26 February 2015
ECOSOC Segment Discusses UN Positioning for Post-2015
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At the UN Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) 2015 Operational Activities for Development Segment, participants discussed ECOSOC's longer-term positioning in the context of the post-2015 development agenda, coherence in the funding of operational activities, fit-for-purpose, and UN effectiveness in supporting national capacity, among other issues.

The Group of 77 and China introduced a draft resolution on ‘Progress in the implementation of UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 67/226 on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system' (QCPR), on which the Council will take action at a later date.

ECOSOC25 February 2015: At the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) 2015 Operational Activities for Development Segment, participants discussed ECOSOC’s longer-term positioning in the context of the post-2015 development agenda, coherence in the funding of operational activities, fit-for-purpose, and UN effectiveness in supporting national capacity, among other issues. The Group of 77 and China introduced a draft resolution on ‘Progress in the implementation of UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 67/226 on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system’ (QCPR), on which the Council will take action at a later date.

The meeting took place from 23-25 February 2015, at UN Headquarters in New York, US.

In opening remarks, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson remarked that the UN development system was valued for its normative role, credibility, impartiality and access to specialized knowledge, with 86% of partner countries considering it as more relevant than two years ago. He noted that more and more countries are adopting the ‘Delivering as One’ approach, and welcomed the ECOSOC Dialogue on the long-term positioning of the UN development system in the context of the post-2015 development agenda. Eliasson called for: using this year to speed up progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); reaching the youth all over the world; and a UN development system that can change faster to meet rapidly evolving challenges, including through “vigorously” reducing transaction costs associated with programming and reporting. He also suggested a three-pronged approach to make the UN system “fit for purpose”: differentiated responses to respond to differentiated needs and capacities; improved capacities to support governments in leveraging partnerships; and strengthened coordination and collaboration within the UN system, and between the system and other actors.

María Emma Mejía Vélez, Permanent Representative of Colombia and ECOSOC Vice-President, stressed the importance of the QCPR – the mechanism through which the UNGA assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact of the UN development system – adding that over the last 30 years, the QCPR has been “the most important instrument at the intergovernmental level in fostering system-wide coordination.” She remarked that operational activities account for nearly two-thirds of UN work, of which some 95% are voluntarily funded, and said the processes common to those activities are regulated by different entities. She suggested a number of priority areas to consider such as: improving efficiency; greater use of national capacities and systems at the country level; and taking a collaborative and multi-stakeholder approach to global issues.

Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, introduced the report of the UN Secretary-General on progress in implementing the QCPR (A/70/62–E/2015/4), and said 15 UN entities out of 22 have aligned their strategic plans with the QCPR.

During a panel on positioning of the UN system in the context of the post-2015 development agenda, Albert Toikeusse Mabri, Minister of Planning and Development, Côte d’Ivoire, observed that donors would feel better and do more if fragmentation, duplication of work and overlap were reduced. Other panelists called for: rethinking UN technical and operational know-how in support of middle-income countries (MICs); building “into what already exists” instead of imposing new programmes at the national level; including issues related to sustainable development in capacity building; and helping to mobilize domestic resources, and to reform international financial institutions to help fund the post-2015 development agenda in countries.

On ensuring coherence in funding the UN’s operational activities, George Talbot, Permanent Representative of Guyana and Co-Facilitator for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD 3) process, said the UN could provide thought leadership and help translate sustainable development’s three dimensions into policy recommendations and development models. Berit Fladby, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway, noted that even if the post-2015 development agenda is broad in scope, this does not mean the UN should do everything, but instead focus on its comparative advantages. Olav Kjørven, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said the “rich ecosystem” of development finance actors is a strength that should be maximized, and noted the importance of partnerships to unlock new resources.

During a dialogue with other Executive Heads of funds and programmes on making the UN “fit-for-purpose” in the post-2015 era, Helen Clark, UN Development Group (UNDG) Chair and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, said the new sustainable development agenda will require “an ever more joined-up” UN development system. She urged for “a truly system-wide approach” at all levels, underlining the need to shift from just poverty eradication to a significant reduction of inequality and exclusion, and respect for the environment. Other panelists underscored that: development assistance should focus on the most vulnerable and investments on inequality should be increased, notably gender inequality. One said “cohesion” is not just a New York event but should exist through all regional and country offices. Another said fitness-for-purpose is not only applicable to the UN but also how the UN can support Member States and other stakeholders to be fit-for-purpose to achieve the post-2015 development agenda’s goals. A Member State said “fit for purpose” means simplifying business practices, making the Resident Coordinator system work well, and focusing on results.

In a panel on mainstreaming South-South cooperation, Jorge Chediek, UN Resident Coordinator, Brazil, remarked that Brazil became the first country to incorporate South-South cooperation as an axis of its programmatic work in 2007. Brazil’s school feeding programme has been so successful that it was transferred to Africa and Latin America, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). Koki Muli Grignon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Kenya, said some countries that include South-South cooperation in national cooperation strategies have improved their ability to move quickly from projects to medium- and long-term programmes. Other panelists called for the development system to help build information-sharing systems and improve quality of information. Delegates outlined that South-South cooperation should not happen at the expense of triangular or other types of cooperation, and some countries, such as Brazil, requested strengthening the UN Office for South-South Cooperation.

On effectiveness of the UN system to support national capacity development, Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), stressed that capacity development efforts “must take into account the changing landscape” characterized by shifts in political and economic power structures as well as changes in demographics, urbanization, inequality, technology and the environment. Kikeo Chanthaboury, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Lao PDR, said this support should not be limited to enhancing skills, but also to addressing institutional, organizational and social dimensions. Thomas Gass, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, said capacity-building is at the core of the post-2015 development agenda, and noted that the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are accompanied by various capacity development targets. He noted the need for the development system to review its internal capacities to support countries in implementing the SDGs, and called for coordinated responses to capacity development needs.

Issues raised by delegates throughout the Segment included: the importance of national ownership of programmes; quality, transparency, accountability and innovation for delivering results; providing measures to facilitate interaction with new and emerging donors; addressing funding challenges amid an overall drop in official development assistance (ODA) and an imbalance between core resources and extra-budgetary or non-core funding used for operational activities; improving efficiency, responsiveness and coherence of the UN system at all levels; and streamlining its programming, funding, reporting and accountability mechanisms.

ECOSOC’s Operational Activities for Development Segment was mandated in resolution 68/1 on the strengthening of ECOSOC and reorganization of its segments. [Meeting Webpage] [Deputy Secretary-General Statement] [UN Press Release, 23 February] [UN Press Release, 24 February] [UN Press Release, 25 February] [UN Press Release] [ECOSOC Calendar Cycle 2015] [UNGA Resolution 68/1] [UNGA Resolution 67/226] [Report of the Secretary-General] [UNECA Statement]

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