12 April 2016: At a roundtable event hosted by UN University (UNU), UN Member States and others discussed issues in governance of the UN Development System (UNDS) for supporting implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The discussion is expected to feed into a study conducted by the UNU Centre for Policy Research and the International Governance and Development practice of Linklaters, a law firm.

Introducing the study to participants on 12 April 2016, in New York, US, Lance Croffoot-Suede, Linklaters’ International Governance and Development practice, said past attempts to reform UNDS governance did not succeed as hoped, and highlighted the urgency of understanding what is needed for a successful change. According to a draft summary of the study, titled ‘Governance for the UN Development System: Adapting to Meet the Challenges of a Changing World,’ it is “not clear” that UNDS governance, as currently constructed, enables the System to respond to the 2030 Agenda.

The draft provides suggestions on maintaining the UNDS’ competitive advantage, strategic leadership and oversight, avoiding competition among UN entities, and ensuring an enabling environment. It proposes to institute a common executive board to guide and exercise strategic oversight for the entire UNDS. It also suggests establishing a UNDS ‘super committee’ consisting of representatives from each executive board of UN funds, programmes and agencies to focus on issues of common importance to the UNDS (such as leadership, empowerment and inter-agency competition), identify ways to address the issues in a coordinated way, and focus on oversight and governance.

Do Hung Viet, Permanent Mission of Viet Nam, said UN Member States should take responsibility for the efficiency of the UNDS, while UNDS should be more representative, and reflect both “horizontal” and “vertical” accountability. He also highlighted the limited capacity and resources from developing countries’ Permanent Missions to give attention to UNDS governance reforms, noting the proliferation of development-related meetings happening at the UN. Matt Jackson, Permanent Mission of the UK, speaking in his personal capacity, also noted the importance of accountability and transparency in governance arrangements, and both horizontal and vertical collaboration. He added that any large organization needs to be constantly reviewed to continue to operate effectively, and highlighted reallocation of resources as a topic for consideration.

Other participants spoke of a high demand for changes in the UNDS. Some called for greater transparency, including on funding, and for greater incentives to cooperate within the UNDS. A delegate proposed identifying overlapping mandates between funds and programmes, and others cautioned against creating new entities.

The roundtable was moderated by Minh-Thu Pham, UN Foundation, who said the UNU-Linklaters study will be finalized before an upcoming workshop on UNDS governance, taking place as part of the ongoing dialogue under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), on the “longer-term positioning” of the UNDS in the context of the 2030 Agenda. That workshop is scheduled for 5 May.

The ECOSOC dialogue process aims to provide input to the 2016 quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR) – the mechanism through which the UN General Assembly (UNGA) assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact of UN operational activities for development. The QCPR is expected to be negotiated later this year. [Meeting Details] [ECOSOC Dialogue Website] [ECOSOC Dialogue Roadmap] [IISD RS Sources]