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GB.271/PFA/7/5
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Programme, Financial and Administrative Committee |
PFA |
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SEVENTH ITEM ON THE AGENDA
Other financial and general questions
Report of the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations:
"Strengthening field representation of the United Nations system"
1. In accordance with the established procedures, the system-wide reports of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) of the United Nations are submitted to the Governing Body when the comments of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) on the reports are available. The Office has contributed to the preparation of this JIU report.
2. This report focuses on the issue of the representation of the United Nations system in the field. It needs to be seen in the perspective of a rapidly evolving situation, which involves the ongoing transformation and reform processes initiated by the governing bodies of the UN system. The Secretary-General has taken management and organizational measures to make reforms, including directions for the greater integration of United Nations activities at the country level. This process has reached a further stage with the preparation of specific reform proposals in this area by the United Nations Development Executive Committee, which is chaired by the Administrator of UNDP, with membership consisting of UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA and with the participation of WFP and other agencies on matters relevant to their interests and mandates. A support group has also been set up, led by the UNDP Office for the United Nations Development Group, and has made efforts towards the development of policy guidelines, which have focused on the responsibilities of the Resident Coordinators and on improvements in the programming of resources. The JIU report points out that this process has so far been limited to the United Nations funds and programmes, and that it needs to incorporate, in a collaborative and consultative manner, the views and perspectives of the larger UN system. At the inter-agency level, the Consultative Committee on Programme and Operational Questions (CCPOQ), a subsidiary body of the ACC, has also devoted special attention to the development of guidelines, which further the common understanding of the Resident Coordinator system and related programming processes. All these developments, have superseded many of the recommendations in the JIU report.
3. The ILO's views have by and large been adequately reflected in the ACC's comments on the JIU report. The following additional comments highlight the Office's views on the individual recommendations:
Recommendation 1
(i) Organizations should refrain from having new representations and make use of existing common representations, especially through the Resident Coordinator.
(ii) Organizations should harmonize as much as possible their respective geographical representation at the regional and subregional levels.
(iii) Organizations and governments should seek to harmonize and then reach a basic government agreement covering all United Nations presence.
4. The ILO, like other United Nations agencies, strongly supports the Resident Coordinator system. At the same time, this recommendation seems unduly restrictive. The harmonization and consolidation of field representation should be achieved by taking into account the particular needs and mandates of the agencies. All organizations should have the right to open and close representations according to their changing needs and priorities.
Recommendation 2
The efforts of the United Nations organizations should lead to a single United Nations official, the Resident Coordinator, representing the whole United Nations family, speaking with full authority on its behalf and being held fully accountable to it. This official should have --
(i) the correct qualifications and experience. Section G of Chapter IV (Paragraphs 55-65) recommends measures covering criteria regarding Resident Coordinators, including selection and designation;
(ii) the appropriate and timely technical and specialized support from all United Nations organizations in the field, especially regional economic commissions and other regional or subregional presence, and from headquarters.
5. The ILO agrees that efforts must now be geared to improving the selection process of Resident Coordinators. It should be noted, however, that the Resident Coordinator's main function refers to "operational activities for development" and does not cover wider mandates, such as the ILO's standard-setting activities. The recommendation (as well as the reform measures being proposed) neglects the practical and very real problem that the Resident Coordinator function, a part-time job without real support staff, cannot at present effectively speak with full authority on behalf of the whole UN system, with its complex, multi-sectoral and inter-disciplinary mandates. Regarding the "appropriate and timely technical and specialized support", it should be noted that in implementing the Active Partnership Policy, the ILO's Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) were created, and external offices strengthened, for a similar purpose, namely, to better respond to the needs of constituents.
Recommendation 3
(i) Executive heads of agencies and organizations should start a process of designating all "Representatives" other than the Resident Coordinator as "Directors" or "Senior Technical Advisers", who would continue to advocate and promote activities related to their respective organizations' mandates but would be part of a team under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator for the benefit of the host country.
(ii) Funding organizations should stress their basic role as funding and managerial organizations depending on technical and specialized agencies as partners in the programme and project cycle.
(iii) Inter-agency meetings and groups emanating from them should be better structured with clear mandates, division of labour and purposes. This will strengthen teamwork and a sense of ownership where representatives other than the Resident Coordinators should chair, according to their specialization and technical know-how, some of these group meetings.
(iv) The United Nations organizations should reach an agreement on guidelines for the minimum and required information that should be exchanged between them on a mandatory basis.
6. The ILO agrees with this view.
Recommendation 4
Thematic groups with a lead agency should be further strengthened in the context of a well-defined and well-planned division of labour, responsibilities and complementarities. Both field and headquarters should be involved in this effort on a sustained basis. The host country's role and involvement during all stages is vital.
7. The ILO agrees with this view. The ILO's participation in the thematic groups is further strengthened by the close cooperation between the Multi-disciplinary Advisory Teams, the headquarters units and ILO Field Offices concerned.
Recommendation 5
All United Nations organizations represented in the field should accelerate and intensify their efforts to establish and/or enhance common premises and common services taking into consideration elements discussed and recommended in paragraphs 64-67. Host governments should also have a more proactive role in the realization of such schemes.
8. This recommendation addresses again the issue of common premises, which was discussed in November 1997, when the JIU report on "United Nations system common premises and services in the field" (JIU/REP/94/8) was submitted to the Committee.(1) Here it is reiterated that the ILO supports the principles behind the development and expansion of common premises and services for the United Nations system. However, it is very important that ILO premises be readily accessible to a wide range of people, including, particularly, representatives of employers' and workers' organizations. Hence, the Director-General reserves the right to study each proposal on a case-by-case basis and opt out of the shared premises when warranted by circumstances.
Recommendation 6
Concomitant with the process leading to a single United Nations system representative in the field (recommendation 2 above), the Secretary-General, in consultation with the ACC, should designate a single high official at the United Nations secretariat to be in charge of the Resident Coordinator system. Furthermore --
(i) the head of the newly grouped department on economic and social matters in the United Nations secretariat and whose rank may be upgraded to that of Deputy Secretary-General, should assume this responsibility on behalf of the Secretary-General; he/she should have a clear mandate and the right resources, both human and financial;
(ii) he/she should be supported by a unit established for this purpose, at no additional cost, comprising those personnel in the secretariat presently responsible for the operational activities plus those of United Nations Support Services (OUNS) attached to the UNDP Administrator; the unit should also benefit from other staff seconded from different organizations, which would allow teamwork and a sense of ownership at headquarters, with trickle-down effects to the field;
(iii) other United Nations organizations should, through their representatives/ liaison in the secretariat, be able to participate in a "board-like" manner in the decision-making process;
(iv) Resident Coordinators may, eventually, be jointly financed by all organizations of the United Nations system.
9. Paragraph 16 of the ACC comments indicates that (i) and (ii) have already been addressed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who decided that UNDP should continue as the manager and funder of the Resident Coordinator system, with support from the Development Group and the OUNS of UNDP. The Office notes that CCPOQ is currently looking into the possibility of the secondment of people to the team of OUNS from other specialized agencies. The implications of the specific proposals will be examined in due course.
Recommendation 7
For more efficient operations and more effective coordination the host countries should consider --
(i) the creation of an interministerial "committee" or group composed of representatives of sectoral ministries and departments (the Chairman of this Committee would be the counterpart to the Resident Coordinator); this kind of mechanism is already in place in some countries and has proven its effectiveness;
(ii) communications from sectoral ministries and departments to respective United Nations organizations should be cleared and/or copied to the ministry in charge of coordination, e.g., planning, foreign affairs or finance;
(iii) the creation of such mechanisms and/or enhancement of their capacities should be part of the United Nations system support to the host country.
10. The Office notes that this recommendation is addressed to the governments of host countries. It emphasizes that enhanced coordination within government should not lead to cumbersome or time-consuming bureaucracy. The central coordinating body should focus on policy and programme-level coordination and decisions on other important cross-sectoral matters. Within the overall coordinated framework, UN agencies should be able to continue to work directly with their counterparts independently, whether governments, employers' or workers' organizations, or other NGOs.
Recommendation 8
Coordination at the field level with both bilateral and non-United Nations multilateral donors should be more institutionalized by the parties concerned, especially between the United Nations system and the multi-bilateral community; developed and developing countries should be partners in development with shared responsibilities including, on the part of donors, continued and predictable financial contributions.
11. The Office agrees with this view.
Recommendation 9
Member States at different legislative bodies should scrutinize and harmonize decisions; more vigorous monitoring of the decision-making process should be undertaken by all legislative bodies of the United Nations system, with ECOSOC having primary responsibility for coordination and harmonization.
12. The Office takes note of this recommendation, which is addressed to governments and intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations system.
13. Copies of the JIU report and the ACC's comments are available for consultation.
Geneva, 19 February 1998.