UNDG Toolkit

Do UNCT members understand the objectives and principles for enhanced coherence, effectiveness and relevance, and can identify specific benefits for their country and the UN system in the country?

Do UNCT members have a good view on the readiness, willingness and ability of the team to improve the coherence. effectiveness and relevance of the UN system in country?

Do UNCT members know what is expected of them if they want to pursue a more strategic, results-based implementation?

Has the UNCT decided to proceed with the development of the integrated programme and operations strategy?

Are staff are aware of: a) UNCT’s intention to pursue a more coherent, effective and relevant UN system, b) Key objectives and principles for improving UN system effectiveness, c) General expectations of what the change would mean for them

Do staff support the rationale for change and are they willing to play their parts in planning and implementing the change?

Is the government supportive of the UN’s efforts to achieve greater coherence and has formally requested the UN to pursue the effort?

Do donors endorse the UN’s effort to achieve greater coherence?

Do UNCT members have a good understanding of other agencies, their programmes and the context/constraints within which they operate?

Is the UNCT well-structured and does it have good decision-making processes, including: a)Clear membership, b) Regular weekly or fortnightly meetings, c) Good decision-making “hygiene”, e.g., not leaving issues undecided, not making ambiguous decisions, not revisiting decisions once made unless circumstances change?

Has the UNCT established norms that will guide its team functioning, e.g.: a) Open and frank communication, b) Willing to challenge each other and debate issues constructively, c) Agreed decision-making, problem-solving mechanisms, d) Balancing interests of own agencies with interests of the UN system as a whole

Has the UNCT jointly articulated its position on changing the UN system(setting out a position on the rationale, core elements, and a high-level approach for a more coherent UN)?

Has the UNCT drafted a concept paper that includes: a) A clearly articulated rationale, b) A statement of purpose, c) A clearly articulated scope, including a statement on the core elements, d) A high level-level approach to improving Coherence, Effectiveness and Relevance of the UN System

Do Government and UN system share a joint development vision for the country and how the UN system will contribute to this through increased coherence, effectiveness and relevance?

Has the UNCT agreed on a conceptual framework to set strategic priorities based on an assessment of national challenges, comparative advantages and stakeholder assessment?

Have UNCT and senior members of government have taken ownership of the preparation for the integrated programme and operations strategy?

Have UNCT and stakeholders agreed on the process to design the integrated programme and operations strategy?

Does the UNCT have a visionwhich defines the change the UN system and Government want to achieve in the country in the next 5-10 years. It reflects optimism, identifies the potential and possibilities for the country and the UNCT, and draws on the national priorities and MDGs

Does the UNCT have a mission which defines how the Country Team and the UN agencies, funds and programmes, both resident and non-resident, intend to achieve the vision. The mission statement should define what it takes to realise the vision and identify the elements of enhanced coherence, effectiveness and relevance of the UN system as agreed by the UNCT

UNCT agrees on key workstreams to include in Plan of Engagement

Develop Plan of Engagement to define actions and timeline leading to the finalization of the integrated programme and operations strategy (including UNDAF or common programming tool).

UNCT agrees on roles and responsibilities for managing the Plan of Engagement

UNCT has a list of priority development issues, and the root causes of those issues based on national development plans and country assessments by the UN system and/or others. If existing analytical work does not sufficiently provide a basis for the UNDAF or common programming tool and national development planning, a country analysis could be considered (from country analysis/retreat discussions)

Prioritize and set outcomes

UNCT has a list of priority areas where support is needed and the type of support required (from country analysis/retreat discussions)

Prioritize and set outcomes

Has a baseline assessment of the status of the non programme workstreams, i.e. Common Services and harmonized business practices, Common Premises (where feasible), Joint resource mobilization, Joint communication and common budgetary framework taken place?

Prioritize and set outcomes

Has an analysis of current UN staff capacities, including in-country and out-of-country resources, which should include estimates of staff by subject area and type of work performed?

Prioritize and set outcomes

Is there a list of stakeholders that are active at the country level, including their areas of focus in development policy. This list takes the form of a table “allocating” each stakeholder to a thematic area based on their development priorities (from stakeholder analysis/retreat discussions)

Prioritize and set outcomes

Does the UNCT have a detailed overview of UN system strengths and weaknesses in each area of support. The comparative advantage is based on normative and operational work carried out by UN agencies at the country level, and expertise within the wider UN system that could become relevant in a particular—or emerging—country context (from comparative advantage analysis/retreat discussions)?

Prioritize and set outcomes

UNCT has an overview of prioritized national development goals?

Prioritize and set outcomes

Does the UNCT have jointly articulated outcomes for the UN Programme in the country, and high-level outcomes for common services and harmonized business practises, common budgetary framework, joint resource mobilization, common premises (where feasible), and joint communications?

Prioritize and set outcomes

Is there an initial view of the outputs that may be delivered to achieve the outcomes which can be refined at a later stage?

Prioritize and set outcomes

Has the Plan of Engagement been revised, clearly identifying activities with their assigned ownership. This will be useful when the UNCT arrives at the step including the UN integrated programme and operations strategy?

Prioritize and set outcomes

Is there a UN programme based on existing UNDAF or common programming tool guidelines?

Are there results Matrices for a strategic, integrated UN programme?

Does the UNCT have a clear view of the needs and the requirements specific to the non-programme workstreams of the integrated programme and operations strategy: a) Common Services and Harmonized Business Practises, b) Common Premises (where feasible), c) Joint Communications, d) Common Budgetary Framework, e)Joint Resource Mobilization?

Has the UNCT developed clear options for implementation on each of the elements of operations mentioned above and articulated recommendations based on cost benefit analyses?

Does the UNCT have a Joint Communications Strategy?

Does the UNCT have a Joint Resource Mobilization Strategy?

Does the UNCT have a Results Matrices for the non-programme workstreams, such as (a) Common Services and Harmonized Business Practises, (b) Common Premises (where feasible), (c)Joint Communications, (d) Coomon budgetary framework, and (e) Joint Resource Mobilization?

Does the UNCT have Monitoring and Evaluation matrices for the strategic, integrated UN Programme?

Does the UNCT have Monitoring and Evaluation matrices for the non programme workstreams, such as (a) Common Services and Harmonized Business Practises, (b) Common Premises (where feasible), (c) Joint Communications, (d) Common budgetary framework, and (e) Joint Resource Mobilization?

Has the division of labor been agreed and is accountability clearly assigned in the UNCT and with the RC?

Have “Working principles” for the UNCT been established, including a) Membership, b) Rules of behavior, c) Decision-making process and d) Reporting and accountability

Is the decision-making process effective?

Is there a sufficient level of trust among the UNCT members?

Does the UNCT have a common strategic framework that provides an overview of high-level outcomes, resource requirements, and a governance structure for the programme and non-programme workstreams?

Is there a list of critical business process changes needed to achieve the vision of UN system effectiveness and the successful implementation of the integrated programme and operations strategy through harmonized business practises including, a) Which processes must change among which agencies (or all of them), b) How they should change, c) Which aspects of the integrated programme and operations strategy are supported by change?

Plan organizational changes

Is there a list of new or altered organizational structures needed to enable achievement of UNCT's vision and implementation of the Programme and Operations Strategy, including for example: a) New groups / structures to manage the UN Programme or elements of it in a tightly coordinated manner, b) Changes to structures required to implement common services and harmonized business practices, joint communications, Joint resource mobilization, Common budgetary framework etc.?

Plan organizational changes

Is there a clear understanding of changes in UN capacities required to fulfill objectives of the integrated programme and operations strategy?

Plan organizational changes

Is there a detailed human resources strategy and plan, designed to bridge gaps between current and required staff capacities?

Plan organizational changes

Are the performance evaluation processes and forms, and incentives, aligned with the vision for a more coherent, effective and relevant UN system, across all agencies?

Plan organizational changes

Is there a list of main barriers to achieve a more strategic, integrated and results-based UN system that is better aligned with national priorities. These barriers can be identified through consultations with/survey of staff

Plan organizational changes

Interventions that address root causes are planned to change mindsets and culture to support the vision of a more coherence, effective and relevant UN system

Plan organizational changes

Has the desired end-state envisioned with (a) a detailed roadmap with milestones, (b) within a realistic timeline and (c) with clear accountability been articulated?

Have key risks been identified and a risk management strategy been devised (including both actions to mitigate risks and contingency plans if risks materialize)?

Is a M&E country team in place, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities?

Have key indicators that are measurable and results-based been defined?

Is it clear what information will be used to determine the value of the indicator. All indicators should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound

Have baselines for all indicators (changing indicators if any prove impossible to measure in practice)been established?

Is a monitoring and evaluation plan in place including management plan, framework and calendar?

Are the activities specified in the integrated programme and operations strategy and implementation plan regularly monitored, issues that arise raised to appropriate groups and adjustments promptly made to address those issues?

Are evaluations being conducted and lessons learned being taken into account to adjust plans and activities?

Has an inter-agency communication team been established and do people understand their role and responsibilities?

Communicate about change

Has the UNCT agreed on a coherent communication approach?

Communicate about change

Are detailed communications strategies and plans developed at regular intervals?

Communicate about change

Is there awareness on potential risks which could adversely affect each audience’s attitudes, and how Communications Team would respond to such risks materializing?

Communicate about change

Is communication implemented according to the plan, and reacting to events as appropriate?

Communicate about change

Is there a dedicated change team in place, with clearly defined roles & responsibilities for managing the change process and sufficient time to do the work?