“UNDG Toolkit” - Improved Functioning of the UN Development System at country level - – An overview of the “UNDG Toolkit” - UNDG Meeting, 30 January 2009

Why do we need the UNDG Toolkit? The UN General Assembly has formally approved some important measures to improve the functioning of the UN development system at country level: – “ Stresses that the purpose of reform is to make the United Nations development system more efficient and effective in its support to developing countries to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, on the basis of their national development strategies, and stresses also that reform efforts should enhance organizational efficiency and achieve concrete development results.” (TCPR 2007 A/Res/62/2008) – “ Recalls the potential of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework and its results matrix as the collective, coherent and integrated programming and monitoring framework for the operations of the United Nations development system at the country level, bringing increased opportunities for joint initiatives, including joint programming, and urges the United Nations development system to fully utilize such opportunities in the interest of enhancing aid efficiency and aid effectiveness” (TCPR 2007) – “Encourages the United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies, as appropriate and in consultation with programme countries, to further lower transaction costs…..” (TCPR 2007) – “Decides accordingly that the continuing and deepening intergovernmental work of the General Assembly on system-wide coherence will focus exclusively and in an integrated manner on “Delivering as one” at country and regional levels, harmonization of business practices, funding, governance, and gender equality and empowerment of women.” (GA resolution System-wide coherence, A/62/L.51) The UNDG Toolkit supports the practical implementation of the TCPR 2004 and 2007 resolutions for improved functioning of the UN development system at country level

3  Provide a comprehensive framework that can guide countries through the key steps necessary for creating a more coherent, effective and relevant UN and implementing the change effort successfully  Make tools available that can be used by countries on an à la carte basis – including activity plans & descriptions, templates, sample documents, etc. – drawn from a combination of existing tools, e.g., those used in the CCA/UNDAF process, and new tools  Help those supporting countries aiming to enhance coherence, effectiveness and relevance – successors to the Global Change Management Support Team – in their work in the future Objectives of the UNDG Toolkit

What's different in the UNDG Toolkit? 1.One integrated strategy, based on six work streams: 1.UNDAF (integrated UN Programme) 2.UN Business Operations: –Harmonized business practices and Common Services –Common Budgetary Framework –Joint Resource Mobilization –Common Premises –Joint Communications 2.Structured change activities to support the UNCT with the change effort to build a more coherent UN delivering programmes more efficiently and effectively

What's NOT different in the Toolkit? The UN Programme work stream uses existing UNDG approved UNDAF process and guidelines, supplemented by practice examples from the country level The business operations work streams use existing guidelines for joint communications, common services, common premises and joint resource mobilization, supplemented by practice examples from the field Existing structures are used to the fullest extent possible for the development, implementation and ongoing management at country level

66 PRINCIPLES GUIDING DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOOLKIT Create a toolkit that could be used to find a specific tool, to work on an individual step in the change process, or to guide a complete process Ensure that tools can be used irrespective of countries’ choice of objectives for common country programming, coordination of financial frameworks, Common Services and harmonized business practices and empowering the RC and UNCT Flexible: Recognize that countries have different situations and needs Cross-agency: Draw upon the tools and experiences of all agencies Practical: Ground tools in actual country-level needs and keep them “user friendly” Leverage existing work within UN agencies but tailor tools so that they are relevant to increasing UN coherence, effectiveness and relevance Identify existing inter-agency task teams which can support countries’ efforts Create new tools based on the needs of pilot countries that are specific to the process and validate at country-level Develop as many of the required tools as possible for direct use in pilot countries Refine tools on on-going basis based on experience in pilot countries Include robust practical material (guidance notes, templates, examples) to back-up theoretical frameworks

77 INTER-AGENCY PROCESS AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNDG TOOLKIT  July- October Prepared by the Global Change Management Support Team (CGMST) and inputs provided by pilot countries  2-3 October 2008 – Rome: Reviewed and Revised by Inter-Agency Task Team on Change Management  9 December 2008 – WG on Country Office Business Operations reviewed and endorsed the toolkit for further UNDG decision

A quick glance at the UNDG Toolkit Tools and Examples from Countries Identify Needs Navigate by workstream