9 November 2006: The High-level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance, and the Environment has released its report. The report, “Delivering as One,” was presented to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and to an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 9 November 2006. The report recommends steps to create a unified and coherent UN structure at the country level.

It also contains recommendations on: UN governance, funding and management; enhanced humanitarian assistance; advancing gender equality; and reforming business practices.

On development, the Panel suggested:
• consolidating all UN programme activities at the country level by 2012 (starting with five pilot countries in 2007), through one UN programme, a single budgetary framework, one office where appropriate, and an empowered Resident Coordinator;
• establishing a UN Sustainable Development Board to oversee the One UN Country programmes and ensure coherence at the headquarters level; and
• creating a Millennium Development Goal funding mechanism to provide multiyear, performance- and result-oriented funding for the country programmes.

On the environment, the Panel recommended:
• “upgrading” the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) with a renewed mandate and improved funding to have “real authority as the environmental policy pillar of the UN system;”
• making more effective cooperation among UN entities on a thematic basis and through partnerships;
• increasing the resources of the Global Environment Facility (GEF);
• clarifying the mandate of the Environmental Management Group (EMG);
• tasking UNDP with supporting environmental mainstreaming in crisis prevention, post-conflict and post-disaster interventions, and early recovery;
• establishing one comprehensive annual national report format for multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs);
• promoting management efficiencies among MEAs and reducing the frequency and duration of MEA-related meetings;
• integrating UNEP’s environmental expertise in UN country teams;
• establishing a sustainable development segment in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC);
• shifting the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) from assessing single environmental issues to focusing on implementation and integrated decision-making on environment and development; and
• carrying out an independent assessment of international environmental governance within the UN system for considering further reforms, in parallel with the continued UNGA informal consultative process on international environmental governance.

Kofi Annan will present the Panel’s report to the General Assembly with a preface on suggested ways for member States to consider and implement the Panel’s recommendations, and then transmit it to his successor, Ban Ki-moon. Annan has also envisioned an informal dialogue on the report involving national delegations, senior UN officials, country-level practitioners and other experts, allowing for other stakeholders’ perspectives to be heard. [The High-level Panel Report] [UN Secretary-General’s speech (9 November 2006)]