Increased efficiency and improved cooperation across departments are challenges for any major organization; the United Nations is by no means different. Since the UN was founded in 1945, new areas of operations have been added each year to generate a myriad of agencies, funds and programmes. While some are working well together, others are operating independently and often wasting valuable resources in their uncoordinated efforts.
World leaders decided to put the issue of “System-wide Coherence of the UN’s operational activities” on the agenda at the 2005 World Summit in order to address this coordination challenge. There, they reaffirmed their commitment to a strengthened United Nations with enhanced authority and capacity to effectively and quickly respond to the full range of global challenges; a renewed, revitalized and more responsive United Nations was needed now more than ever.
Following this summit, the Secretary-General established a High-level Panel to explore ways on how the United Nations system could work more coherently, efficiently and effectively in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment.
In November 2006, after seven months of work, the Panel submitted its report to the Secretary-General. Entitled “Delivering as One”, the report included extensive recommendations to establish “…a framework for a unified and coherent UN structure at the country level matched by more coherent governance, funding and management arrangements at the centre".
It is important to note this report was prepared while a number of ongoing reform processes were underway. One important process—which is highly relevant in terms of the Panel’s recommendations related to enhancing the coherence, effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations at the country level—is the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR)of operational activities for development of the United Nations system. The 2007 TCPR provides an important opportunity to move forward with the Panel’s recommendations, including assessing the progress of pilot countries’ “One Country Programmes.”
Following consultations and at the request of interested member states, the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) designated eight pilot countries to test the “One United Nations” approach. Delivering as One has brought partner countries, donors and UN country teams closer together with renewed energy and a greater sense of common purpose. By encouraging the eight pilot countries to implement reform and giving them room to innovate and experiment in ways to work better together as one UN team, Delivering as One has put to the test different ways of working together.
The UNDG is an instrument for UN reform to improve the effectiveness of UN development operations at the country level. The UNDG brings together the operational agencies working on development. The Group is chaired by the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the Secretary-General.
For background information on UN reform and System-wide Coherence please click here.
For more information on "Delivering as one"please click here.
For further details about the UNDG mandate and its Terms of Reference please click here.
Common Services Programme
In 1999, the General Assembly began to discuss further reform in the area of Common Premises and Services (DP/1999/CRP.5). At the initiative of the UNDG Management Group, with contributions from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the UNDG began to explore ways to support country teams in the development of common services.
After country surveys were conducted and an initial training was developed, a pilot programme was launched in 2001. In 2004, the Common Services Programme was expanded to provide active support to additional UN country teams in order to help identify, develop, implement and manage country-specific Common Services. This support took the form of training and was provided through a regional and inter-agency group of Common Services Experts(CSEs)coordinated by a Common Services Advisor at the UNDG secretariat.
From 2001-2006, the pilot Common Services Programme—and subsequent expanded Common Services Programme—provided intervention and support to a large number of countries. Surveys conducted in 2006 and 2009 show that most UNCTs have since established a few basic common services.
Survey of Common Services status at country level
In 2006, the Common Services Programme was mainstreamed and, as a result, support through the regional Common Services Experts was discontinued following a decision made by the UNDG. Primary support was moved to the UNDG secretariat (UN Development Operations Coordination Office, or UN DOCO) at the end of 2006 and was taken up by a Common Services Advisor in New York.
This move, by design, was to continue to provide demand-driven support to UNCTs and to provide additional support to the Delivering as One pilot countries, in order to facilitate the piloting of varying levels of cooperation and integration linked to the performance of central business processes, particularly the One Office component of the One UN concept. Training, support and guidance to countries is ongoing and provided through the UNDG, its Working Groups and Task Teams, and the Common Services Advisor at UN DOCO.
Below you will find documents (workshop reports, plans, etc.) relating to the development of the UNDG’s Common Services Programme.