UNITAR Training Course
United Nations Reform III
System-wide coherence process
New York, 19 November 2010
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
Presentation outline
System-wide coherence process
A. Key milestones
B. Major decisions of GA 64/289
C. Next steps
D. Lessons learned
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 60th legislative session
World Summit Outcome invites SG to
“launch work to further strengthen the
management and coordination of UN
operational activities” (Sep.’05)
Kofi Annan appoints High-level Panel on
UN system-wide coherence (Feb.’06)
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 61s legislative session
HLP delivers report to SG (Nov.’06)
Ban Ki-moon responds to HLP findings (Apr.’07)
Ambassador Christopher F. Hackett of
Barbados and Ambassador Jean-Marc Hoscheit
of Luxembourg appointed as co-chairs of
informal consultations on SWC - series of
informal consultations/briefings (May.-Aug.’07)
GA adopts oral decision to continue SWC
consultations in 62nd session of Assembly
(Sep.’07)
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 62nd legislative session
Ambassador Augustine Mahiga of Tanzania and
Ambassador Paul Kavanagh of Ireland appointed
as co-chairs of second round of consultations
(Jan.’08)
Series of informal consultations/briefings (Feb.Jun.’08)
Deputy Secretary-General submits paper
“Institutional options to strengthen UN work on
gender equality and empowerment of women”
(Jul.’08)
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 62nd legislative session (cont.)
 GA adopts resolution 62/277 deciding that
subsequent SWC consultations will focus on five
areas (Sep.’08):
(a) Harmonization of business practices
(b) Funding
(c) Governance
(d) Gender equality and empowerment of women
(Focus on composite gender entity)
(e) DaO at country & regional levels
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 63rd legislative session
 Ambassador Kaire Munionganda of Namibia
and Ambassador Juan Antonio YanezBarnuevo of Spain appointed as co-chairs of
third round of consultations (Feb.’09)
 Series of informal consultations/briefings Secretariat submits background documents on
composite gender entity, governance and
funding (Mar.-May’09)
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 63rd legislative session (cont.)
 Co-chairs issue summaries of state of
consultations in three key areas: (a) composite
gender entity, (b) governance and (c) funding
(Jun.’09)
 Co-chairs conduct informal consultations with
regional groups and Member States (Jun.Sep.’09)
 GA adopts resolution 63/311 proposed by cochairs following informal consultations (Sep.’09)
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 63rd legislative session (cont.)
GA resolution 63/311 provides framework for final round
of consultations in 64th session of GA
Important additions - SG requested to:
a) Propose modalities for establishment of
independent system-wide evaluation mechanism
b) Create central repository of information on
operational activities for development building on
annual funding report of SG
c) Make urgent arrangements for independent
evaluation of “delivering-as-one” pilots
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 64th legislative session
 Ambassador Tiina Intelmann of Estonia and
Ambassador Ghazi Jomaa of Tunisia
appointed as co-chairs of fourth round of
consultations (Nov.’09)
 SG submits two reports: (a) composite
gender entity and (b) all other areas (informal
note on funding followed in March) (Dec.’09Jan.’10)
 SWC consultations resume in five clusters
(Feb.’10)
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
A.
Key milestones
 GA 64th legislative session (cont.)
 Intensive substantive dialogue through informal
interactive sessions and WGs on governance
and funding (Feb.-Apr.’10)
 Co-chairs circulate draft elements for
resolution to facilitate formal negotiations
(Apr.’10)
 Intensive intergovernmental negotiations on
draft resolution (Apr.-Jun.’10)
 GA adopts SWC resolution (2 July 2010)
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
B.
Major decisions of GA 64/289
1. Establish UN-Women
Merging DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM
2. Launch process in EBs of funds and programmes
to define “critical mass” of core funding
3. Establish coordination meetings of bureaus
President and bureau of ECOSOC to convene informal
coordination meetings with bureaus of funds and
programmes
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
B.
Major decisions of GA 64/289
4. Conduct independent evaluation of lessons
learned from “delivering-as-one” pilots
SG to proceed with evaluation and independent
Evaluation Management Group to submit report to
GA at its 66th session
5. Establish Joint Meeting of Boards as forum for
informal discussion on common country
programmes
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
B.
Major decisions of GA 64/289
6. Conduct “client satisfaction surveys”
SG to conduct periodic surveys of programme country
governments on effectiveness, efficiency and
relevance of UN support to national development
efforts
7. Funds & programmes to report annually to EBs on
progress in harmonization of business practices
8. Commission review of institutional framework for
system-wide evaluation
SG, in consultation with UNEG and JIU, to commission
a comprehensive review and submit a report with
recommendations to GA at its 66th session
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
B.
Major decisions of GA 64/289
9. Strengthen voice of national policy-makers from
developing countries in governing bodies
ECOSOC and governing bodies of funds, programmes
and agencies to consider measures to strengthen
participation of national policy-makers in programme
countries in their meetings
10. Improve governance of non-core funding flows
EBs of funds and programmes to include in annual
reports assessment of how programme and projectspecific funding is aligned with strategic plans
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
C.
Next steps
 Governing bodies
a) Executive boards of funds and programmes to
launch dialogue on how to define “critical mass”
of core funding
b) ECOSOC and governing bodies of funds,
programmes and agencies to discuss how to
strengthen participation of national policy-makers
in programme countries in their meetings
c) ECOSOC bureau to launch informal coordination
meetings with bureaus of funds and programmes
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
C.
Next steps
 Secretary-General
a) To make UN-Women fully operational as of
1 Jan.’11
b) To conduct comprehensive review of
institutional framework for system-wide
evaluation
c) To proceed with independent evaluation of
DaO
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
C.
Next steps
 Other UN entities
a) UNDESA, funds, programmes and agencies
 To improve reporting in areas of governance and
funding
b) UNITAR
 To conduct training of delegates on functioning of
UN operational activities for development
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
C.
Next steps
 Other UN entities (cont.)
c) CEB Secretariat
 With ECOSOC President, to organize periodic
briefings on work of CEB to Member States
 To regularly brief ECOSOC on progress in
harmonization of business practices
 Provide update on establishment of central
repository of information to ECOSOC at its 2011
substantive session
 Publish inter-agency agreements and decisions
on CEB website
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
D.
Lessons learned
1. Importance of political leadership
 Co-chairs conducted final round of negotiations
in a highly strategic, professional, transparent
and politically-sensitive manner
2. Strategic workplanning makes a difference
 Co-chairs presented at outset a transparent
workplan for the consultations with clear
timelines and deliverables for a process that
was fast-paced but allowed for ample
opportunities for interaction on technical issues
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA
D.
Lessons learned
3. Quality of process consultations is critical
 Interactive approach adopted leveled playing
field among Member States and helped dispel
misconceptions on important substantive issues
that otherwise might jeopardize the formal
negotiation process at a later stage
4. Secretariat can play a catalytic role
 Through impartial and effective support in areas
such as strategic planning, background
documentation, legislative drafting and high
degree of responsiveness to requests submitted
by Member States during the consultative
process
Kristinn Sv. Helgason, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA