The ‘UN Transition Strategy’ is an unofficial term used to refer to the UN’s strategic response in the aftermath of a conflict or disaster-related crisis. The term should be understood to encompass objectives variously referred to as early/recovery, reconstruction, peace-building, peace consolidation, etc.

Transition Strategies have arisen as a result of country-level innovation to fill a gap in the UN’s range of planning tools when humanitarian action is inadequate to address all needs but the time is not yet ripe to lock in long-term objectives in an official UNDAF. A transition strategy should articulate how the UN system will support national recovery and the [re-] establishment of critical national capacities, and to create the foundation for longer-term development for the attainment of national MDG targets.

The UN Transition Strategy helps to situate the UN’s comparative advantage and response within the broader national and international efforts for crisis recovery. It can facilitate unified dialogue with national authorities on key efforts to bolster national ownership and coordination, and signals to the donor community that the UN has a common vision and action plan for the recovery and transition period.

Whereas the UN Transition Strategy does not have formal approval requirements attached to it, the UNCT should deploy maximum effort to ensure broad consultations with national authorities (interim or elected officials, parties to peace agreements, etc.), donors and other international partners including IFIs, and civil society, and within the UN family notably with peace-keeping and/or political missions, humanitarian actors, and UNDG actors at Headquarters level.