Definition

Common Services is a generic term to describe the implementation of common administrative functions among United Nations system organizations.

UN organizations share various facilities and services at Headquarters and other duty stations. Under the UN reform agenda there is renewed interest in Common Services to improve coordination and coherence among representative offices of UN agencies at the national and regional levels and to achieve cost savings.

The establishment of Common Services constitutes an important component of the Secretary-General’s reform agenda. In his Programme of Reform, the Secretary-General emphasized the need to pursue harmonized programme and budget frameworks, services, facilities, and administration and personnel practices, recognizing strengthening of Common Services as one of his reform strategies.

The call for Common Services has been reiterated in subsequent General Assembly resolutions, in which the member states advocate for the United Nations system to promote the sharing of administrative systems and services. The objective is to assure that support services are cost-effective, high quality, timely, and provided on a competitive basis, resulting in full client satisfaction.

The UN system’s Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies are to take concrete steps in the following areas:

. Rationalization of country presence through common premises and co-location of UN Country Team members;

. Implementation of the joint office model;

. Common shared support services including: Security, IT, Telecommunication, Travel, Banking, Administrative and Financial Procedures,Procurement;

. Harmonization of the principles of cost recovery policies, including that of full cost recovery.

Common Services form an integral part of the One UN concept advocated in the 2006 “Delivering as One” High-Level Panel Report to the Secretary-General.

 

How it works

Common Services arrangements focus on the guiding principles of inter-agency partnership and cooperation.

The Executive Head of each UN agency must direct their country office representative to fully engage in this significant area of UN reform. The UN Country Team has the overall responsibility to coordinate and oversee Common Services arrangements. The Operations Management Team is the focal point for all inter-agency operational arrangements given its mandate to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate the agreed common services activities. In some cases, ad hoc Task Forces or Technical Working Groups are established to develop and oversee specific Common Services arrangements.

Some OMTs have established such technical groups for joint learning initiatives, common procurement, outsourcing courier/pouch services, IT development and networking.
For OMT Country lists please click here ( work in progress).

Through the UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO), the UNDG offers Common Services support to UN Country Teams as part of the overall coordination and reform implementation support.
DOCO assists the UNDG to develop and introduce simplified and harmonized policies and procedures that are vital to country office operations in areas such as communications and IT systems, human resources, procurement, financial rules and regulations, standardized auditing and financial reporting, cost recovery, and funding to partner organizations.
For more information about DOCO, please click here. For detailed information on the Country Office Business Operations Task Teams’ mandate and Members please click here (work in progress).

The UNDOCO support to UNCTs includes the following on-line management tools and information tools:

Updates and Current Work

History
Guidelines
Examples
Support&Training
Contacts