Government of Tanzania’s bid for common country programme
document draws strong support from UN member states

Ambassador Begum Taj

The United Republic of Tanzania’s proposal for a common country programme document that would be approved in place of agency-specific country programme documents drew strong support from member States attending the Joint Meeting of the Executive Boards of UNDP/ UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP on 15 January in New York.

Ambassador Begum Taj, Director for Multilateral Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Tanzania, outlined the main elements of a Common Country Programme to be drawn from the UN Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) and aligned with the Government’s national development strategies for 2011-2015.

“From the perspective of the Government of Tanzania and the UN Country Team what is essential is that we pursue the development of an UNDAP and a Common Country Programme Document derived from it, to capitalize on the momentum that exists at the country level,” Ambassador Taj said. This will help “to ensure the development of a consistent, coherent plan, to reduce duplication in planning requirements for the UN and partners, to improve the transparency of the UN’s work in Tanzania, and to enhance the UN’s accountability to the Government and Development Partners.”

Statements made on behalf of the approximately 30 countries present were unanimous in their support for Tanzania’s approach. Speaking for the African Group members of the Executive Boards, Atoki Ileka of the Democratic Republic of the Congo delivered a statement that emphasized the importance of national ownership and allowing Tanzania to pursue its country-led process. “The momentum should be maintained and the process should only be taken forward in a strengthened manner addressing the challenges,” Mr. Illeka said.

The first draft of Tanzania’s UNDAP results matrix will be shared with the Regional UNDG Team for Eastern-Southern Africa in July and approved by the Government of Tanzania – UN Joint Steering Committee by December at the latest, Ambassador Taj said. Then, the common country programme document will be submitted to the regional bodies and UN agency headquarters for approval by January 2011, with the UNDAP formally signed in June 2011 and implemented the following month.

Climate, gender and food security top joint board meeting agenda

RC Richard Dictus spoke on climate change in Malawi.

Discussions on gender-based violence, climate change, food security and safety nets, and stocktaking on the MDGs topped the agenda for the Joint Meeting of the Executive Boards of UNDP/ UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP on 15 January. Each discussion featured joint presentations  from the four Agencies and presentations of country-level experiences from a number of countries implementing Delivering as One, including pilot countries Rwanda, Tanzania and Viet Nam, as well as Malawi and Ethiopia.

The discussion on strengthening the country-level response to gender-based violence focused on the significant advantages of joint approaches for gender equality and women’s empowerment, in particular in strengthening national capacity and Government leadership. Countries highlighted the challenges of high initial transaction costs as there is an urgent need to reduce these through improving harmonization and simplification, and stressed the need for adequate staff capacity. 

Bruce Campbell, the UNFPA representative in Viet Nam, highlighted the advantages of Delivering as One in enhancing the UN system’s work, particularly on cross-cutting issues such as gender equality. He noted that Viet Nam has 12 UN agencies working with three key national ministries and civil society through a joint programme on gender-based violence, and is also integrating and coordinating communication work across UN agencies through its One UN Communications Team, which he said has strengthened the UN system’s voice in national policy debates. With the opening of the One UN House, which will house 14 UN agencies, UN staff working on gender in Viet Nam will be co-located to provide a natural platform for sharing information and increasing collaboration. 

From Burkina Faso, Rassolguéssida Clémence Ilboudo Sawadogo, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, gave a presentation on the joint programme the UN is implementing there in support of the government and civil society to strengthen their response to female genital mutilation.

At the next session the boards considered the UN system’s extensive support for countries addressing climate change, and noted the critical importance of integrating the MDGs, poverty reduction and climate change into UN Development Assistance Frameworks. Delegates were informed of joint products being developed to build national capacity to respond to climate change, including internet-based products such as the Training Service Platform on Climate Change—CC:Learn—and the Adaptation Learning Mechanism (ALM), which provides best practices on adaptation across sectors, communities and borders.

UN Resident Coordinator Richard Dictus described the unique role of the UN system as an honest and impartial broker in leading efforts to address climate change in Malawi, where he said that applying the Delivering as One approach has brought significant advantages. Coordinating work on climate change through a unified UN presence and a One UN Fund mechanism has reduced transaction costs for development partners and the Government, Mr. Dictus said.

Next, the discussion focused on the impact of the economic and financial crisis on food security and safety nets, national responses, and actions the UN system has taken, including the High-level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, the Global Vulnerability Alert System (GIVAS), as well as country-level interventions. The Government of Ethiopia gave a presentation on its Food Safety Net. Funded by multiple donors, the programme is designed to help over eight million people with chronic insecurity in their food supply by providing them with predictable resources over a few years. Ethiopia also noted that it is voluntarily pursuing elements of the Delivering as One approach. (Read more about how UN Ethiopia is changing.)

Rwanda’s Kampeta Sayinzoga

Finally, the boards turned to a Stocktaking on the Millennium Development Goals. Resident Coordinator Aurelien Agbenonci and Kampeta Sayinzoga, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury in Rwanda’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning gave a presentation on Rwanda’s successes and challenges in achieving the MDGs. The pilot has been extremely successful and has allowed true Government leadership, Ms. Sayinzoga said, noting that the starting point of the One Programme is the Government’s economic and poverty reduction strategy. She told the board members that among the challenges are speeding up implementation and ensuring quick delivery of results. An increase in the pace of reform among agencies at headquarters would facilitate progress at country level, Ms Sayinzoga added.

UN System Job Vacancies in Coordination

Visit the UNDG Job Portal for more vacancies

Director, Civil Society Division, Partnerships Bureau (D-1), UN Headquarters. Deadline: 9 February
Communications Specialist (P-4), UN Iraq (based in Amman, Jordan). Deadline: 9 February
Programme Coordinator (P-4), UN Sudan. Deadline: 15 February
UN Coordination Specialist (P-4), UN Maldives. Deadline: 15 February
IMPP Planning Specialist, (3 months), UN DOCO. Deadline 11 February (email doco@undg.org for info)

Upcoming Meetings

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UN Development Group Asia-Pacific, Vanuatu, 8-9 February
DOCO/DPKO training for strategic planners, Amman, 15-19 February
UN Development Group, New York, 24 February
High-level Committee on Programmes, Geneva, 3-4 March

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