Overview of United Nations Reform II:

System-wide coherence in UN development activities

New York, 4 November 2011

UNITAR Workshop

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

A.Evolution of UN system-wide coherence process

B.Governance of UN operational activities for development

Presentation outline

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

1945 When UN was established it was not

envisaged that organization would become a major player in delivery of operational activities for development

Many of the “coherence” challenges which have arisen in UN in recent decades can therefore be traced back to original design of organization

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

1945 (cont.)

Functional approach, rather than a federalist one was adopted in design of UN system

UN system organized around independent specialized agencies, whose relationship with ECOSOC was established by set of formal agreements, with new organizations created as needs arose

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

1946UNICEF established by GA to provide food, clothing and health care for children

1960sMany new entities established including WFP (1961), UNCTAD (1964) and UNIDO (1967)

Major growth in operational activities of UN system

1965UNDP is established to coordinate funding for technical assistance provided by other UN entities

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

1970sContinued expansion in UN operational activities for development

Post of Director-General for Development and International Cooperation established in 1977 to address growing coordination deficit in UN development system. This function was abolished in 1992

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

1980sUN system faces funding crisis as some donors withheld contributions at height of Cold War

Funding for operational activities for development becomes increasingly earmarked

System of execution by UN agencies comes under pressure as programme countries opt for national execution of UN technical assistance

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

1990sCentralized approach to funding through UNDP is gradually abandoned in early 1990s

1995UNDP transforms itself from a central fund to being primarily a substantive organization

Specialized agencies start mobilizing resources directly from donors, which contributes to rapid growth in non-core funding and fragmentation of UN operational activities for development

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

1995-2000Step change towards Member States promoting enhanced programmatic coordination and coherence within UN system

1997 Major reorganization of UN system aimed at strengthening programmatic cooperation and common approaches among UN entities

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

1997 (cont.)

Creation of UNDG, chaired by UNDP Administrator

Merging of three departments into DESA

Establishment of common UN houses

Introduction of UNDAF and Common Country Assessment

Creation of post of Deputy Secretary-General

Establishment of Joint Meeting of Boards of funds and programmes

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

2000s

Efforts to strengthen UN development system generally consistent with thrust of 1997 reform with focus on improving field-level coordination and inter-agency cooperation and better measurement of field-level results

2005World Summit invites Secretary-General to launch work to further strengthen management and coordination of UN operational activities

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

2006

Secretary-General establishes High-level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence

HLP submits report to SG in November 2006

2007

Informal consultations of General Assembly on UN system-wide coherence start

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

GA resolution 64/289 on SWC (July 2010) Establishment of UN-Women (merging 4 entities) Independent evaluation of lessons learned from DaO

pilots Comprehensive review of existing institutional

framework for system-wide evaluation Survey of programme countries on relevance,

effectiveness and efficiency of UN operational activities for development

Funds and programmes to launch discussion on concept and definition of “critical mass” of core funding

ECOSOC Bureau to convene informal coordination meetings with Bureaus of funds and programmes

A. Evolution of SWC process

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

Intergovernmental governance General Assembly

a)Provides overarching normative frameworks for UN development activities, e.g. MDGs, Monterrey Consensus etc.

b)Establishes key system-wide policy orientations for UN operational activities for development through quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR)

B. Governance system

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

Intergovernmental governance

Quadrennial comprehensive policy review

Main purpose of QCPR is to evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of UN operational activities for development based on extensive analytical preparations and consultations with stakeholders

On basis of QCPR process, GA establishes key system-wide policy orientations for development cooperation and country-level modalities of UN system for a four-year period

B. Governance system

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

Intergovernmental governance ECOSOC

a) Coordinates implementation of global development agenda

High-level Segment Annual Ministerial Review Development Cooperation Forum Coordination Segment Subsidiary bodies (e.g. functional commissions)

B. Governance system

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

Intergovernmental governance

ECOSOC (cont.)b) Coordinates and monitors implementation of policy

guidance established by GA in QCPR

c) Reviews and evaluates reports on work of funds and programmes

These functions mainly discharged through annual session of Operational Activities Segment of ECOSOC

B. Governance system

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

Intergovernmental governance

Executive Boards of funds and programmes

Responsible, inter alia, for providing intergovernmental oversight of respective entities in accordance with policy guidance established by GA and ECOSOC and for ensuring that respective entities are responsive to needs and priorities of recipient countries

B. Governance system

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

Intergovernmental governance

Executive Boards of funds and programmes (cont.)

EBs report to ECOSOC and are expected to bring to Council issues that require its attention

Executive heads of F/Ps appointed by SG following consultations with EBs and confirmed

by GA

B. Governance system

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

Intergovernmental governance

Governing bodies of specialized agencies

SAs are separate, legally autonomous organizations with own policy-making and executive organs, secretariats and budgets

Executive heads of SAs elected by membership of respective entity

B. Governance system

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

Intergovernmental governance

Governing bodies of specialized agencies (cont.)

Relationship of SAs with UN defined in special agreement with ECOSOC and approved by GA

ECOSOC can coordinate activities of SAs through consultations with and recommendations to such agencies

B. Governance system

Navid Hanif, Acting Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA