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Follow up to the High-level Panel’s Report on UN System-wide Coherence

This online focus page is intended to provide an overview of the follow-up to the High-level Panel’s Report on System-wide Coherence. Here you can find information about the Secretary-General’s follow-up to the report, information about the report itself and what non-governmental actors are saying about the report. Check back here or the NGLS homepage for updates on the status of the recommendations.

Since the release of the High-level Panel’s report, NGLS has organized - or co-organized - several events bringing governmental and non-govermental actors together to discuss the report’s reccomendations and follow-up. Click here for more information about past and future NGLS events related to UN System-wide Coherence. To skip ahead to find information about the report’s recommendations, click here

Recent Updates

- UNDG Takes Stock of ’One UN’ Pilots

- GA President Appoints New Co-Chairs to Lead Consultations

- No Agreement Yet, Letter from GA 61 President

- DSG Releases Concept Note on Proposed Gender Architecture

- GA Informal Consultations on System-wide Coherence Resume with Discussion on Human Rights

- GA Co-Chairs on System-wide Coherence Complete First Round of Consultations, Expect to Resume in late July

- GA President appoints Co-Chairs to lead consultations on UN System-wide Coherence

- The Secretary-General’s response to the High Level Panel’s report on UN System-Wide Coherence

UNDG Takes Stock of ’One UN’ Pilots

Key potential or emerging results, lessons learnt and recommendations are being developed following the first year of operation of the ‘One UN’ pilot projects, which include Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uruguay and Viet Nam. This ’stocktaking’ exercise was conducted in an informal way by the country teams and some UN Agencies.

Several stocktaking reports note that the planning phase was more demanding and time consuming than expected, but that the groundwork now has been laid, with new structures for collaboration in place, including the programmatic framework and the new ‘One funding’ mechanism. In 2008, focus will shift to implementation of the ‘One Programme’ and realization of substantial operational change.

The results of the stocktaking exercise will feed into the UN consultations on the recommendations of the High Level Panel on System-wide Coherence.

For more information and to view the various reports, visit: http://www.undg.org/index.cfm?P=568

GA President Appoints New Co-Chairs to Lead Consultations

In a letter dated 11 January 2007, UNGA President Srjgan Kerim announced the appointment of two new Co-Chairs of the ongoing consultations on UN System-wide Coherence. The letter notes that the Co-Chairs will report back to the President in the early part of June. An informal meeting of the general Assembly will be convened on 8 February to kick-statrt this segment of the process.

To view the letter, click here

No Agreement Yet, Letter from GA 61 President

In a letter dated 14 September 2007,UNGA President Sheikha Haya draws attention to the fact that no agreement has been reached on the follow-up of the report entitled ecommendations contained in the Report of the High-level Panel on UN System-Wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance and the Environment: Report of the Secretary-General, and stresses that she will propose an oral decision for UNGA adoption to ensure that the consultations among member States continue in UNGA’s 62nd session.

To read a pdf of the letter, visit: http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/letters/PGA-Letter-14Sept07-SWC.pdf

DSG Releases Concept Note on Proposed Gender Architecture

2 August 2007 - In response to the General Assembly President’s letter dated 29 June 2007 to the Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) requesting additional information on an improved and more coherent gender equality architecture to support the in-going intergovernmental review of the current UN gender equality architecture, the DSG has released a concept paper on the topic.

The paper was prepared in consultation with the DSG’s Inter-Agency Gender Task Force, which is comprised of all relevant UN entities.

It is the consensus of the Task Force, and is reflected in the paper, that a strong centralised entity with the authority to ensure that gender is mainstreamed in the work of the UN System is necessary to carry out General Assembly mandates.

The discussion, which the paper helps inform, is part of the larger discussion that is currently on-going within the GA on the reccomendations of the Secretary-General outlined in his report on the reccomendations of the High-level panel on System-wide Coherence (A/61/836).

To read the paper, with an accompanying letter from the DSG, click here (http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/letters/SDOC1599.pdf)

GA Informal Consultations on System-wide Coherence Resume with Discussion on Human Rights

25 July 2007 - The series of informal consultations of the General Assembly on the recommendations of the High-level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence resumed on Tuesday, 24 July, where Ms. Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights briefed Member States on human rights approaches within the context of UN reform.

She began her statement by noting that the Declaration on the Right to Development states that development can only be sustained if human rights are protected. These include economic, social and political rights aimed to ensure the well being of all citizens. By adopting this Declaration, all States committed themselves to implement at the national level the vision it represents.

Ms. Arbour continued by saying that the promotion and protection of human rights is one of the principal aims of the UN and, together with the promotion of peace and security, constitutes one of the pillars upon which the UN was founded. For this reason, human rights are a crosscutting issue that should be reflected in all of the UN’s programmes and activities. While some great achievements have been made over the years, progress is uneven and challenges remain. States have the obligation to protect and promote human rights. In this regard, international law is not a prescription that can be applied to all countries. Rather it is country driven and it must be relevant in accordance with national human rights agendas.

Ms. Arbour concluded by reemphasizing the full support of her office to the UN Resident Coordinators and humanitarian officers who have long had to find a balance between the implementation of human rights activities and programmes, at a country level, while ensuring coherence among different actors. However, she believes they need more knowledge on human rights and better mechanisms to ensure sustainability.

Following Ms. Arbour’s statement, the floor was opened to Member States for discussion. Some countries stated that the recommendations made by the High-level Panel are relevant, but very general. They felt that more detailed proposals are needed in order to proceed with any kind of substantive discussion. Others stated their full and congtinuing support for all aspects of the Panel’s reccomendations on this subject.

Many governments emphasized as well that countries must be allowed to determine their own development priorities as well as have the ability to select their partners and the type of relation they wish to establish at the country level should be respected. Some countries stressed that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach in terms of human rights. Operational activities should be done at the request of the recipient country and in accordance with their own policies and priorities for development.

The important work of the Human Rights Council was noted as well and it was pointed out that it should be conducted in an objective, transparent, non-selective, constructive non-politicized manner.

To read Ms. Arbour’s full statement, click here

GA Co-Chairs on System-wide Coherence Complete First Round of Consultations, Expect to Resume in late July

29 June 2007 - Two Co-Chairs working on behalf of the President of the General Assembly recently completed a series of consultations on the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence. The Co-Chairs are H.E. Mr. Christopher Fitzherbert Hackett of Barbados and H.E. Mr. Jean-Marc Hoscheit of Luxembourg.

During the week of 18 June they convened three informal consultations in the plenary, each with a thematic focus - ‘Humanitarian Issues and Recovery’, ‘Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women’, ‘Governance and Institutional Reform’ and a briefing on ‘Delivering as One at Country-level.’ On 28 June, they convened another consultation on ‘Business Practices’.

The consultation on Humanitarian Issues and Recovery took place on 20 June and featured a presentation by Sir John Holmes. Thursday, 21 June saw the consultation on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and the briefing on Delivering as One at the Country Level. The Gender consultation opened with a statement by the Deputy Secretary-General where she made the case for new gender entity. The briefing included presentations by representatives of the Tanzanian and Albanian governments as well the UNDP Resident Coordinator in Rwanda. The consultation on Business Practices began with a presentation by the Director of the Accounts Division within the UN Department of Management.

The current stage of System-wide Coherence efforts began earlier this month when the Co-Chairs decided to start their work by identifying the major components of the report and taking them up in informal consultations among all interested Member States. The Co-Chairs have identified eight “major components” of the report:

1. Delivering as One at Country Level
2. Humanitarian Issues
3. Environment
4. Governance and Institutional Reforms
5. Funding
6. Gender
7. Human Rights
8. Business Practices

The eight components have provided the structure for the current round of consultations with Member States.

The Co-Chairs announced at the 28 June consultation that they expect to resume the process of informal consultations on the remaining topics during the last week of July. By this time they hope to have further developed their ideas on how to move the process forward.

As an outcome of the consultation on Gender, the President of the General Assembly (PGA) has asked the Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) to prepare a concept note providing more details on the Secretariat’s proposal for a strengthened gender architecture. To read the letter from the PGA to the DSG, click here

To read a letter from the Co-Chairs to Member States regarding the organization of the consultations, click here

To learn more about the High-level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence, click here

GA President appoints Co-Chairs to lead consultations on UN System-wide Coherence

To read the letter from the GA President to all Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the UN in New York regarding the appointment of the Co-Chairs, click here

To read the letter from the Co-Chairs to all Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the UN in New York regarding the first informal meeting, click here

To learn more about the report of the High-level Panel on United Nations System-wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance and the Environment and its follow-up, click here

The Secretary-General’s response to the High Level Panel’s report on UN System-Wide Coherence

The SG presented his report in a plenary meeting of the General Assembly on Monday, 16 April 2007. To read his statement to the GA, click here

To read about the proceedings of the ensuing plenary of the GA on the topic, click here (16 April afternoon meeting) and here (17 April morning meeting).

To read the Secretary-General’s Report, "Recommendations contained in the report of the High-level Panel on United Nations System-wide Coherence in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment" (A/61/836), click on the language that you would like to download it in: English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

Delivering as One, Report of the Secretary-General’s High Level Panel

In February, 2006, Secretary General Kofi Annan established a new 15 member High Level Panel on System Wide Coherence, as requested by the 2005 World Summit. The panel explored how to strengthen and ’more tightly manage’ the UN’s work in development, humanitarian assistance and the environment. The Panel, which was co-chaired by Luisa Dias Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique; Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway; and Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan, presented their final report "Delivering as One" to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly on 9 November 2006. Discussion has centered on a reorganization of the UN’s agencies, funds and programs into three large ’pillars’ to avoid duplication of work and increase efficiency.

The HLP developed a set of clear recommendations based on five strategic directions:

Coherence and consolidation of UN activities, in line with the principle of country ownership, at all levels (country, regional, headquarters)

-  Establishment of appropriate governance, managerial and funding mechanisms to empower and support consolidation, and link the performance and results of UN organizations to funding

-  Overhaul of business practices of the UN system to ensure focus on outcomes, responsiveness to needs and delivery of results by the UN system, measured against the Millennium Development Goals

-  Ensure significant further opportunities for consolidation and effective delivery of One UN through an in-depth review

-  Implementation should be undertaken with urgency, but not ill planned and hasty in a manner that could compromise permanent and effective change.

’One’ is a central concept in the report: the report contended that the UN needs to overcome its fragmentation and deliver as one through a stronger commitment to working together on the implementation of one strategy, in the pursuit of one set of goals. The essence of the HLP’s vision is for the UN to ’deliver as one’ in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment. The UN’s normative and analytic expertise, its operational and coordination capabilities, and its advocacy role would be more effectively brought together at the country level, at the regional level and at the global level. The Panel recommended that Member States should shape the governance structures, the funding framework and the business practices to make it so.

Relevant links:

Delivering as One - Report of the Secretary General’s High-Level Panel
Executive Summary of Delivering as One
High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence Homepage
United Nations Development Group
Other relevant links

Click on the links below to read about the High-level Panel’s recommendations for:

One UN for development - at country level
The HLP recommended the establishment of One UN at country level, with one leader, one programme, one budget and, where appropriate, one office.

One UN for development - at headquarters level
The HLP recommended the establishment of a UN Sustainable Development Board to oversee the One UN Country Programmes.

Results based funding, performance and accountability
The HLP recommended the establishment of a MDG Funding Mechanism to provide multi-year funding for the One UN Country Programmes

Click on the links below to read more about the High-level Panel’s recommendations for:

Humanitarian Assistance
Environment
Gender: A key to effective development
Coordination with other multilateral agencies
Implementation

UN-NGLS events/reports on UN System-wide Coherence

UN System-wide Coherence is an issue UN-NGLS monitors closely, and UN-NGLS has organized several events and panel discussions on the topic. Below are links to reports and summaries from some of these events.

From Words to Action: Towards a Strong Follow up to the High Level Panel on System-wide Coherence
On 28 February 2007, Stakeholder Forum (SF), the Brazilian Forum of NGOs and Social Movements for Environment and Development (FBOMS), ANPED-Northern Alliance for Sustainability, and the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN NGLS) hosted a workshop on UN system-wide coherence at UN Headquarters in New York. This site contains submissions from NGOs, statements and reports on topics relevant to UN system-wide coherence.

UN system wide coherence: recommendations of the High level Panel on the gender architecture of the United Nations
UN-NGLS co-organized a panel discussion that took place on 26 February 2007. This is a summary of the panel discussion and a wide-ranging collection on links regarding UN reform and Women.

Debate on UN System-Wide Coherence Panel Report: "Delivering as One"
On December 6, 2006, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), in co-operation with the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS), hosted a roundtable discussion between representatives of civil society, government and UN staff to share views on the Panel’s recommendations.

High level panel on System-Wide Coherence: Implications for the UN and Other Multilateral Development Institutions
On 16 April 2007, in conjunction with the High-level meeting of ECOSOC with the BWIs, the WTO and UNCTAD at UN Headquarters in New York, NGLS co-organized a meeting with the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy, ITUC, UBUNTU Secretariat and the Rethinking Bretton Woods Project. The panel featured representatives of governments and NGOs.

During the fifteenth Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15) 30 April - 11 May 2007 UN-NGLS held several events relating to UN System-wide Coherence:

- UNEO: A Champion for environment in the 21st Century, but what role for stakeholders?
On 3 May, 2007 more than 25 representatives of civil society and the private sector met with representatives of the French government in New York to discuss the reform of international environmental governance (IEG) and, in particular, the idea of transforming the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) into a United Nations Environment Organisation (UNEO). The meeting provided participants with an update on developments in IEG reform, as well as an opportunity to discuss possible models for engaging stakeholders in a UNEO.

- Workshop on CSD reform - Sustainable development in the context of UN reform
On Tuesday 1 May 2007 a dialogue was held on the subject of sustainable development in the context of UN reform. The discussion, endorsed by six former Chairs of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), emphasised the need for a process of reflection on sustainable development governance and the role of the CSD in articular. The event was organised by Stakeholder Forum, the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service, ANPED Northern Alliance for Sustainability, and the Brazilian Forum of GOs and Social Movements for Environment and Development, and attended by representatives of government, Major Groups, and the UN system.

- Briefing for NGOs on International Environmental Governance (IEG) and Sustainable Development Governance reform

- Workshop on IEG reform

One UN for development - at country level

The HLP recommended the establishment of One UN at country level, with one leader, one programme, one budget and, where appropriate, one office.

A third of UN programmes have more than ten UN agencies and in just under a third, less than 2 million USD is spent by each UN agency. According to the recommendations of the HLP the One UN should be based on a consolidation of all of the UN’s programme activities at the country level, where the country wishes it. The HLP stressed that the programme must be developed and owned by the country in line with its own national priorities. Effective delivery requires a single budgetary framework. To manage the One Country Programme there needs to be one leader - an empowered Resident Coordinator. According to the recommendations of the HLP the Resident Coordinator should be selected on the basis of merit and competition demonstrably open to candidates outside UNDP and the UN system. To ensure system-wide ownership of the Resident Coordinator System, the role of UNDP must change. It should focus and strengthen its operational work on policy coherence and positioning of the UN country team, and withdrawing from sector-focused policy and capacity work being done by other UN entities.

The HLP recommends 5 One UN country pilots by 2007, and subject to satisfactory review, 20 One UN Country Programmes by 2009, 40 by 2010 and all other appropriate programmes by 2012. Per April 2007 eight pilot countries are part of this exercise: Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uruguay, and Viet Nam. To learn more about the pilot country projects, visit the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) website by clicking here

One UN for development - at headquarters level

The HLP recommended the establishment of a UN Sustainable Development Board to oversee the One UN Country Programmes.

The HLP felt that a coordinating Board is necessary to provide oversight for the One UN Country Programme, to provide system-wide coherence, ensure coordination, and to monitor performance of global activities. The HLP proposed that the existing joint meetings of the Boards of UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WFP be merged into this strategic oversight body - the UN Sustainable Development Board (The Board) - reporting to ECOSOC.

According to the recommendations of the HLP the Board should comprise a representative sub-set of Member States on the basis of equitable geographic representation, and enhance the participation and voice of developing countries. The Board would be responsible for endorsing the One UN Country Programme, allocating funding, and evaluating its performance against the objectives agreed with the programme country. The Board should also maintain a strategic overview of the system to drive coordination and joint planning between all Funds, Programmes and Agencies, and to monitor overlaps and gaps.

The HLP recommended that the Secretary-General appoint a UN Development Coordinator with responsibility for the performance and accountability of UN development activities. The UNDP Administrator should serve as the Development Coordinator. The Development Coordinator should report to the Board and be supported by a high-level coordination group comprising the Heads of principal development agencies and an expert Secretariat drawn from across the UN system. The evolution of the role of UNDP as Manager of the Resident Coordinator System requires the establishment of a code of conduct and a firewall between its streamlined operational activities and other functions.

The HLP also recommended that the Secretary-General establish an independent task force to further eliminate duplication within the UN system, and consolidate UN entities, where necessary. The HLP does not advocate a single UN entity because many individual agencies can best achieve their vital role in the provision of global public goods, advocacy, research, promoting best practice and global norms and standards by operating individually in their specific sectors. However, it is clear there are a large number of overlapping functions, failures of coordination and policy inconsistency within the UN system. The task force should clearly delineate the roles performed by UN Funds, Programmes, Specialized Agencies and regional entities, including the UN Secretariat. It should make concrete recommendations for mergers or consolidation of duplicative functions and ensure complementarity of mandates. The HLP recommended that the task force should report by end 2007 to the Secretary-General with clear recommendations for early implementation. According to the HLP this exercise has the potential to release significant annual savings possibly in the range of 20% per annum; the exact amount should be assessed and informed by the analysis of the review. Efficiency savings should be recycled to the One UN country programmes.

Results based funding, performance and accountability

The HLP recommended the establishment of a MDG Funding Mechanism to provide multi-year funding for the One UN Country Programmes.

The HLP contended that if the UN is to work more coherently and effectively, both at country level and globally, significant changes are needed to the way donor funding is managed. Current UN funding patterns are highly fragmented, unpredictable and constrained by too much earmarking, which has encouraged duplication and inefficiency. This limits the UN and programme countries from making strategic decisions, and undermines the principles of multilateralism and country ownership.

A new MDG Funding Mechanism for voluntary donor funding (public, private and UN organizations) would provide multi-year funding for the One UN Country Programmes as well as for well performing agencies. The Board would govern this mechanism. Donor contributions would be voluntary and could be specified. There should also be additional funding available at the discretion of the Board to reward well performing headquarters of Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies and to fund programmatic gaps and priorities in the system. To deliver maximum impact against country priorities, the HLP urges donors to contribute multi year funding and substantially reduce earmarking.

The HLP recommends that UN organizations committed to and demonstrating reform should receive full, multi-year core funding.

Donors should support consolidated multi-year funding for the One UN Country Programme and core budgets of UN entities committed to reform. Donors would demonstrate by their actions that funding and performance are linked to results and reform.

Multi-year funding frameworks can be managed to increase focus on strategic priorities. Funding cycles of UN funds and programmes should be aligned to facilitate overall strategic coordination of UN programmatic work. The assessed budgets of the Specialized Agencies should be reviewed to ensure they have sufficient core resources to deliver against strategic mandates.

Performance, funding and accountability of UN organizations are integrally linked. Funding must follow performance and reward results both for the One Country Programmes and for Headquarters funding. The purpose of linking funding to performance is to improve outcomes not to reduce funding. In fact, a more effective UN could be an important partner in effectively using additional Official Development Assistance (ODA). The price of poor performance should not be paid by reduced UN funding into countries but by the management and institutions. A reformed UN system demonstrating improved outcomes would be better placed to capture increased aid.

The Board, assisted by a special Development Finance and Performance Unit in its secretariat, should publish internal evaluations of UN system spending and performance, as well as evaluations of individual Funds, Programmes and Agencies’ plans to which the Board would have access. Performance of UN organizations should be measured against internationally agreed development goals. These assessments would inform funding decisions both by donors making direct contributions as well as through the discretionary MDG Funding Mechanism, available to the Board as discussed above.

Modernization and reform of business practices, to be led by the Secretary-General, should be implemented urgently. Processes for resource planning, human resources, common services and evaluation must achieve full compatibility as major drivers of coherence in the UN system. There should be greater opportunities for staff mobility and a system-wide agreement on results-based management as well as an independent UN system-wide evaluation and common evaluation methodologies and benchmarking. The UN must systematically grasp opportunities for expanding joint services.

Programme countries and donors should be able to see and compare the true overhead costs of delivery through the introduction and publication of consistent administration and back office costs.

To promote transparency and accountability, the HLP recommends that a UN common evaluation system be established by 2008, based on a common evaluation methodology.

Concluding remarks from the High-level Panel’s executive summary:

Our most important constituency are the billions who do not enjoy the prosperity and well-being that many of us take for granted and whose deprivation inspired a global call to action - the Millennium Development Goals. It is for the sake of the poor and the destitute that we need an efficient United Nations, one that is well governed, well funded, and one that will remain a global repository of hope.

We have it within our grasp to make a real and lasting difference through essential reforms set out in these proposals. All stakeholders in the UN system have a responsibility to seize this opportunity. The difference of our actions and decision on reforms will for millions around the world be the difference between hope and despair, and for some the difference between life and death.

Links to relevant documents and articles

REFORM the UN: UN System-wide Coherence
This page has links to relevant: Overview Documents, United Nations Reports, Resolutions, and Statements, Government Statements, International Organization Statements, Parliamentarian Statements, Civil Society Reports & Statements, Latest Developments.

Choike.org: UN Reform In depth
Articles and links to official documents, Southern perspectives, Northern perspectives, Civil Society Involvement and Gender, among others.

PeaceWomen & UN Reform Index
on the High Level panel on system wide coherence in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance & the environment with links to background information and reports.

Global Policy Forum on UN Reform
A list of key documents and articles

The Coherence Panel’s Mixed Bag of Proposals: Will it make a difference in development?
Dr. Thomas Fues, 19 November 2006. European Briefings on Globalisation, North-South Relations and International Ecology. From the World Economy & Development in brief.

The Prerequisite to UN Leadership in Development: System-wide coherence
8 May 2006

A Civil Society Response to the Report of the UN High Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence
Position paper co-authored by the Centre of Concern, ITUC, UBUNTU and the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy, April 2007. The link above is to the English version. To read in Spanish, click here