KATHMANDU, Nepal, June 3 (IPS) – Few people deny the great role of the United Nations in the global multilateral system, especially in the areas of poverty eradication, sustainability and climate change.
As the issuer of the 2030 Agenda, the UN system has the ability, out of its extraordinary convening power, to bring to the table global leaders and key stakeholders to make the most consequential decisions humanity has to make.
Its agencies and programs have made a difference, lifting millions out of poverty.
However, at the same time it is certain that the system is too complex and fragmented with so much overlap and duplication that often makes its job, using a development jargon, not much “value for money”.
Without a complete overhaul that could revolutionize governance and shut down many of its operations around the world, including the consolidation of many of its agencies and programs, there is a continuous efforts to reform the system from within.
Realizing the urgency of the improvements but being unable to make this drastic change needed, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is doing what he can.
The focus is on better cooperation and coordination among agencies and programs around the world which, although not as ambitious as the situation calls for, is still a huge undertaking entrusted to the Deputy Secretary-General. United Nations Amina J. Mohammed.
Based on Resolution 75/233, as amended on December 21, 2020, Comprehensive four-year policy review of operational activities for developing the United Nations systemthis is the official name of the ongoing efforts, which are trying to create a new working culture within the UN.
Such a change is urgently needed. The focus will be on ensuring a “new generation of UN country groups working more collaboratively and under a clearer division of labor, promoting greater alignment with the needs and priorities of the United Nations.” nation”.
Some major progress updates are being made, the so-called Report of the President of UNSDG on the Office of Development Coordination and the Secretary-General’s Report on Implementation of General Assembly resolution 75/233 on a comprehensive policy review every four years of operational activities for the development of the United Nations systemis giving some perspective on what has been achieved and what is lacking.
At the heart of this broad reform is the reinstatement of the UN Resident Coordinator’s role, now in their full-time positions and no longer tied to the work of the UNDP Representative.
The idea is to activate and empower a “primus inter pares” figure, a person with authority to oversee and oversee the work being done by each agency and program whose work, up to Now, has been notoriously uncoordinated.
As a result, planning mechanisms such as the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, UNDAF, a planning matrix that lists all the contributions of each UN entity in a given country, have been transformed into a more powerful tool, the National Cooperation Framework.
The change of name from “support” to “cooperation” is symbolic of the different role the UN system plays: a promoter and promoter rather than a static, top-down partner. “bossy”.
There is also a new joint assessment, the United Nations Joint Country Analysis (CCA), “an integrated, forward-looking and evidence-based analysis of the country context for sustainable development.” .
Resident Coordinators now have an independent structure that supports their duties, including various advisors, economists, data specialists and, very importantly, partnerships and experts the media.
Technically, their work also anticipates “assisting governments in mobilizing finance for the sustainable development goals”, as they will “focus on innovative SDG financing approaches”. created with the Government and key partners”.
The ambitious goal is to make the Resident Coordinator a connector and to some extent a “fund-maker” for the local governments they are supporting.
With the new Accountability Framework in place, the shared vision is evident, despite being as much requested but as difficult to achieve as possible: to create a “way forward for the system to work collaboratively under strong leadership”. strong and fair, building on the strengths of each entity but moving away from the ‘lowest common denominator’ that prevailed in previous architectures”.
The new approach is based on “the much-needed dual reporting model, where, at least on paper, the Resident Coordinator has the role of overseeing and evaluating the work of individual agency/programme heads.” program and the head of the agency/program later will also take on the job of Resident Coordinator.
Such a system, which is not revolutionary, has never been introduced earlier, clearly shows the significant inefficiencies and lack of coordination that have plagued the UN System for decades.
Having a stronger coordination system in place would make complete sense, especially if the Empowering Resident Coordinator, which, positively, is currently 53% women, could really scale the pool of resources. joint support, bringing together different agencies and programs.
It happened but it would really be a game changer if most of the UN-supported programs were to be implemented through this method.
In this regard, the SDG General Fund, “an integrated inter-agency mechanism for integrated policy support and strategic financing that acts as a bridge,” could be promising and if fully accepted. absolutely, will be truly transformative.
Mechanisms such as the SDG General Fund should become the standard practice at the national level with more and more power concentrated in the Resident Coordinator’s Office.
Such a development would mean that agencies and programs in the country offices would be much leaner because otherwise the risk would be to create a different coordination structure without simplifying and “cutting down”. “system in the field.
The scale of work to be done in this reform is still enormous.
An internal survey, part of SG General’s official report, is symbolic.
Responding to “to what extent have the following measures improved the UN Country Team for the country in the past year”, among respondents, there is still a significant proportion indicating that so far only there is a “moderate change”.
There is therefore not only a risk that the well-intentioned reforms being pursued will simply fail to meet the demands of the enormous change that the United Nations must achieve, but also that it will take a great deal of time and energy to bring about. yield even minimal change at the national level. .
Furthermore, a stronger and better UN system in practice also means that the UN can do a much better job of engaging and working with people and civil society.
Being tasked with working with and supporting national governments does not mean that, as has happened so far, the United Nations has always isolated itself from society.
You will always read about encryption measures it seems that the United Nations is always open to cooperation and is always working to reach ordinary people but the reality is very different.
All of this means one thing: the revamped offices of the Resident Coordinators have a huge role to play in creating a transformation in thinking and working culture within the UN.
The report of the Secretary-General could not have been more clear in this respect.
“We must continue to work to ensure that reform of the United Nations development system brings about changes in behavior, culture and mindset that can maximize the collective offer of the United Nations. nation”.
The author, is the Co-Founder of ENGAGE, a non-profit organization in Nepal. He writes about volunteering, social inclusion, youth development, and regional integration as a driving force to improve people’s lives.
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© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
