Strengthening the resident coordinator system

(4 posts)

The resident coordinator system had also been strengthened.

(c) Strengthening of the resident coordinator system and of the role and functioning of the resident coordinator, on the basis of mutual accountability among UNCT members

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator should be responsible for the coordination of these mechanisms.

In addition, he will retain his current functions as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative.

It is noted that there already exists an agreement in CEB that the functions of the resident coordinator be de linked from those of the UNDP resident representative.

The Development Section would comprise the United Nations country team and the Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

UNDP was best placed to manage the resident coordinator system.

This will be accompanied by agreements on procedures for a common assessment of the performance of Resident Coordinators by all members of the UNCTs, which will help to ensure that Resident Coordinators exercise oversight of the design and implementation of the UNDAF in a fully participatory manner.

Among other things, the plan provided for close cooperation with UNICEF and the United Nations Resident Coordinator.

The representative noted the importance of constant dialogue with the resident coordinator from an early stage in the preparations for missions.

In small offices, the specialist could be funded jointly with other United Nations organizations and placed in the Office of the Resident Coordinator.

Grades of the respective representatives should be lower than the grade of the resident coordinator, who should have the authority (linked to grade) to lead the team.

The Resident Coordinator assessment and human resources capacity building measures should assess and train for gender competencies.

In particular, it wished to emphasize the key role played by the Resident Coordinator and by UNDP, the importance of the Common Country Assessment (CCA) and UNDAF and the monitoring role of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG).

To perform its additional tasks, the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator would be strengthened by the deployment of a senior coordination adviser, who would assist the head of the office in his resident and humanitarian coordination functions.

It will assume leadership roles within a range of United Nations task forces and increase its contributions to the resident coordinator system.

The resident coordinator system should have a powerful country office and a single development strategy with shared objectives, attributes that were currently lacking.

The United Nations resident coordinator system needed an inbuilt mechanism to monitor the progress or lack thereof on these commitments.

UNICEF is participating actively in a collaborative process to strengthen the Resident Coordinator system, through the UNDG.

However, it is also suggested that merely changing the institutional affiliation of the resident coordinator would not automatically lead to changes in the perception of bias and could, at worst, weaken the capacity of the resident coordinator to raise funds for the whole United Nations country team.

In order to enable the resident coordinator to function as an advocate for the mandates of all United Nations organizations, the proposal is put forward that he she should be selected from an organization with no sector specific mandate.

The quality and commitment of senior management would be critical the European Union welcomed the improvements made in the resident coordinator selection process to ensure that the most suitable people were chosen.

The triennial comprehensive policy review should state how the system should be funded and indicate how the resources, authority and accountability of the resident coordinator should be strengthened.

UNFPA is working with other members of the UNDG to strengthen the resident coordinator system and to hold it accountable for supporting national development efforts.

This process will be greatly enhanced as increased authority and accountability for the UNDAF and its implementation are invested in the Resident Coordinator.

The TCPR identified changes needed to increase efficiency by reducing transaction costs, and increase coherence, effectiveness and relevance through the programme process, the resident coordinator system, evaluation and attention to gender issues.

Steps are being taken to strengthen the role of the United Nations country team, including the recruitment of a new Chief of the Resident Coordinator's Office and the identification of additional staff.

Responding to a comment about strengthening the roles of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, the Resident Coordinator and United Nations country teams, the secretariat said that UNICEF supported an enhanced role for the Resident Coordinator and the strong participation of country teams, and would continue to collaborate with United Nations partners.

CEB members are furthermore of the view that the initiative of the UNDP Administrator to appoint UNDP country directors is generally not sufficient to clearly distinguish the roles and responsibilities of the resident coordinator from that of the UNDP resident representative whenever both designations apply to the same person.

A number of delegations noted with concern the low number of UNICEF staff members serving as resident coordinators, and encouraged UNICEF to contribute to the strengthening of the resident coordinator system.

UNICEF, in collaboration with the United Nations Resident Coordinator, has engaged in discussions about accommodation with the Government of China, advocating as appropriate for an extension of the preferential conditions from which it benefits.

To ensure transparency, and in a spirit of cooperation, the Government arranged a visit by the Resident Coordinator and a representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to the two main recruitment centres in Yangon and Mandalay, and they were able to interact freely with the recruits.

The coordination of the work of all the development partners was the responsibility of the United Nations Resident Coordinator. Concerted action by the donors was also being achieved by means of sectoral coordination in various spheres.

The Mission is headed by the Special Representative of the Secretary General at the Under Secretary General level assisted by a Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General and a Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (Resident Coordinator Humanitarian Coordinator) at the Assistant Secretary General level.

In that regard, the United Nations Resident Coordinators' role was indispensable in facilitating dialogue with Governments and supporting national coordination, which, in turn, was a key ingredient of national leadership and ownership.

GCG and RIGs Organize preparation of the Global Assessment Report

A speaker said that during the joint field visit, participants saw excellent coordination among the staff of the various agencies working under the Resident Coordinator, who was instrumental in enhancing dialogue with national policy makers.

In terms of regional coverage, 2004 had a similar distribution pattern in delivery (including programme support to the resident coordinator system) to that of 2003, as reflected in table 3 below.

10. Urges the Fund to continue its efforts to mainstream a gender perspective in United Nations operational activities, including through the resident coordinator system and the common country assessment and United Nations Development Assistance Framework processes

UNICEF fully agrees that the Resident Coordinator should ensure active collaboration with all UNDG member agencies, including those not represented on the United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs).

for the monitoring and assessment of desertification

and long term early warning systems

(Coordinator Prof. L. Vermes)