Economic and Social Council

2010 Substantive Session

27^th & 28^th Meetings (AM & PM)

United Nations Aligning Development Assistance with National Plans, amid Growing

Demand for Services, Economic and Social Council Hears in Interactive Meeting

Panel on United Nations Country-Level Teams Scrutinizes

Organization’s Capacity to Respond to Domestic Development Needs

The demands of least-developed, developing and middle-income countries required a broad mix of capacities from the United Nations, and the Organization had to evolve in its response to such new and unique needs, national policymakers stressed today as the Economic and Social Council weighed efforts to improve overall development cooperation.

Launching the Council’s operational activities segment, to run through 13 July, Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said the Council was breaking new ground this year by including a larger number of ministers and organizational leaders in its deliberations.

In terms of progress, the United Nations had offered unique support to national needs and better aligned development assistance with national strategies, he said.  But, there was still a need to rebuild capacity within several United Nations agencies, especially non-resident agencies, to meet the growing demand for services.  Inter-agency staff mobility also must be improved.  Urging delegates to be aware of all the ways to look at resources, he said:  “the only way to move ahead with success is to learn from data and research collected from past work”.

Against that backdrop, the Council’s full programme featured an interactive plenary meeting on national ownership, leadership and capacity-building; a panel discussion on country-level capacity, which examined the expertise of United Nations country teams in responding to country needs; and a special panel presentation on the outcome of the High-level Tripartite Conference on Delivering as One, held in Viet Nam, from 12 to 16 June.

During the interactive plenary, panellists, led by Solita Monsod, Professor of Economics and former Secretary for Socio-Economic Planning of the Philippines, briefed the Council on an expert meeting, held yesterday, about ownership, leadership and capacity-building in the development process.  Ms. Monsod said that during the day-long event, “demanders and suppliers” of development cooperation discussed how well the United Nations had provided development cooperation and supported national capacities to enable Government leadership.

In the ensuing dialogue, questions centred on the United Nations role in ensuring national ownership and leadership, with some stressing that, to deal with what was at times ineffective programming, the Organization must promote information sharing in its operational activities at the country level.  Others pointed out that alternative ways of implementing and applying assistance on the ground had not been explored.  Realities differed by country, and States should not confine themselves to one way of doing things.  Still other speakers, noting that financing often came with conditionalities, said there was no room for such constraints if countries were to truly own their development processes.

In the Council’s afternoon panel on country-level capacity, panellists — from United Nations agencies, country teams and recipient countries alike — discussed how well the Organization was responding to country needs.  In Viet Nam, the United Nations country team was making changes to ensure a high-level response in a nation quickly approaching middle-income status, said John Hendra, Resident Coordinator for Viet Nam.  The team was moving from themed groups to coordination groups, and jointly examining with the Government the results achieved through the “Delivering as One” approach.  It also had consolidated communications work from five agencies into one team that addressed multiple issues.

Indeed, the United Nations must be nimble in responding to constantly changing environments, delegates stressed in the discussion that followed.  There was no denying that country teams added value at the local level, some speakers said, but they wished to see more from the United Nations system as a whole.  The role of resident coordinators in particular should be strengthened.  They should be able to adapt their work to quickly changing needs, particularly with regard to climate change, to better meet country expectations.

Giving an overview of the High-level Tripartite Conference on Delivering as One, Council Vice-President Alexandru Cujba, of the Republic of Moldova, said that, with the “Delivering as One” process entering its fourth year, the meeting had offered a chance to share information and consider country-led evaluations.  In the coming year, the General Assembly would conduct a major independent evaluation of “Delivering as One” programmes, under the auspices of an Evaluation Management Group.  The findings would be made available in time for the Assembly’s subsequent review of the Organization’s operational activities.

Mr. Cujba also delivered opening remarks for the operational activities segment.

The Economic and Social Council will reconvene at 10 a.m. Monday, 12 July, to continue its operational activities segment.

Background

The Economic and Social Council met today to begin its operational activities segment, to run through 13 July, which will focus on “follow-up to policy recommendations of the General Assembly and the Council”, providing an opportunity to orient preparations for the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR).

Opening Remarks

Opening the segment, Council Vice-President ALEXANDRU CUJBA, of the Republic of Moldova, noting that the United Nations raison d’être was to help people rise out of poverty and travel along the development path, said the Council had the responsibility to ensure that the Organization delivered assistance in the most coordinated and effective way.  Indeed, delegates had reflected on how to reduce overlap in the United Nations system, and progress had been made, notably by the General Assembly, on system-wide coherence.  As Council Vice-President, he was determined to ensure that the 54-member body discharged its tasks in that regard.

He said that processes had been engaged to improve funding of various United Nations organizations, adding that the Council now gathered to determine how well the United Nations had improved its development cooperation.  The 2007 Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR) had provided direction for the United Nations development system to respond efficiently to the widely varying development needs of programme countries.  Towards that goal, the Organization had exerted much effort to follow-up those recommendations.  This year, the Council’s discussions were characterized by a larger-than-usual number of development ministers.  Welcoming them, he said he looked forward to hearing their views on United Nations development cooperation.

Introduction of Reports

SHA ZUKANG, Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said the Council was breaking new ground this year by including a larger number of ministers and organizational leaders in its deliberations.  The operational activities segment was aimed at improving governance, as a direct response to the Secretary-General’s recommendations.  He was encouraged by heightened focus on development issues ahead of the upcoming Millennium Development Goals summit.  “We need your support as we drive momentum for the September summits and for reaching the Goals by the 2015 deadline.”

He briefly introduced four reports of the Secretary-General, the first of which presented overall progress made in implementing General Assembly resolution 62/208 on the review of operational activities for development (document E/2010/70).  The United Nations system had offered unique support to national needs and had made progress in mainstreaming South-South cooperation by aligning its development assistance framework with national strategies.  Despite that progress, there was still a need to rebuild capacity within several United Nations agencies, especially non-resident agencies, to meet the increasing demand for services.  In addition, there was a need to improve inter-agency staff mobility.

The second report provided a detailed description of the resident coordinator system, including costs and benefits (document E/2010/53), highlighting improved coherence in country programming and a strengthening of United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) mechanisms.  The system’s capacity to further coordinate programmes was strained, and the issue needed redress, he said.

A third report, which covered actions taken by executive boards and governing bodies of United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies to simplify and harmonize the development system (document E/2010/52), underscored significant developments, which had direct impacts at the country level.  Information provided in the report stressed the importance of reforming management practices in ensuring effective programming.

The fourth and final report, he said, tracked trends in funding of the United Nations development system.  Total contributions received in 2008 had increased by 10 per cent since 2007, resulting in the highest amount of funding:  $22.2 billion.  On the other hand, the Organization continued to rely on a “very narrow donor base”, with half of its core budget funded by only 10 countries.  Between 1993 and 2008, imbalances between core and non-core funds had increased significantly.  Non-core funds were earmarked for specific activities, which fragmented resource flows and created inefficiencies in terms of transaction costs.  There was, therefore, a need to look more closely at non-core funds and develop new mechanisms to use them more efficiently.

In closing, he said delegations must be aware of all ways to look at available resources.  The Secretary-General’s reports provided rich sources of information to support the Council’s deliberation, citing examples of what had worked well and highlighting challenges ahead.  “The only way to move ahead with success is to learn from data and research collected from past work,” he stressed.

Interactive Plenary

Starting the interactive plenary on national ownership and leadership, and capacity development, Vice-President CUJBA recalled that, yesterday, an expert round table had been held on the theme of “national ownership and leadership, and capacity development” as a prelude to the official programme.  That new format represented a change for the Council, in response to efforts to enhance the governance of operational activities for development, as reflected in the recent General Assembly decision on system-wide coherence.  The Assembly had requested that intergovernmental bodies consider measures to facilitate the participation of national policy makers in developing countries in the operational activities segment and regular segments of the governing boards.

That format provided a way to invite direct inputs from national authorities towards the comprehensive review of operational activities for development, slated for 2012, he said.  The theme chosen for the expert round table was based on the core principles of operational activities for development.  The dimensions of those three core principles — national ownership, leadership and capacity development — were difficult to measure and report, both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Moderating the interactive plenary was SOLITA MONSOD, Professor of Economics and former Secretary for Socio-Economic Planning of the Philippines, who briefed the Council on yesterday’s expert meeting, a “lively and rich exchange” by experts from seven countries and audience members.  Indeed, it was a very good interaction between the “demanders and suppliers” of development cooperation, which sought to determine how well the United Nations provided development cooperation and supported national capacities to enable Governments to have greater leadership in the development process.

Discussion was made richer by the variety of country contexts, which included countries in transition, those that had taken a “Delivering as One” approach and those that had graduated as Middle-Income Countries, she continued.  During the day, Guatemala, Tajikistan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Viet Nam shared experiences on the theme of national leadership, while, in the afternoon, Ethiopia, Peru and Nepal focused on capacity development.

Briefing the Council on yesterday morning’s discussion on national ownership, SERVACIUS B. LIKWELILE, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs of the United Republic of Tanzania, said there had been recognition that the United Nations was a trusted partner.  The Organization also had helped countries develop national capacities for development planning.  In that context, he noted the changing demand for external assistance, saying that in countries moving to middle-income status, aid was starting to decline in volume.  As such, the United Nations role had changed.  Its role was to support coordination of external assistance; provide more policy and technical advice; promote South-South cooperation; and ensure the sustainability of project results.

With that in mind, he said the United Nations could be more strategic by supporting the “triggers” of development.  It played an important part in institutionalizing human rights standards to secure the gains from peace, and it must respond more flexibly to fast-evolving needs.  On national leadership, capacity was key.  In countries that had adopted a “Delivering as One” approach, it was important for Governments to act as one in supporting reforms, both at national or sub-national levels.  That process must also involve civil society and the private sector.

Among the challenges, he said the United Nations, in some countries, had problems fully integrating its activities into multi-agency programmes.  As a result, the Organization could be marginalized in major programmes where donors had provided support.  It must define its comparative advantage and better mobilize its wider normative capacities.  On “Delivering as One”, the United Nations entities must have clear guidance from Headquarters on institutionalizing changes gleaned from lessons learned.  For their part, programme countries needed a more balanced framework for programming assistance.  Finally, he said the United Nations must address the tendency to implement complex procedures that made development cooperation “burdensome”.

AHMED SHIDE, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development of Ethiopia, said discussions yesterday afternoon had focused on how the United Nations development system contributed to national capacity development and enabled better national ownership and leadership.  There was broad agreement that there had been a major shift and that the system had become more demand-driven in providing capacity development support.  Some participating delegations had also stressed that their respective frameworks for national capacity development were, indeed, nationally driven.

He said it had been made clear that the United Nations system was expected to contribute within that framework and that it had made unique contributions in supporting capacity development through offering policy advice on social and human development and sharing best practices.  The system’s neutral stance and ability to support mechanisms at the local level were comparative advantages, and it could serve as a catalyst for attracting resources from bilateral donors.

Speakers had highlighted examples of United Nations efforts which supported the strengthening of national capacities for oversight of development processes, he said.  Those examples had included poverty monitoring with the disaggregation of poverty statistics, external aid management and coordination, and the use of national monitoring and evaluation systems, including the elaboration of national surveys.  The United Nations had a particularly important role to play within post-conflict situations and should address the underlying causes of conflict by supporting social inclusion and justice.  Issues and challenges remained, including using and aligning UNDAF with national delivery systems.  While the use of external expertise often facilitated high-quality results, national and local expertise were more sustainable in the long run and, thus, development capacities should be retained.

He urged the United Nations system to give greater prominence to adaptive technologies in its future Development Assistance Framework and to strengthen local capacities in science and technology.  The system, in some countries, had very limited funding resources, and even earmarked funding posed difficulties for prioritizing needs.  Lastly, there was a need for clear policy commitment from Headquarters to mobilize resources towards increased policy advice.

When the floor was opened for comments, speakers noted that national ownership and leadership was very important for development activities and efficiency.  Belgium’s representative, on behalf of the European Union, said national ownership was crucial for sustainable development, stressing that national strategies should be based on national priorities.  A number of challenges remained; however, the “Delivering as One” pilot countries were a good example of the progress that can be reached, he said.

Furthermore, he underscored the need for broad-based national ownership, which would include parliaments and civil society, to strengthen accountability to the people.  Women’s participation in management and decision-making was an essential factor for success, so special attention should be given to including them in capacity strengthening programmes.

Cuba’s representative pointed out that alternate ways of implementing and applying assistance on the ground had not been explored.  Realities differed by country, so the Council should not confine itself to a single operating method.  The term “national ownership” provided for specific modalities regarding actions in the field which were “simply counter-productive”, he said, urging donors to consider national situations and take them to heart.

With regard to the use of external consultants for capacity development, he asked the panellists if such assistance should be imposed or chosen.  Morocco’s representative asked whether the “Delivering as One” programme had limited or strengthened national ownership.

Mr. SHIDE said it was a national choice to seek external assistance, including the use of external consultants.  If local capacities were lacking, the Government could choose to seek technical assistance.  However, particular consultants should not be imposed.  Ethiopia, considered to be a self-starter country within the “Delivering as One” programme, had seen a positive correlation between the programme and its national leadership, as shown through improvements in its development and coordination.

Mr. LIKWELILE added that, while the decision to seek external assistance was always a national one, countries should consider available partnerships and make use of offered assistance, if needed.  With regard to “Delivering as One”, he said the United Republic of Tanzania had previously made progress in developing its national capacities.  The programme, which involved convergence and the sharing of best practices, strengthened and supported national progress, practices, and delivery.

In several more rounds of comments and questions, delegations outlined the ways they were better aligning their programmes with the Paris and Accra Declarations and principles, which were geared towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, as well as with the national priorities of partner countries.  Some emphasized that broad-based national ownership included all stakeholders, including in the private sector and civil society.  That dynamic also applied to capacity development.  Others cautioned against managing South-South cooperation under a single assistance model, as countries had different priorities and needs.

Israel’s delegate said his Government was changing its programmes to be demand-, rather than supply-driven, which took more time.  Also, it was often difficult to find a place in national programmes, as well as those of the United Nations.  He asked for guidance on how to better integrate the “Delivering as One” approach with other donor countries.

To that query, Mr. LIKWELILE said a national policy dialogue structure in his country accommodated all development players, including the private sector and faith-based organizations.

Other questions centred on the United Nations key role in ensuring national ownership and leadership.  In that context, Brazil’s delegate stressed that a lack of national capacity to own and lead programmes often led to ineffective programming.  To deal with that, the United Nations must increase system-wide capacity and promote information-sharing in its operational activities at the country level.  At Headquarters, States must ensure national ownership of development policies and address realities on the ground in line with the principles set for such activities.

Many speakers pointed out that development financing often was accompanied by conditionalities and stressed there was no room for such constraints, especially if national leadership and ownership were to take root.  Governments were the most legitimate actors in defining national priorities, with civil society playing a role in the design of development policies.

Amid those comments, Ms. MONSOD asked panellists whether it was possible that conditionalities were being imposed because national ownership was not clear.  If so, how could that be corrected?  In some developing countries, there was a question as to whether governance really benefited people.  That raised the possibility that a plan might not really be nationally owned; rather, it might only be Government owned.

Responding, Mr. SHIDE said conditionalities should not be the rule of the game for development cooperation.  Ethiopia’s development was based on its own vision of change, and partners helped in achieving that result.  Ethiopia had never had conditionalities imposed on it and, thus far, was on a good course.  The country’s development strategy was an inclusive process, in which district governments and civil society took part.

Adding to that, Mr. LIKWELILE said general budget support was the preferred modality for receiving support from partners.  There were always chances that donors would say they would no longer use that channel.  Should that situation arise, there indeed would be a role for the United Nations to enter in an amicus curiae manner.  Dialogue was often used to address such issues, as that led to concrete deliverables and indicators.  Above all, the point was to strengthen leadership and ownership.

To a question about whether the time had come to adapt United Nations assistance frameworks to new realities on the ground, Mr. LIKWELILE said “we move with the times”.

Adding to that, LUCIEN BACK, Office for Coordination and Support of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said that there had been ongoing attempts to refine tools for assessing country needs and priorities, to make the United Nations Development Assistance Framework more responsive to those needs.  “It is still work in progress,” he said, noting that the frameworks were often similar in some countries.  There was room for improvement in terms of paying attention to a country’s specific needs.

Also participating in the interactive discussion were representatives of Cuba, Belarus, Kenya, China and Viet Nam.

Ms. MONSOD, summarizing what she called a “lively exchange”, said that speakers had reaffirmed the importance of broad-based national ownership, noting that it should include all stakeholders.  Moreover, that ownership could also be applied to capacity development and to supporting the participation of civil society, particularly women.

She noted that some speakers had stressed that there was no room for single modalities; they had urged States not to confine themselves to one way of doing things.  One speaker had recalled that the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness was not a United Nations document, but merely signed by some Member States.  Questions had arisen about the impact of national ownership and leadership in the “Delivering as One” approach, as well as the relationship between donor and recipient countries.

Addressing another “controversial” issue, several speakers had stressed that policy conditionality should be avoided at all costs.  One had even described such impositions as “brutal pressures”, and had suggested the creation of new forms of assistance to fix perceived flaws, which conditionalities were developed to overcome.

Many speakers had raised the issue of dialogue structures and had agreed on the need to develop specific “quiet times” wherein development missions should not be allowed in.  The question of how to effectively bring other stakeholders into capacity development was a critical one, as some speakers felt Governments were the “end-all, be-all”, while others felt the process should be more inclusive.

Panel

Moderated by Nikhil Seth, Director of the Office of Economic and Social Council support and Coordination in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the panel on country-level capacity and United Nations response to country needs featured presentations by:  Farrukh Hamraliev, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan; Carlos Pando Sánchez, Director of the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation of Peru; Richard Kennedy, Deputy Representative of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); John Hendra, United Nations Resident Coordinator of Viet Nam; and Nicholas Rosellini, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

Opening the panel, Council Vice-President CUJBA, of the Republic of Moldova, said today’s discussion was timely, as with the preparation of new United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks in 2010 and 2011, the United Nations had to provide highly professional support to States, attuned to their national priorities.  At the same time, the demands of programme countries differed greatly, and the Organization could be called on to extend support in areas including poverty and inequality, food security and developing trade policies.  With such a broad range of challenges, it was not surprising that the United Nations must draw from its capacities at all levels.

Launching the discussion, Mr. SETH said volatility and vulnerability had become the “new normal”, especially as related to natural disasters, armed conflict, food and energy, and the unprecedented movement of people seen over the past five years.  No one magic formula could be applied to all countries.  Indeed, small island developing States had their own problems, while middle-income countries faced issues of “debt overhang”.  Landlocked countries were challenged to find access to ports.  Amid such issues, the knowledge base and custodianship of knowledge had been democratized as never before.  The private sector, civil society, think tanks and consultancies had created a competitive environment in which the United Nations must function.

As such, the United Nations must be nimble in responding to constantly changing environments, which sometimes resulted from exogenous shocks, he said.  The Organization must be at the cutting edge of knowledge, expertise and advice.  Questions centred on how the United Nations could adapt through more flexible human resource capacities.  How could countries better access the United Nations normative capacities and, in turn, how could United Nations country teams better address gender equality and women’s empowerment?  The overall context for the Council’s operational activities segment was the General Assembly’s comprehensive policy review and the more general need to improve the United Nations impact at the country level.

Speaking first, Mr. HAMRALIEV said Tajikistan had been among the first countries to define its national priorities according to the Millennium Development Goals.  In that work, United Nations agencies had helped to achieve national development strategies.  Since 2008, they had conducted field projects and enhanced performance through the appointment of experienced staff that employed new policies and strategies.  Some 687 people had been contracted, including 42 international specialists.  In 2009, the number of United Nations agencies in Tajikistan had increased from 15 to 19, which had led to a 27 per cent increase in country programmes.  Also, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Tajikistan for the 2010-2015 period had been signed.

Among its other activities in 2009, the United Nations had conducted 18 exploratory missions to examine environment, energy and employment issues, some of which had resulted in blueprints for implementation, he said.  Humanitarian assistance appeals had been launched, which responded to the urgent needs of 1.5 million people.  Nine target districts also had been helped in finalizing development plans formulated through a new policy of “participatory planning”.  The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had been instrumental in mobilizing resources for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and had mobilized $47.6 million for the country’s acute health needs, with about $9 million delivered in 2009 to combat those diseases.

In work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, he noted that 150 women would receive leadership training, another 150 women were receiving income-generating skills, and some 270 women entrepreneurs were being trained in business planning and fundraising, among other things, through the Rural Women’s Empowerment Project for Central Asia.  Overall, he urged strengthening the United Nations coherence at the country-level in the areas of environment, regional economy and trade, gender, reforestation, water conservation, alternative energy, health, education, disaster preparedness and human rights.

Mr. SÁNCHEZ said Peru had begun an aggressive process of decentralization to ensure that resources were mobilized to regional areas.  National priorities and strategies ran parallel to those on the international agenda, and his country was working to become more accountable to its citizens ahead of 2021, when it would celebrate its national bicentennial.  In that regard, his Government was taking measures to develop a social protection network to assist people at risk, ensure universal access to drinking water and basic sanitation, eliminate discrimination, improve health care and education, and become a transparent and effective State.

He said that Peru was also focused on promoting national competitiveness, ensuring decent jobs for all, developing within the areas of science and technology, and enabling greater access to markets.  United Nations cooperation with the country was based on a framework designed in 2005, he said, noting that an UNDAF mechanism for 2006-2011 was being formulated around regional, local and central efforts.  That mechanism emphasized the country’s goals of developing capacities, providing social and economic advantages to excluded groups, and further strengthening economic governance.

United Nations agencies, such as UNDP and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), were cooperating with his country, and synergies at the national, regional and subregional levels had produced good results.  Technical assistance offered by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to Peru’s labour ministry, in addition to the active participation of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in implementing development projects were the most significant examples of cooperation.

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Peru was classified as a middle- or high-income country, he said.  Therefore, international cooperation was crucial to his country’s achievement of its objectives.  A special working group, selected by the regional coordinator, had defined priorities for the country, and an agenda for several programmes had been designed in cooperation with that group.  While Peru received a lot of international assistance, it also provided international and technical assistance, and had developed its first catalogue of offers for such initiatives.

Mr. HENDRA, who presented from the perspective of the United Nations country team in Viet Nam, said that, in general, United Nations country teams had key expertise and were responsive to national needs.  But experience from the “Delivering as One” initiative had shown that reform was needed to enhance overall effectiveness.  The skill mix must also ensure the relevance of the United Nations response and fulfilment of its substantive potential.  Moreover, it was important, given the cross-cutting nature of issues such as climate change and demographics, to respond in a more policy-oriented fashion.

In that context, he noted the need to better articulate the vision and to draw on the assets of the United Nations system.  In Viet Nam, that meant moving from “theme” groups to “coordination” groups, and jointly examining, with the Government, results achieved through a “one plan” approach.  New programme coordination groups were moving towards policy advice to devise a more integrated response to multidimensional issues.  Country-led evaluations had helped to focus on outcomes and accountability.  “We’re much more accountable as a United Nations team working with the Government to achieve the overall results of one plan,” he said.

Also, there had been a shift from agency-based service delivery to coordinated policy advice, he said.  A new staff profile had brought in new policy advisers on governance, climate change and macroeconomic policy issues.  To speak with one voice, the communications of five agencies had been consolidated into one team.  That had allowed for more dialogue with the Government and was seen as a bold way to make institutional change.  Among the challenges was to find ways to maximize the policy role through high-level advice.  There also was a need to move quickly in re-profiling the staff, shifting it from programme management to policy advice.

In the area of gender, the country team was trying to maximize its substantive role to have greater impact, he said, and it was important to “walk the talk”.  The team had conducted a gender audit of its 16 agencies in Viet Nam, which had led to a gender strategy that instilled a sense of accountability in addressing gender issues.  In sum, the United Nations had the capacity to respond, but in working with a country like Viet Nam, which was moving towards middle-income status, the question was: did it have enough?  For the past four years, the team had been working to change its approach to ensure it did.

Next, Mr. KENNEDY said the efforts of a wide range of United Nations agencies and bodies had resulted in broader coordination and improved policy guidance.  “We’ve all learned that we need to change the way business is done,” he said, noting that the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) had updated its human resources planning and procedures and had adopted a new field policy that ensured that Headquarters-level staff were rotated into the field on a more regular basis.  That agency was also delegating much more authority to the field, including in areas such as hiring and resources distribution.  Since UNIDO had a field presence in relatively few countries, it had placed its experts in the Resident Coordinators’ offices of the UNDP in programme countries.  That meant that whenever UNIDO expertise was needed, there was always someone handy.

The final panellist, Mr. ROSELLINI, focused on country capacities and regional demands of programme countries.  He said the United Nations Development Group in the Asia-Pacific was a relatively new creation.  It had been up and running for about 18 months and included the participation of some 18 United Nations agencies and funds, as well as the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).  Its functions included technical support to country teams; trouble shooting in difficult country situations, including in areas such as dispute resolution; and working with the Resident Coordinator and the country team on oversight and performance management.

Providing some key findings from “Delivering as One” pilot countries, he said that the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) had seen that the need for a mix of interventions — policy advice, programmes, and finance — was the same in all countries, irrespective of context.  It had also heard calls for the United Nations development system to come up with its own capacity to respond to the increasing demand to focus on upstream technical and policy support.  The Development Group should also respond to the demands of programme countries by ensuring the creation of systems and tools for improved information and knowledge sharing.  All the technical resources of the United Nations system should be galvanized to help the countries of the Asia-Pacific achieve sustainable development.  “Capacity mapping” would help the Organization align its activities with the demands of programme countries.

In the ensuing discussion, speakers asked a number of questions on issues relating to United Nations country team staff and resident coordinators.  Brazil’s representative noted that the success of the Organization’s capacity development efforts was directly linked to the quality of assistance provided to programme countries.  Human resources policies, then, must ensure that staff at country level possessed the necessary skills and expertise for effective work. 

The role of resident coordinators should be strengthened, he said, adding that they should be able to adapt work to meet the programme country’s needs.  Furthermore, Bangladesh’s representative stressed that it was important for country teams to realize that realities on the ground were changing fast.  New issues were arising, particularly with regard to climate change, so they should be prepared to meet country expectations.

Concerning United Nations agency roles and capacities on the ground, the United Kingdom’s delegate asked if patterns or trends had been seen in demands received by country and regional offices.  Were statistics being kept of such demands in terms of their origin and issues?

Responding to specific questions, Mr. ROSELLINI said that United Nations agencies at the regional level provided primary support for country teams.  With regard to the UNDP Regional Services Centre in Bangkok, demands received varied widely.  Most were cross-sectoral, focusing on issues such as rights-based approaches, gender, and capacity development, among other things.  The centre had a service tracker, which enabled it to follow the origin of the demands and allow country offices to provide feedback on service quality.

He added that South-South cooperation was a cornerstone of the way his Bureau conducted business.  It was important to focus on that cooperation and integrate it into the Bureau’s programmes, by cooperating with partners both inside and outside the region.  Knowledge sharing built strong linkages with institutions across the region, he said, noting that the Bureau planned to hold a knowledge fair in Bangkok in 2011.

Mr. KENNEDY said agencies must work to hire better people and also to ensure effective delivery from existing staff, in light of the difficulties in accessing funding.  UNIDO had made human resources its primary focus in the past three or four years, with special attention paid to field mobility.  The agency had recently revamped its policies and processes for hiring and staff succession, implementing a new young professionals programme, which would teach 12 young people about its activities and lead to future hiring.

Mr. HENDRA added that, in a global environment of increasing complexity, it was necessary to invest in substantive staff training in order to mobilize country teams to address issues.  There should also be a focus on choosing resident coordinators who reflected the skills and capacities of the agencies.

Also participating in the dialogue were representatives of Cuba and the United States.

Special Presentation

The Council wrapped up its work for the day with a special presentation on the outcome of the 14-16 June “High-Level Tripartite Conference on Delivering as One,” which had been hosted by the Government of Viet Nam and organized with the United Nations Country Team there.  The United Nations Development Operational Coordination Office and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs had also supported that event.

Moderated by Council Vice-President Cujba, the panel included Ho Quang Minh, Director General, Foreign Economic Relations Department; Dao Xuan Quang, Principal Officer, Foreign Economic Relations Department, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Viet Nam; and Servacius B. Likwelile, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Public Finance Management, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, United Republic of Tanzania.

Vice-President CUJBA said “Delivering as One” in pilot countries was one of the five focus areas of the General Assembly’s follow-up on system-wide coherence.  Last week, the Assembly had adopted a landmark resolution on that subject, which had contained a decision to establish “UN Women”, as well as to carry out several other measures aimed at enhancing the governance and funding of the operational activities of the United Nations development system.  That meeting followed similar events in Rwanda (2009) and Mozambique (2008), where representatives of those pilot countries had shared experiences and lessons learned from participating in the “Delivering as One” process towards a more coherent functioning United Nations system at the country level.

With that process now entering into its fourth year, the Viet Nam meeting had provided an opportunity for further information-sharing and consideration of country-led evaluations.  Presentations had been made by countries that had voluntarily adopted the approach.  In the coming year, the Assembly would conduct a major independent evaluation of “Delivering as One” programmes, under the auspices of an Evaluation Management Group. The finding of that evaluation would be made available in time for the Assembly’s subsequent review of the Organization’s operational activities.

Mr. QUANG reported on the outcome of the Hanoi conference, which featured 23 programme and volunteer countries, joined by 21 other Member States.  It had focused on the country-led evaluations on the “Delivering as One” process.  Notwithstanding the varying approaches taken, participants had noted some common findings.  They had adopted a “statement of outcome and the way forward”, which had compiled those findings and reaffirmed the relevance of the “Delivering as One” approach in helping middle-income countries address their development priorities.

He said the outcome had reiterated the call for streamlining the reporting process, and it had called for the full empowerment of United Nations Resident Coordinators to equip them with the capability and increased authority to carry out their important duties.  The outcome had also stressed that the “Delivering as One” process took into account national priorities and was in line with the understanding that there was no single development path or process.

The participants in Viet Nam had also reaffirmed the statement from the Rwanda meeting that “there is no going back to business as usual”; momentum should be maintained and the “Delivering as One” process must be strengthened so that programme countries could effectively tackle current and emerging challenges, he said.  Donors had been called on to provide predictable, multi-year resources in support of the “One Fund” initiative, which was vital to ensuring the coherence and coordination of United Nations development activities.  Finally, participants had welcomed the announcement by the Government of Guatemala that it would host the next intergovernmental meeting in 2011.

Mr. LIKWELILE said the Hanoi conference had reaffirmed the United Republic of Tanzania’s conviction that there was “no going back to business as usual”.  Highlighting key lessons and challenges of “Delivering as One”, he noted that the “One UN” Programmes were fully aligned with national goals and provided a substantial response to national priorities.

He said that the programmes had addressed critical gaps through joint programming, mutual accountability, empowered country team management, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and performance-based funding.  However, challenges remained with regard to ensuring strategic focus in areas where the Organization possessed a clear comparative advantage.  The “One Fund” had facilitated the United Nations improved programming, bringing about better management and enhanced compliance.  Moreover, coordinated resource mobilization through the Fund had reduced competition and fragmentation among United Nations agencies, he noted.

“The establishment of the resident coordinator system with a formally empowered One Leader is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of the One UN reform and the DaO (Delivering as One) approach,” he said.  The concept of “One Leader” was critical to strengthening the Organization’s coherence, effectiveness, and efficiency at the country level.  Without effective leadership by the Resident Coordinator and system-wide ownership of the Resident Coordinator system, incentives for better coordination remained limited.

With regard to the concept of “One Office”, he said that improved harmonization of business practices had increased returns for the Organization and host Governments, by ensuring that the United Nations system delivered more.  Harmonized procurement had reduced parallel processes and subsequent transaction costs, improving coordination and planning across the Organization and providing value for money through joint planning and purchasing.  Real progress in harmonizing practices in areas such as finance and human resources required critical changes to rules and procedures at Headquarters.

All pilot countries participating in “Delivering as One” agreed that development action plans and common country programmes should be developed in lieu of agency-specific plans, in order to further improve United Nations programme coherence.  Agencies must also simplify their reporting requirements by converting to a single report.  Donor country enthusiasm and belief in “Delivering as One” would only be maintained if donors saw evidence of the United Nations own commitment to the process and a comparative advantage in programme implementation.

In the brief discussion that followed, the representative of the United Kingdom was among those that backed the “Delivering as One” process as crucial to making the United Nations a better partner for Governments in meeting their development goals.  At the same time, she asked the panellists if there was more Member States could do at the Headquarters-level to bolster that initiative.  Other delegates stressed the need to strengthen the capacity of United Nations country teams and Resident Coordinators.

Responding, Mr. QUANG said one way to help would be to scale up resources for and raise awareness about the “One Fund” mechanism.  The Secretariat could also work harder to promote country leadership and donor coordination, and ensure that guidelines were clear, while keeping in mind the “no one size fits all” concept.  Coherence-related reforms could strengthen the Organization’s overall operational effectiveness.  In that context, two-way communication was important, especially to help programme countries carry out their own institutional and administrative reforms so “Delivering as One” priorities could be enacted.

Mr. LIKWELILE said the overall spirit of the “Delivering as One” movement was “let’s move forward”, with building capacities on the ground; with enhancing support towards that goal; with broader coordination; and with more predictable funding.  “Delivering as One” was working, and everyone involved wanted the initiative to flourish.

Also participating were the representatives of Belgium (on behalf of the European Union), Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania and Bangladesh.

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For information media • not an official record