16 July 2012: Executive Heads of UN Funds and Programmes participated in a dialogue on the strategic priorities of the UN development system during the next cycle of the quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR). The Dialogue took place on 16 July 2012, in New York, US, during the Operational Activities Segment of the 2012 substantive session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which is taking place from 2-27 July 2012.

The QCPR is the mechanism used by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact of UN operational activities for development. In keeping with the theme of this year’s Operational Segment, on preparations for the QCPR, the dialogue with Executive Heads focused on systemic issues within the remit of the QCPR.

Helen Clark, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, proposed priorities for the next QCPR cycle, such as: positioning the UN development system to support country-level implementation of new development directions, including those emerging from the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20); and promoting national ownership of common country programming and instruments.

Michelle Bachelet, UN Women Executive Director, emphasized the need for system-wide coherence and coordination. She highlighted various instruments for achieving this, such as the Resident Coordinator system, the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), and common services and business practices, further noting the need for improvements in these instruments. Bachelet also noted the agreement at Rio+20 on creating sustainable development goals (SDGs) that build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and urged leaders not to be “misled by a rising aggregate prosperity.”

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), spoke on behalf of the five regional commissions. She called for integration of the regional dimension of development across all UN development planning and implementation, with the Regional Commissions playing a key role in bridging the global and national development agendas. [Operational Activities Segment Webpage] [2012 QCPR Webpage] [Statement by Helen Clark] [Statement by Michelle Bachelet] [Statement by Noeleen Heyzer]