1. UNITAR Training Course
United Nations Reform III
Operational activities for development
New York, 19 November 2010
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

2. UN Operational activities for development
Presentation outline
UN Operational activities for development
Overview
Historical milestones
Governance system
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

3. UN system-wide activities (Based on average contributions 2006-2008)
A. Overview
UN system-wide activities
(Based on average contributions )
Humanitarian
Assistance 21%
Development-
related activities
43%
Peacekeeping
22%
Global policy, advocacy, norms and standards 14%
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

4. A. Overview Major operational entities
(share of total contributions; 2008; $22.2 billion)
Others 10%
UNESCO 2%
ILO 2%
UNRWA 3%
UNFPA 3%
FAO 4%
WHO 7%
UNHCR 7%
UNICEF 15%
UNDP 23%
WFP 24%
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

5. Destination of expenditures
A. Overview
Destination of expenditures
(2008; $18.6 billion)
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

6. Development-related expenditures by sector
A. Overview
Development-related expenditures by sector
(2008; $11.8 billion)
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

7. B. Historical milestones
1945
When UN was established it was not envisaged that organization would become a major player in delivery of operational activities for development
Many of the “coherence” challenges which have arisen in UN in recent decades can therefore be traced back to original design of organization
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

8. B. Historical milestones
1945 (cont.)
Functional approach, rather than a federalist one was adopted to design of UN system
UN system organized around independent specialized agencies, whose relationship with ECOSOC was established by set of formal agreements, with new organizations created as needs arose
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

9. B. Historical milestones
1946
UNICEF established by GA to provide food, clothing and health care for children
1960s
Many new entities established including WFP (1961), UNCTAD (1964) and UNIDO (1967)
Major growth in operational activities of UN system
1965
UNDP is established to coordinate funding for technical assistance provided by other UN entities
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

10. B. Historical milestones
Continued expansion in UN operational activities for development
Post of Director-General for Development and International Cooperation established in 1977 to address growing coordination deficit in UN development system. This function was abolished in 1992
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

11. B. Historical milestones
UN system faces funding crisis as some donors withhold contributions at height of Cold War
Funding for operational activities for development becomes increasingly earmarked
System of execution by UN agencies comes under pressure as programme countries opt for national execution of UN technical assistance
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

12. B. Historical milestones
Centralized approach to funding through UNDP is gradually abandoned in early 1990s
1995
UNDP transforms itself from a central fund to being primarily a substantive organization
Specialized agencies start mobilizing resources directly from donors, which contributes to rapid growth in non-core funding and fragmentation of UN system
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

13. B. Historical milestones
Step change towards Member States promoting enhanced programmatic coordination and coherence within UN system
1997
Major reorganization of UN system aimed at strengthening programmatic cooperation and common approaches among UN entities
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

14. B. Historical milestones
1997 (cont.)
Creation of UNDG, chaired by UNDP Administrator
Merging of three departments into DESA
Establishment of common UN houses
Introduction of UNDAF and Common Country Assessment
Creation of post of Deputy Secretary-General
Establishment of Joint Meeting of Boards of funds and programmes
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

15. B. Historical milestones
Efforts to strengthen UN development system generally consistent with thrust of 1997 reform with focus on improving field-level coordination and inter-agency cooperation and better measurement of field-level results
2010
Adoption of GA resolution 64/289 on system-wide coherence
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

16. C. Governance system Intergovernmental governance General Assembly
Provides overarching normative frameworks for UN development activities, e.g. MDGs, Monterrey Consensus etc.
Establishes key system-wide policy orientations for UN operational activities for development through quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR)
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

17. C. Governance system Intergovernmental governance
Quadrennial comprehensive policy review
Main purpose of QCPR is to evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of UN operational activities for development based on extensive analytical preparations and consultations with stakeholders
On basis of QCPR process, GA establishes key system-wide policy orientations for development cooperation and country-level modalities of UN system for four-year period
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

18. C. Governance system Intergovernmental governance ECOSOC
Coordinates implementation of global development agenda
High-level Segment
Coordination Segment
Subsidiary bodies (e.g. functional commissions)
Annual Ministerial Review
Development Cooperation Forum
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

19. C. Governance system Intergovernmental governance ECOSOC (cont.)
Coordinates and monitors implementation of policy guidance established by GA in QCPR
Reviews and evaluates reports on work of funds and programmes
These functions mainly discharged through annual session of Operational Activities Segment of ECOSOC
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

20. C. Governance system Intergovernmental governance
Executive Boards of funds and programmes
Responsible, inter alia, for providing intergovernmental oversight of respective entities in accordance with policy guidance established by GA and ECOSOC and for ensuring that respective entities are responsive to needs and priorities of recipient countries
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

21. C. Governance system Intergovernmental governance
Executive Boards of funds and programmes (cont.)
EBs report to ECOSOC and are expected to bring to Council issues that require its attention
Executive heads of F/Ps appointed by SG following consultations with EBs and confirmed by GA
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

22. C. Governance system Intergovernmental governance
Governing bodies of specialized agencies
SAs are separate, legally autonomous organizations with own policy-making and executive organs, secretariats and budgets
Executive heads of SAs elected by membership of respective entity
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

23. C. Governance system Intergovernmental governance
Governing bodies of specialized agencies (cont.)
Relationship of SAs with UN defined in special agreement with ECOSOC and approved by GA
ECOSOC can coordinate activities of SAs through consultations with and recommendations to such agencies
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

24. C. Governance system Executive direction and management Global-level
Chief Executives Board for Coordination
High-level Committee on Programmes
High-level Committee on Management
UN Development Group
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

25. C. Governance system Executive direction and management Regional-level
UNDG Regional Teams
Regional Coordination Mechanisms
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA

26. C. Governance system Executive direction and management National-level
UN Resident Coordinator System
UNDAFs
Common country programmes (One-UN pilots)
Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UNDESA