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Achieving an inclusive, purposeful mobilization of
One United Nations (Ch 5, para 158)
158. As at the national level, achieving an inclusive, purposeful mobilization of all resources and capacities should continue to drive change within the UN system. Fragmentation and the pursuit of narrow interests have typically—and in some cases justifiably—featured in descriptions of the UN system. In its response, however, to the Millennium Declaration and to the UN conferences and summits on economic and social issues since the 1990s, the UN system has proven its potential: to overcome the obstacles to policy coherence and cohesive action that are inherent in its structures; to integrate sectoral interventions effectively; and to mount more multidisciplinary and well sequenced responses. Further action on this front must take several forms, including:
A deliberate effort, in the pattern of the global conferences, to engage the active participation of all parts of the UN system in shaping policies. Participatory processes not only improve the quality and legitimacy of a given policy, but they also help to forge constituencies committed to the policy’s implementation. Among the UN organizations, they help to generate the very sense and substance of One United Nations. A constant effort to engage parliaments and local authorities and all forces of civil society in policy development and implementation. While the implications will vary from organization to organization, the individual and collective actions taken in this area will have to stem from a system-wide commitment, evident to the system’s partners. The effort must be pursued coherently at the global, regional and country levels. And it must encompass not only the work methods of the secretariats, but also those of the intergovernmental bodies.
One United Nations (Box 5.3)
| Box 5.3: Report of the Panel of Eminent Persons on UN-Civil Society Relations |
Given the rapidly changing international environment—particularly the spread of social movements accompanying the information revolution—the Panel of Eminent Persons on UN-Civil Society Relations called for the United Nations to become more attuned and responsive to citizens’ concerns and enlist greater public support. The report of the Panel, entitled “We the Peoples: Civil Society, the United Nations and Global Governance” (A/58/817 and Corr.1, June 2004), outlined a set of proposals for enhancing civil society engagement covering four main areas: ensuring the United Nations became an outward looking organization; connecting “the local with the global”; helping strengthen democracy in the twenty-first century; and embracing a plurality of constituencies. The report advocated a paradigm shift in how the UN works, calling on the Organization to foster "multi-constituency" processes that incorporate into its work the perspectives and capacities of citizen groups, policy advocates, businesses, local governments and parliamentarians.
Noting that the proposals of the Panel aim to strengthen the United Nations, enrich intergovernmental debate and improve the services it provides to the world's people, the Secretary-General endorsed the report and called for greater involvement by civil society in the work of the Organization. The Secretary-General suggested that the contribution of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in intergovernmental bodies be built into the General Assembly's regular business and called for improving the UN Secretariat's dialogue with NGOs, including by giving them easier access to information and documentation. |
158B3
A renewed effort, within and across organizations, to ensure that the system’s conceptual and standard-setting work and its country-level operational activities proceed in a mutually reinforcing manner. The capacity to combine analytical and normative functions with operational mandates amounts to a unique comparative advantage of the UN system, which so far has been vastly underexploited. A more integrated approach to the system’s conceptual and operational functions would also help further harmonize the system’s mission to advance agreed goals at all levels and the system’s commitment to the basic principle of country ownership of development assistance.
One United Nations (Box 5.4)
| Box 5.4: The Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review of Operational Activities for Development |
The UN system can only succeed in its mission to help countries implement the goals of the Millennium Declaration if its delivery of services at the country level is well managed, using all its resources and expertise.
Recognizing the need to build on progress underway to ensure a coherent, effective response to country needs, the CEB held a one-day retreat in October 2004, to consider further steps needed to maximize the collective impact and involvement of the UN system as a whole.
The Board identified the need for the UN system to move towards a qualitative shift in its culture to emphasize the primacy of government programmes to which different organizations were called upon to contribute. The Resident Coordinator system had to be so constituted as to fully exploit the contribution of each part of the system, whether or not present on the ground. Certain measures were called for, such as one common UN strategy that would be closely linked to the country’s own priorities and to a more inclusive PRSP.
In its resolution 59/250, on the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review of Operational Activities for Development, the General Assembly set out a road map for organizations of the system, both collectively and individually, to enhance the UN system’s development cooperation activities. As this report goes to print, efforts are underway to ensure this is taking place through, among other things, the joint efforts of HLCP and UNDG to bring into closer alignment the policy and operational dimensions of the system’s work |
158B4
A concerted effort to achieve a much more unified system presence at the country level. Such a unified presence would be centred on the resident coordinator mechanism and draw on all the capabilities available in the system, including especially the organizations and entities represented at the country level. Its guiding objective would be to promote and sustain capacity development and to support governments in exercising effective leadership over the development assistance they receive. It would enable the system to sequence individual actions to optimize collective performance, in a way that best serves country needs. In order to rally all the talent and resources available to advance coherently agreed development goals and the country’s development priorities, the unified system presence would also engage the various constituencies—in government and civil society—to which the different UN organizations relate at the country level.
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