SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS MADE IN THREE YEARS SINCE START OF REFORM OF UN FUNDS AND PROGRAMMES, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TOLD

Press Release
ECOSOC/5911

SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS MADE IN THREE YEARS SINCE START OF REFORM OF UN FUNDS AND PROGRAMMES, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TOLD

Significant progress had been made in the three years since reform of United Nations funds and programmes had begun, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Carol Bellamy, told the 2000 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council this morning. The Council was holding a policy discussion with executive heads of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF, and the World Food Programme (WFP).

By the end of the year, she said, there would be 40 United Nations houses. Seventy-five United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs) were on the way, and a total of 100 country teams were currently preparing Common Country Assessments (CCAs). As part of preparations for the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review, the United Nations Development Group was undertaking an overall review of CCA/UNDAF impact.

She said much remained to be done. The role of the Bretton Woods institutions in social sector development needed to be promoted. The linking of humanitarian and development assistance with the political and human rights work of the United Nations system needed reinforcement. Of particular importance was to develop country-level links between operational agencies and human rights machinery.

A specific and high priority area for system-wide collaboration was in the area of girls’ education, she stated. Government leaders at the very highest levels needed to lend personnel commitments of support to the campaign. Also, governments must lend support to the preparation process for the 2001 General Assembly special session for children.

Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the UNFPA, said within the United Nations Development Group, important steps had been taken in relation to harmonization, but harmonization was a challenge that went beyond the four organizations present. It involved a much wider set of partners, including the entire United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions, the bilateral community, other entities such as the European Union, civil society and others, and required coordination between different governing and legislative bodies.

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Economic and Social Council - -1a - Press Release ECOSOC/5911 28th Meeting (AM) 18 July 2000

She said resource mobilization for United Nations operational activities was a major, if not the major, issue of the day. Everyone knew that it was simply a matter of political will. The amounts being talked about were small. The comparative advantage of the United Nations operational activities was clear, and it was especially crucial for the many least developed countries that were left behind by market forces and untouched by capital flows.

The Executive Director of the WFP, Catherine Ann Bertini, said no discussion could take place today without addressing staff security. There was a constant need to remember that that was a high priority for the United Nations that had not been addressed in the way it should be. In that regard, she hoped proposals would be presented to governments that would result in the Organization being given increased abilities to protect its staff members.

Zephirin Diabre, Associate Administrator of the UNDP, said the development arms of the United Nations were clearly facing a severe financial crisis. Hopefully, the tide was turning. Many donors had increased contributions for the year 2000 and beyond. For a real turnaround, however, the growing momentum needed to be urgently broadened and maintained.

The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, spoke during a question-and-answer segment.

The Council will meet again at 3 p.m. to continue its policy dialogue.

Council Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this morning to continue its deliberations on operational activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation. It would have a policy exchange with executive heads of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Before the Council was the Annual report of the Executive Director for the UNICEF to the ECOSOC (document E/2000/7). Part one of the document contains the annual report of the Executive Director. Part two contains the summary of deliberations of the Executive Board and this annual report.

The Executive Director's report covers the implementation of the reform programme of the Secretary-General and the provisions of the triennial comprehensive policy review, the follow-up to international conferences, and humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, and offers several recommendations, addressing problems and lessons learned, and achievements in such areas as funding and resources, harmonization of programmes and procedures, gender mainstreaming, capacity-building and cooperation with the World Bank, among other things.

In regard to follow-up to international conferences, the report recommends that the Council may wish to call upon governments to provide leadership for the follow-up conferences and to call upon Member States to make available the resources necessary for the full implementation of conference plans of action. As for humanitarian and disaster relief, the report recommends that the Council may wish to reaffirm the need for special protection measures for children in all efforts to promote peace, implement peace agreements and resolve conflicts.

Also before the Council were the annual reports of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to the Economic and Social Council (document E/2000/9), which also contain recommendations to the Council and the comments of the Executive Board on the reports.

In the area of funding and resources, the UNDP's Administrator's report recommends that the Council may wish to express concern about the continued decline in core funding to UNDP and other funds and programmes and strongly urge all Member States to support the implementation of the multi-year funding framework, which integrates programme objectives, resources, budgets and outcomes with the goal of increasing core resources and enhancing their predictability.

Regarding the Resident Coordinator system, UNFPA's Executive Director's report recommends that the Council may wish to identify ways to streamline coordination mechanisms and to ensure that processes result in better and more effective programme delivery, and to reaffirm the need to broaden the pool of Resident Coordinators and to bring about a better gender balance in the Resident Coordinator system. In the area of system-wide collaboration and other United Nations conference reviews, the report recommends that the Council may wish to emphasize the need for greater involvement of women in integrated programming through gender-sensitive environmental and reproductive health initiatives.

Also before the Council was a report on the first, second and third regular sessions and annual session of 1999 of the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) (document E/2000/36). This report contains the Annual report of the Executive Board to the Economic and Social Council and the FAO Council on its activities in 1999, and decisions and recommendations of the first regular session (Rome, 20-22 January 1999), the second regular session (Rome, 13-14 May 1999), the annual session (Rome, 17-20 May 1999), and the third regular session (Rome, 18-22 May 1999).

The Annual Report to the Economic and Social Council and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Council covers policy issues, financial and budgetary matters, operational matters, organizational and procedural matters and other business. In its annexes it provides a list of documents and participants.

Transmitted by a note by the Secretary-General, the Council also received the Annual report of the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, 1999 (document E/2000/54), which states that the year 1999 was particularly challenging for WFP. The Programme was called upon to help more people than ever before. The number of people assisted by WFP increased by around 17 per cent over 1998, to 89 million, the highest number ever assisted in a single year.

The WFP developed several innovative responses to exceptional problems faced, according to the report, such as the "snowdrop" technique in East Timor, delivering emergency food by air, and a bakery project in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Immediate Response Account was frequently used in 1999 to make local and regional food purchases for the critical first phases of new emergency situations. Resources for the Account increased in 1999, contributions reaching $24.2 million.

The report describes further achievements in 1999, covers problems and lessons learned, and makes recommendations to the Executive Board in regard to implementation of the reform programme of the Secretary-General and the provisions of the Triennial Policy Reviews, the follow-up to international conferences, and humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.

Statements

NAFIZ SADIK, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said just this morning the United Nations Development Group had agreed on a guidance note for joint programmes, which would now be issued to all representatives in the field. Two months ago a similar procedure had been agreed on for joint mid-term reviews. While much progress had been made, especially within the UNDG, there was still need for more streamlining and simplification of the coordination and programming processes that existed today.

She said that within the Development Group important steps had been taken in relation to harmonization, especially with respect to programming cycles, the active implementation of the Common Country Assessment (CCA)/United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), joint mid term reviews, and the recent issuance of guidance on joint programming. The Development Group was doing its share, but harmonization was a challenge that went beyond the four organizations present today –- UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF and WFP.

She said that harmonization involved a much wider set of partners, including the entire United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions, the bilateral community, other entities such as the European Union, civil society and others. It required coordination between different governing and legislative bodies. In the area of operational activities, to support the coordinated implementation of and follow-up to major conferences, the Development Group member organizations had had an important positive role. The achievements and areas that required further attention had all been highlighted in the recent five-year reviews, she added.

She said the need to recognize that the Development Group was working in partnership with all was a sensitive topic that nevertheless needed to be addressed. She hoped the CCA would be used by all as a basis for programmes. Data and information systems were critical for all aspects of development and thus deserved the concerted and coordinated support by all as well, including the bilateral donors. There could also be no discussion of conference follow- ups without recognition of the critical need for adequate resource levels. The mobilization of such resources for related programmes of action was the shared responsibility of all, she stressed.

She said resource mobilization for United Nations operational activities was a major, if not the major issue of today. Yet it was one that was unresolved. Everyone knew that it was simply a matter of political will. The amounts being talked about were small. The comparative advantage of the United Nations operational activities was clear, and it was especially crucial for the many least developed countries that were left behind by market forces and untouched by capital flows.

CAROL BELLAMY, Executive Director of UNICEF, said significant progress had been made in the three years since reform of United Nations funds and programmes had begun. By the end of the year, for example, there would be 40 United Nations Houses. Seventy-five UNDAFs were on the way and a total of 100 country teams were currently preparing CCAs. Each agency was reviewing the impact of the CCA/UNDAF in its own programming. As part of preparations for the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review, the Development Group was undertaking an overall review of CCA/UNDAF impact.

Continuing to enumerate progress, she said much remained to be done. The role of the Bretton Woods institutions in social sector development needed to be promoted, for example. The World Bank needed to be encouraged to adopt flexibility in its operations when collaborating with funds and programmes. Also, the linking of humanitarian and development assistance with the political and human rights work of the United Nations system needed reinforcement. Of particular importance was to develop country-level links between operational agencies and human rights machinery.

A specific and high priority area for system-wide collaboration was in the area of girls’ education, she said. The Secretary-General had announced that priority on a system-wide basis at the World Education Forum in Dakar during April. Government leaders at the very highest levels needed to lend support to the campaign. The upcoming Millennium Assembly provided an excellent opportunity for such statements. Also, governments must lend support to the preparation process for the September 2001 General Assembly special session for children. Preparations were well under way, she added and described key initiatives.

CATHERINE ANN BERTINI, Executive Director of WFP, said the Development Group had a lot of work to do on issues such as the assessment process for humanitarian and resident coordinators. Last year, the Programme had created a new format called protected relief and recovery. Through that process, it hoped to be able to bridge the support between relief and development as countries moved out of emergency situations. While it was still possible, however, the approach was problematic since many donors were governed by their own specific rules and regulations.

She said no discussion could take place today without addressing staff security. There was a constant need to remember that that was a high priority for the United Nations which had not been addressed in the way it should be. In that regard, she hoped proposals would be presented to governments that would result in the Organization being given increased abilities to protect its staff members.

She said it was also important to work together on contingency plans. Such cooperation had been successful in addressing crises like the recent floods in Mozambique. Turning to funding for development, she pinpointed three reasons for the present decrease: declining official development assistance (ODA); the volume of emergencies and the subsequent requirements; and the questions by donors on the effectiveness and efficiency of food aid in development. Emergencies had increased greatly over the last decade, impinging on resources for development. The WFP, for example, had spent over $1 billion over the last two years on emergencies. Much less had been spent on development.

She said the WFP felt that food aid must be delivered to the people who needed it most: mothers and young children. Mitigating the effects of natural disasters was also a new direction that required attention. The Programme was also involved in vulnerability mapping. That entailed collecting data from governments and identifying the insecure areas in countries.

ZEPHIRIN DIABRE, Associate Administrator of UNDP, said the development arms of the United Nations were clearly facing a severe financial crisis. Hopefully, the tide was turning. Reform efforts combined with energetic efforts to document programme results had created a strong foundation for rebuilding the political support needed to increase core funding for operational activities. Many donors had increased contributions for the year 2000 and beyond. For a real turnaround, however, the growing momentum needed to be urgently broadening and maintained.

The high-level event for the financing of development planned for 2001 would be critical, he continued. The UNDP and sister agencies were actively participating with programme countries to ensure its success. Spending money on operational activities for development was one of the best investments the world could make for its own future welfare. A strategic, low-cost intervention by an agency had a catalytic effect on growth and services. The large impact of that relatively small investment needed to be publicized, not only in terms of growth and poverty reduction but in reducing stress and managing the tensions resulting from conflict or natural disasters.

In most cases, he said, the Resident Coordinator was also the Humanitarian Coordinator, as well as the Deputy to the Secretary-General’s Special Representative. The Resident Coordinator System as a whole was improving in terms of the cadre’s professionalism, the judiciousness of selecting candidates and the use of substantive tools such as the CCA and UNDAF, which brought the country team together and helped ensure substantive coherence across the programmes of individual funds, programmes and agencies. There were policy issues to pursue and problems to overcome. However, new measures were continually being explored. For example, a two-week meeting of a selected “Operations Group” of UNDP Resident Representatives/Resident Coordinators had led to increased responsiveness in the field.

Question and Answer Segment

In response to a question on overlapping work, the value of “plus-five” follow-up conferences, and high-level participation in such conferences, Ms. BELLAMY, Executive Director of UNICEF, said programme coherence was created by UNDAF in collaboration with governments. The special session on children would not be a “plus-five” review but rather a “ten-years-on” event. The purpose of high-level participation was to get commitments from governments. Perhaps there were too many meetings but everyone recognized that there would not be high- level representation at them all.

Ms. BERTINI, Director of WFP, said the 1995 Beijing conference on women had been the most important for her agency, because in preparation, WFP had held its own review of its earlier approaches to conferences. As a result, it had clarified the central role of women in feeding the world’s people and had changed its focus to the role of women in ending hunger.

Mr. DIABRE, Associate Administrator of UNDP, said the starting point of development organization was to translate the agency and the government programmes into a common approach. The role of the United Nations agencies was to recognize central needs and focus on them. For example, if poverty eradication was the primary focus for a country, the question at the end of the day was whether a working document served as a blueprint for development. The United Nations agency roles were complementary to the work done by the overall system and by the Bretton Woods institutions.

KERSTYN TYRONE, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, said the conferences and plus-fives were pivotal for an agency’s work. While conference recommendations might not have been fully implemented, the plus-fives showed up the areas needing readjustment to achieve the goals.

A comment was made regarding competition between UNDAF and the Comprehensive Development Framework, followed by a suggestion that the Bretton Woods institutions be more involved even through programme implementation. There was another question regarding views on the obstacles standing in the way of joint programming and what could be done to overcome them.

Ms. BELLAMY, responding to a question raised this morning on the issue of joint programming, said that had been raised earlier today on the Development Group agenda.

A number of other questions were also asked this morning. What, for example, were the efforts being made by the Development Group to encourage the specialized agencies to become involved in its work –- specifically with regard to the field presence of entities such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the FAO? What efforts should be made to bring those organizations more into the work of the Development Group? Representatives of the four agencies were also asked to comment on the idea of UNDAF becoming the joint programming process of the United Nations.

Ms. BERTINI said the Secretary-General had created the Group as a way for him to manage the bodies that reported to him. The specialized agencies, however, would be happy to say that they were independent. They were neither within the span of the United Nations, nor were they under its strict control. To put them under the management of the Secretary-General would be asking them to give up their independence. In 1997, the Secretary-General had recommended a review of the specialized agencies, but no one had taken him up on that.

Mr. DIABRE said that at country level it was about agencies assisting countries, while those bodies kept their sovereignty and independence.

Ms. BELLAMY said that at the country level it was often a mixed picture. While there was participation of all the funds and programmes, that was not always the case with the specialized agencies. The agencies did not have the same authority as funds and programmes to force something to occur. The core of the Development Group were those same funds and programmes which fell directly under the Secretary-General.

Another question raised concerned coordination and synergies among agencies. The issue of the funding situation of the UNDP was also mentioned.

Ms. BELLAMY said the four executive committees were basically created as administrative instruments of the Secretary-General to “bring all the little chickens together” for them to work better. The respective boards of the agencies made policies and set directions.

Mr. DIABRE said a high-level ministerial meeting was planned for 11 September to address, among other issues, funding for the UNDP, where the agency was and where it was going. Questions were asked about coordination and implementation of information technologies. Also, what was the role of agencies in implementing conference objectives and in increasing core resources? How many agencies actually attended Development Group meetings?

Ms. BELLAMY said she had been to a Development Group meeting in the morning and the representation had been broad. All the funds and programmes were reaching out and trying to participate with each other. The degree of participation was evident at different levels from country to country, but it was notable system-wide.

Dr. SADIK said all agencies were increasingly encouraged to participate in coordination processes starting with Resident Coordinators. The important point was to work together, yet keep the programme’s discrete elements in focus.

Ms. BERTINI said the United Nations Development Group was a management tool created by the Secretary-General. Its importance lay in the fact that it worked. Involvement was not mandatory and no penalty was imposed for not participating.

Was there a bottom-up approach to coordination in the field? the speakers were asked. Also, had there actually been a decrease in core funding? Was the core fund or the non-core category of funding more important to the funds and programmes?

Dr. SADIK said there was an increasingly marked bottom-up approach to programming in the field. The field identified the core and thematic issues for a country. Increasingly, working groups were being established. The amount of time spent in coordination work had increased tremendously in the field. In many cases, on a country level, it was important to assess the value of participating in coordination programmes. With regard to funding, she said she could not say whether core or non-core funding was more important. “They’re all important. I wouldn’t want to cut off any resources, core or non-core”, she said.

Ms. BERTINI said the number of field managers had increased recently, which had improved the capacity for responding to needs. Decentralization and delegation of decision-making were improving field performance and flexibility. In WFP’s case, the Board approved funding for development work, but not for disbursement in emergency situations. There was, therefore, more flexibility in using specific donor funding for those activities.

Mr. DIABRE said there was clearly a decline in core resources. If it came down to choosing between core and non-core resources, the former would be chosen. People often took it for granted that non-core was the second way for a country to contribute if it was reluctant to contribute to core resources. The pertinent question was who was providing non-core resources.

Ms. BELLAMY said the pilot projects around UNDAF and the CCA were learning experiences that helped shape the guidelines for the procedures that ended up being put in place. She said core resources created the greatest efficiency. Moreover, they were firmly anchored in the priorities of the country and were the basis of multilateralism. Without strong regular resources, the efficient and effective multilateral use of non-core resources could not be achieved.

Ms. BERTINI said investments were not only about money, but also about time put in.

NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said the Development Group was a management body. Each of its members had an individual governing structure to which it was accountable. The Group's work was derived from mandates, intergovernmental processes and the Triennial Policy Review. The Review was the principal instrument for providing policy guidelines.

He said that today it was increasingly accepted that development cooperation should be guided by the goals of major conferences. Yet the sad fact was that the availability of resources to implement programmes had not kept pace with commitments and in many instances had decreased.

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