Knowledge Sharing: the need to exchange experiences both
good and bad. This is not only about south-south
cooperation, but also about the mechanisms of sharing and
cooperation which needs to be taken on board.
• Monitoring and evaluation: the issue of support to monitoring
and evaluation. Who does monitoring and evaluation and at
what level>
• National/Local linkages: there is a misunderstanding between
counterparts about regional planning and national master
planning. How do we move back and forth between the
national and local levels? The differentiated type of
interventions is not taken into account.
challenges in terms of the methods/approaches and
processes to achieve these, for example:
• MDG Approaches: another issue is related to the process of
achieving the MDGs: do we have one MDG approach for all
countries, or can we model that approach within LDC, MIC
and net contributor countries to reflect context specificities?
• Mainstreaming HRBA: there is a broad agreement on the
importance of HRBA’s application; however, the process has
not been explored enough. Certainly from the UNDP side,
there has been an emphasis on the right to development.
There are duty-bearer issues that need to be considered and
explored more in depth.
• The role of funding and financing: for a variety of reasons,
financing is not always available in the quantities that are
required. Some countries do not get the ODA that they
need. How can both UNDP and governments move into a
whole different type of relationship with donors?
Key Interventions towards the Attainment of the
MDGs:
• MDG Advocacy
• Phasing of MDG awareness raising and advocacy targeting
decision makers, including MPs and civil society
organizations, to generate national commitment to MDG
goals and targets.
• Differentiating advocacy approaches and depth of
messages based on client groups and timing
• MDG Policies
• Introducing pro-poor macro-economic polices aimed at
reducing income gap, generating economic growth and
mobilizing investments for the MDGs
• More integrated sectoral policies, strategies and
programmes aimed at poverty eradication or MDGs gaps in
specific sectors
• Cross-sectoral thematic policies and strategies to
maximize impact on equity and sustainability
Key Interventions towards the Attainment of the
MDGs:
• MDG Planning
• Strategic planning capacities for MDG-based national
planning and resource allocation for poverty eradication
and targeted plans for specific MDGs gap areas.
• Capacity development for localizing the MDGs and
engaging the States, citizens and civil societies for the
attainment of the MDGs.
• MDGs Costing and Financing
• Methodologies and application of estimations of resources
needed for the implementation of priority interventions to
guide national resource allocation and to identify financing
gaps for resource mobilization.
• Different resources of financing for the MDGs: reallocation of existing budgets, fiscal space/deficit
financing, redirecting FDI; intra-regional transfers, etc.
Key Interventions towards the Attainment of the
MDGs:
• MDG Monitoring
• Identification of appropriate indicators for national and
local levels (i.e. MDG plus).
• Establishment of systems for poverty and MDGs
monitoring, including strengthening of the national
statistical systems.
• MDG Implementation
• A focus on capacities for transparency, accountability and
inclusion as well as access to justice and rule of law.
• Emphasis on decentralization and local capacity
development for effective planning and monitoring of
poverty and the MDGs
• Prioritizing national and local capacity development for
effective management and delivery of goods and services
to the people
• Capacity development for sustainable economies by
improving trade and investments’ climate and by
strengthening local productive capacities.
Case Study
1. Why should countries bother to integrate the MDGs into
their planning process? Most countries have sophisticated
planning mechanisms. What is the difference if they imbed
the MDGs into national plans?
2. Why should we consider issues of capacity development?
Why should we have strategic plans? Are they relevant to
really address all the different needs in your daily work?
3. Why focus on the sub-national level? Why move away from
the national level?
4. As a person in charge of ensuring the planning and
attainment of MDG goals and targets, what would you
prioritize as the most important a) a national MDG strategy
and b) localizing the MDGs for your country given the
experiences shared and lessons learnt?
5. What actions are required to ensure policy coherence
between national and local plans and initiatives?
6. What actions would you identify for support by the UNDP
and international community in the two areas above?
Guiding answers 1
• When we look at the responses from governments, civil
society and the private sector, there are three commonly
produced answers:
• It is terribly difficult to break the cycle of long-term
planning; therefore, the MDGs provide an investment and
vision to help in the planning.
• If the MDGs are broken down to indicators and targets,
then it is possible to measure progress. Impeding the
indicators of the MDGs facilitate measuring progress
against defined goals and timelines
• The MDGs provide a common ground for negotiation
between citizens and the state at the local level
Guiding answers 2
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It is the skills of strategic planning that provides the basis
for dialogue, implementation, monitoring and feedback.
It is a loop in the way you carry out this work. Strategic
planning is familiar to those working within planning ministries,
but this is a skill set that is more needed at the district and
community level
Capacity development for strategic planning allows you to
integrate across sectors and institutions, a common cross
functional sets of dialogue, regardless of where you are, it is
a functional capacity that makes sense to all sectors
The reality of the fact that none of us have enough energy
and resources that are established in the national and local
plans, strategic planning allows for phasing investments and
prioritizing for resource allocations, short quick wins that will
have long term impact.
Guiding answers 3
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Just like global averages on the MDGs mask regional
and national disparities, MDGs and other national
targets hide disparities at sub-national and local levels.
If these discrepancies and disparities are not tackled,
and we remain operating only at the national level, much
is not achieved. There is a need to disaggregate data
at the sub national level as well as provide responses
that address the discrepancies at that level.
If we do not articulate the needs and priorities at the
sub national level then our plans are academic and
without substance. The need to articulate plans at the
sub national level should be the crux of the planning
process.
The sub national and grass root involvement is where
the citizens voices are heard. We have to allow for
formal and informal mechanisms that capture the
demands and concerns of citizens. Therefore, there is
increasingly the need to really capture these local
processes and interactions, and integrate them into
development work and planning.
Question 4
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Formulation of strategies at the national level that identify
development priorities at the national and comprehensive level, out
of which a preparation of strategies at the local level taking into
consideration the specificities and priorities for each
region/locality. Other Suggestions
Strategic Planning at the Central Level since this is built on
addressing gaps and priorities at all levels and that identifies
national indicators, linked with an evaluation at the local level that
would lead to strategic planning at the local level that identifies
local specificities that translate the national planning frameworks.
There has to be a national strategy and decentralization strategies,
priorities should be to work on parallel especially in terms of
poverty strategies to address regional disparities and poverty
pockets.
Where should the planning process be. There has to be a national
strategy to outline the broad framework and to have an overview of
the regional disparities. AT the same time, each locality should
prepare its own strategy What are the priorities
Work should be parallel at both central and local levels
There is a mutually relation where the center should not be
separate from the local
There are differences between the central and the local
Question 5
• Participatory approaches in planning and programmes including
civil society organizations and the private sector
• Polling surveys and needs assessment and databases
• Institutionalization and strengthening of the localizing
process and methodologies
• Capacity development in strategic planning, monitoring and
evaluation, preparation of strategies and programmes,
identification of priorities, modeling at the national, local and
sub-sector
• Development of knowledge products including manuals, howto-guides and sharing of best practices and knowledge
• Support decentralization: such as support to municipalities;
an examination of the legal frameworks, capacity
development of local authorities in planning, prioritization,
and implementation of participatory approaches (civil society
organizations, etc.)
• Building partnerships and networking internally and externally
to support developmental interventions.
Question 6
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Financing and financing sources
Capacity development interventions on strategic planning, localizing the MDGs
at the local and national level
Workshops for sharing best practices, knowledge products/concept notes,
study tours, etc.
Capacity development in macroeconomics, financial programming and economic
modeling
To learn from the international experiences for best practices and
knowledge sharing. South-south and north/south, and to use from worst
practices and what worked/what did not work
Enhance coordination among international organizations
To capitalize on the national human resources
Facilitate technology transfer
Human-rights based approach to development
Coordination and avoiding duplication in the international programmes
supporting the MDGs processes and interventions
Adoption of integrated participatory approach to development
Practical application of all of the above
Facilitating processes of evaluation and monitoring that support local planning
processes and technology transfers and tools.
Support regional planning to facilitate localizing the MDGs
Support to monitoring and evaluation of the MDGs and other planning
processes including establishing systems, training, implementation, database,
systems for corrections at different levels, etc.
Sustainability in interventions
As UNDP
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What would be a prioritized set of specific UNDP actions and
projects to support the MDGs in a) LDC country and b) MIC
country?
What specific actions can UNDP undertake to increase capacities in
country offices to help them in undertaking the above in the coming
2 years?
How can we better align country and regional programmes to support
the above?
As UNDP
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Country Specificities: There is a need to take into consideration the
specificities of countries and grouping of countries into LDCs, MIC,
etc. It is difficult to have a uniform approach for all Arab
countries due to specificities of the countries. In some, there is a
need to initiate localizing the MDGs and capacity development on
strategic planning. In others, the focus should be on governance
issues, especially in middle income countries, however for LDCs, it
is important to focus on poverty as an entry point.
National Ownership: How can we ensure ownership by countries of
the MDG processes? For example, at the policy level there is a
detachment between the macroeconomic components proposed by
the World Bank in the PRSP from the socio-economic components
proposed by Ministries of Planning. It is important to engage in a
dialogue between the ministries of finance and planning at the
national level in order to ensure coherence in policies and
approaches toward the PRSP process. To a large extent UNDP has
succeeded in providing a framework for national ownership of the
MDG process in many countries.
Issues of accountability and commitment: How can you ensure
accountability and that commitment? The government in Egypt came
up with a social development committee to see the big picture. Is
there anything like this in other countries? The MDGs are a political
tool, which provides citizens with a set of performance
measurements to monitor governments’ performance; therefore they
are both advocacy and political tools.
As UNDP
• Governance Issues: For the LDCs countries, there is a need
for planning frameworks because they don't have the
capacities to maintain them. The issue of good governance
comes before MDGs, because without this, the MDGs are
just propaganda. Most countries have signed human rights
declarations, however application remains very weak (i.e
torture of journalists, lack of participation, etc.). There is a
need for UNDP to build strong partnerships with donors such
as the World Bank, etc. which can assist in helping the
governments to fight issues of corruption, transparency, etc.
• Upstream/downstream linkages: It is the intervention at the
lower level that is important. There needs to be a direct
relation, triangle between who is providing the funding, who
is implementing the project, and UNDP. Not all countries
have the same allocation policies. But once a policy of
supporting MDGs is put into place, UNDP needs to start
working at other levels. Budget areas are selected. But you
can influence where to intervene based on MDG needs;
therefore, it is important to facilitate this link. The need
for horizontal as well as vertical linkages is critical and this
is an area where UNDP can be a major actor, and broker a
dialogue between the national and local levels.
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As UNDP
Capacity deficits: There is a need to have a framework to achieve the
MDGs, where the MDGs are situated within a national framework. Issues of
capacity deficits are a big challenge. It is not an issue of sustainability
when depending on one source of growth but the perception of funding
challenges is always highlighted although in many cases it is not the issue.
The need for capacity development in incorporating the MDGs into
development planning so they do not stand alone as a separate process is
critical. Since countries commitment to the MDGs as their responsibilities,
the role of UNDP should be in helping to improve their ability to plan,
target and achieve the MDGs.
Financing Issues: Although there has been an increase in ODA, it has not
been channeled to the UN system, and not necessarily to the LDCs. Much
of it has gone to debt relief, but most of it for very specific political
issues. Much of the funding is through bilateral channels. You get an
increasing role of UN as a broker between those with money. It is
increasing the marginalization of the UN as a funder, and hopefully
increasing the role of the UN as a broker. On the link between MDGs and
CD, and with regard to the role of programmes such as C2015, one way to
tackle this is to break open the black box of the MDGs. For example, to
focus on MDG 8, as an issue related to funding, indebtedness (both
international and local to national). With MDG 8, we can change the dynamic
between center and local. Goal 8 is very critical. The work that UNDP does
revolves around MDG policy and advocacy. How do you blend the technical
and political part? If you play with projected savings you come up with other
projections and it changes the political message. We should be helping the
countries come up with a message for the donors. On the regional level we
are not doing this well enough.
As UNDP
• Issues of Targets and Indicators: Whether the
MDGs targets and indicators are minimum
standards to be achieved, or whether there is
some flexibility.
• Statistical Gaps: A necessary issue in our work is
a lack of data and information. There is a need to
invest in statistical capacities. If there are gaps
in data, it will be detrimental to all of our
development work. In order to embed the MDGs
into policy frameworks, there is a need to have
some kind of framework and identification of the
order and magnitude of those needs, in conjunction
with what kind of fiscal space is available. This is
part of supporting the planning process. When it is
done for the sake of doing it, it is done as a
parallel process.
As UNDP
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UNDP’s Focus: a concern about the coherence and the quality of UNDP’s
interventions. It seems that there are two different approaches being
applied by UNDP: in come cases, the focus is on integrating the MDGs into
national planning, and others the MDGs are taken as a separate process.
Why are we talking about MDGs achievement in the LDCs? The MDGs are
written with the LDCs in mind as a minimum. They should be able to meet
them. And the MICs should be able to go much further. If as UNDP we
don't have a common approach, how can we work in the same country?
There is a need for UNDP to come up with a unified UNDP’s position on a
host of issues, and clear mechanisms of supporting this. What is the precise
role of UNDP? As a broker in dialogue, a provider of policy advice, or an
advocacy role? There is a need to have a clear framework, then a
methodology and approaches, and indicators, etc. There is also a need for
practice notes that assist in guiding the process of intervention and a
common corporate strategy.
UN Coordination: there is a need to think about UN as a whole, and the
relationship between different agencies for an effective implementation of
the MDGs. Various agencies are working on MDG-related interventions
without effective coordination among them.
MDG Follow-up: It is easier to see it from the local level, where the MDGs
and MDGR are seen as a step toward greater development in the region. CD
at all levels is important, and UNDP has a niche here. However, in many
cases, MDGRs are produced without any mechanisms in place for follow-up.