The Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) adopted in 2016 by the UN General Assembly resolution 71/243 serves as the four-year direction to the UN system. It reviews the operational activities of the UN development system (UNDS) and guides the current UN reforms. The UN repositioning resolution 72/279 adopted in 2018 strengthened the QCPR by incorporating measures that improved the UN’s collective efficiencies and effectiveness.
Since 2019, these enhanced system-wide measures help Member States advance Agenda 2030- introducing new ways of working, including: a reinvigorated resident coordinator system leading a new generation of UN Country Teams; a redesigned UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (CF); revamping governance and oversight with the Management Accountability Framework (MAF); and an empowered efficiency agenda through a business innovations group (BIG) and common business operations strategy (BOS).
Building on the 2016 QCPR, the UN repositioning accelerated its ambitious transformation of the UN development system in 2019. The elements introduced in 2019 orient the UN response to the global COVID-19 crisis today. The impact of the global crisis requires a global operational response capacity focused on supporting countries to meet the needs of vulnerable people in challenging circumstances while addressing its medium and long-term consequences.
As part of the UN system, WFP has leveraged its deep field presence, its operational and programme expertise, and its analytic capacity to enhance government capacity, address immediate life-threatening needs and prepare for the consequences of a protracted global economic crisis.
national governments supported by WFP in their Voluntary National Review to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2019.
of country offices surveyed reported helping the national government in formulating or updating their Disaster Risk Reduction and/or management strategy.
of country offices surveyed reported engagement to advance South-South and triangular cooperation, an increase of 12 percent from 2018.
General Assembly resolution 72/279 elevates the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (now renamed the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework) as “the most important instrument for planning and implementation of the UN development activities at country level in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
The Cooperation Framework (CF) guides the entire programme cycle, driving assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of collective UN support to national governments. All CFs have a strong focus on inclusive economies and on leaving no one behind. This approach is central to WFP’s vulnerability analysis and Country Strategic Plan design. Particularly, efforts to improve its programmes are aimed at gender equality and ensuring support of persons living with disabilities.
The roll-out of second generation Country Strategic Plans will start with countries presenting their documents for approval at the November 2020 Board session. The new requirements of the CF will ultimately lead to closer integration of Zero Hunger Strategic Reviews and Country Strategic Plans with the UN Common Country Analysis and the CF, and harmonization with national development planning and policy review processes.
national governments in Colombia, Congo and Sierra Leone developed and signed new Cooperation Frameworks in 2019 receiving support from their respective UNCT to implement UN development activities at country-level.
UNCT joint programmes with WFP as a partner were selected following the Joint SDG Fund’s first call for proposals focusing on greater UNCT collaboration for social protection.
of country offices surveyed reported their Country Strategic Plan includes a policy or strategy to better include persons living with disabilities and addresses their specific needs.
The Secretary-General’s vision for a results-oriented approach to deliver more efficient, cost-effective and relevant UNCT support is guided by the Business Innovations Strategic Results Group (BIG), which is jointly co-chaired by the Executive Heads of UNHCR and WFP since 2018.
In 2019, WFP also chaired the United Nations inter-agency task team on common premises. The team aims to realize select reform targets in accordance with the related General Assembly Resolutions; “seek to increase the proportion of United Nations common premises to 50 percent by 2021.” Current efforts to achieve this target focus on in-depth analysis of United Nations premises worldwide to identify opportunities for consolidation.
According to Country Directors views on common premises, the greatest advantages are the enhanced security considerations, added savings from consolidating facility services and reduced rent costs as well as overall greater collaboration with UNCT. On the other hand, Country Directors noted several challenges such as limited space allocation.
UN entities have opted-in to the mutual recognition of policies and processes to facilitate service delivery including in the areas of procurement, finance, IT, logistics, human resources, and administration.
bookings per year on WFP’s Humanitarian Booking Hub, providing a one-stop shop for accommodation, medical clinics and trip booking. The high utilization translates into significant cost-savings and time efficiencies from automated digital transformation.
of WFP country offices have entered into common premise agreements with at least one other UN entity. Overall, 16 percent of UN premises are co-located by two or more entities.
WFP advances the objectives of the UN repositioning for Agenda 2030 to improve results on the ground. The continued growth in the number of hungry people in the world, reflected in the 2019 State of Food Security and Nutrition report, and exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, highlights the need for partners across the UN to pursue system-wide efforts to improve the effective and efficient achievement of the SDGs. While the UN reform effort is still in its early stages, WFP is actively engaged in the collective effort, leading in areas of comparative strengths. However, there is much work to be done, particularly on collective ownership, mutual accountability, common data management and continued efforts towards common premises.
The Secretary General’s “Decade of Action” to deliver the SDGs began in 2020. As WFP extends its planning horizon, it is reinforcing its focus to supporting countries and communities in building their resilience. National government’s attainment of the SDGs, supported by WFP and the wider UN, will enable them to thrive in the longer term. The second-generation Country Strategic Plan portfolio will build on the gains made by the Integrated Road Map, while continuously moving towards a closer alignment with national SGD targets as framed by the new CF. Following an inclusive Country Strategic Plan design approach that draws on WFP’s collective excellence and expertise, WFP will continue strategic and programmatic transformation at country level to ensure no one is left behind.
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