LIBERIA CAPACITY ASSESSSMENT OF UNCT AGENCIES LIBERIA

Transcription

1 UNITED NATIONS LIBERIA CAPACITY ASSESSSMENT OF UNCT AGENCIES LIBERIA Final Report Monrovia, April 2012 Prepared by: Kennedy Tsosy Getange, International Consultant, for UNCT Liberia

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY MAIN FINDINGS UNDAF Strategic Focus & UNCT Capacities UNMIL Services & UNCT Capacities DaO Synergies, Challenges and Opportunities Other DaO Findings and Observations INDIVIDUAL AGENCY CAPACITIES & NEEDS UN HABITAT UNESCO UN Women UNIDO World Health Organization (WHO) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Food & Agricultural Organisation (FAO) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) UNAIDS Secretariat World Food Programme (WFP) International Organization for Migration (IOM)

3 6.13. United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) World Bank (WB) International Labour Office (ILO) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) KEY RECOMENDATIONS & ACTION PLAN General Recommendations: Delivering as One General Recommendations: UNMIL Services Proposed Institutional Strengthening Action Plan ANNEX 1. UNDAF STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND AVAILABLE CAPACITIES ANNEX 2. UNMIL SERVICES AND UNCT CAPACITIES ANNEX 3. LIST OF PERSONS MET ANNEX 4. LIST OF DOCUMENTS REVIEWED

4 LIST OF ACRONYMS & ABBREVIATIONS BIN CBL CSO CST DaO DMS DSRSG ECD ECE FAO FST GSM HACT HRBA IAPT ICT ILO IMTC IMF IOC IOM IT JP LNP MOF NAC NGO OMT PBC/F PMCT PRS RBM RCO SRSG SSR TOR Bureau for Immigration & Naturalisation Central Bank of Liberia Civil Society Organisation County Support Team Delivering as One Director of Mission Support Deputy Special Representative to the Secretary General Early Childhood Development Early Childhood Education Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations Field Support Team Global Management System Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers Human Rights Based Approach Inter Agency Programming Team Information Communications Technology International Labour Office Integrated Mission Training Centre International Monetary Fund Officer in Charge International Organization for Migration Information Technology Joint Programme Liberia National Police Ministry of Finance National Aids Commission Non Governmental Organization Operations Management Team Peace Building Commission/Fund Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Poverty Reduction Strategy Results Based Management Resident Coordinator's Office Special Representative to the Secretary General Security Sector Reform Terms of Reference 3

5 UN UN Women UNAIDS UNCT UNDAF UNDP UNESCO UNFPA UNHABITAT UNHCR UNICEF UNIDO UNMIL UNODC UNOPS UNPOL WB WHO United Nations United Nations (Women) Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women United Nations AIDS United Nations Country Team United Nations Development Assistance Framework United Nations Development Programme United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations Fund for Population United Nations HABITAT United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees United Nations Children's Fund United Nations Industrial Development Organization United Nations Mission in Liberia United Nations Office for Drug Control United Nations Office for Project Services United Nations Police World Bank World Health Organization 4

6 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Delivering as One(DaO) was launched as a pilot initiative in eight countries in 2007 as part of the United Nation s response to the commitment made by the wider development community through the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. It aims to strengthen national ownership of development priorities and increase the UN s strategic impact by providing more coherent, effective and relevant assistance at the country level. On 25 February 2010, the Government officially requested that Liberia become a Delivering as One self starter country, making Liberia the first post conflict country with an Integrated Mission to embark on the UN reform process. The UN in Liberia has already made significant progress in joint programming to address national priorities. Currently the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) is being developed and finalized in line with the Government of Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS2) to be launched in mid This has to take account of the fact that the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) is under transition. The United Nations system in Liberia decided to conduct an internal assessment of existing technical, human and financial capacities at both national and county levels to identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps, and enable the UN Country Team (UNCT) to strengthen its capacities to implement DaO and support UNMIL s transition. The assessment was carried out in the months of February and March 2012 by an international capacity assessment consultant using a mix of methods that included desk reviews; interviews with agency heads and staff, development partners, government and field based staff; attending workshops and other relevant meetings; and through presentations and receipt of feedback from key audiences. Using a guided questionnaire, comparative advantages, capacities present (technical, human resources and financial) as well as capacity gaps were assessed for each UNCT member. Details of these capacities are outlined in chapter 6 of the main report. Present capacities were then compared with required capacities (Annex 1) to ensure that all capacity gaps are identified and reported. Annex 1 contains required capacities derived from the outcomes of the four priority areas under the UNDAF namely peace, security and rule of law; sustainable economic transformation; human development 5

7 and; governance and public institutions. It also has key information on which entity within UNCT has the capacities, including where applicable, capacities available within UNMIL. With regard to UNMIL Transition, critical services and support currently provided by UNMIL have been highlighted in the main report and observations have been made on UNCT capacity to assume some of those functions. Annex 2 summarises the findings. Major findings arising out of the assessment are summarized below: Overall UN Comparative Advantage(s) and Synergies While UNCT is involved in all the four priority areas in the UNDAF, human development stands out as the overall area where most agencies are involved in and its is viewed by many stakeholders as being the UN comparative advantage. This has an implication in the way the UN does its business in that interventions in all other priority areas namely peace, security and rule of law; sustainable economic transformation and; governance and public institutions need to be designed in such a way that they help delivery of public services and contribute towards the improvement of the overall human development index for Liberia. Agencies within UNCT have unique areas of expertise as shown in the main report. These are yet to be fully utilised in order to help reduce duplicative activities and competition among agencies. Agency wide Capacities to Implement UNDAF Technical, human resources and financial capacities available within agencies need to be understood within the context of the individual agency s business model. This has been looked at in terms of the extent of reliance of core funds and project based funds, and whether the agency implements programs directly (Direct Implementation) or through partner systems (National Implementation). These two determine the level of capacity required in an agency as detailed in the main report. Findings indicate that a number of agencies tilt towards direct implementation and this requires them to maintain high capacity levels technically, financially and in terms of staff numbers. Based on the capacities required to deliver the UNDAF outcomes in the four priority areas, including cross cutting issues, there are largely adequate 6

8 capacities present for each individual agency. However, there exist capacity gaps within agencies that need to be filled. Notwithstanding individual gaps for each agency, monitoring and evaluation stands out as an area that needs to be reinforced in a number of agencies as well as capacity to apply the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) to programming. A number of agencies also do need support in mainstreaming and implementing cross cutting issues such as HIV/AIDS, gender(including gender based budgeting) and the environment. Chapter 5 of this report provides details of specific needs for each agency. UNMIL Transition & UNCT Capacities The scale and pace of UNMIL drawdown and reconfiguration of functions and services is currently under high level discussions. However, as part of the process of supporting a smooth transition, UNCT should plan with UNMIL on those services that can be assumed based on existing capacities. These include: Functions and activities in which the agencies have been collaborating closely with UNMIL both in Monrovia and county levels and where the agencies have reasonable capacity that could be further strengthened if need be. These include child protection issues, peace building, border migration training; Activities that are not complex in nature and for which the UNCT can acquire relevant capacity within a relatively short period. Examples of these include identifying common travel services and a provider for fuel, especially in Monrovia Delivering as One (DaO) Related Findings There are a number of positive developments made thus far in implementing DaO in Liberia. Notable ones include joint programming through the UNDAF, five joint programmes, a common approach to certain services and joint field offices. There are also coordinating mechanisms in place through the Inter Agency Planning Team (AIPT), Operations Management Team (OMT), Outcome groups, gender and the UN Communications Group (UNCT). Leadership of UNCT is also strong and committed to the Dao process. The following challenges need to be overcome in order to further strengthen DaO: 7

9 Communications and information gaps that often times lead to different interpretations of DaO with regard to one programme and common services. Of particular importance is the flow of communications to the lower levels so that all staff get an accurate understanding of DaO; Different policy positions and procedures practised by various agencies at the UN agencies headquarter level, posing a challenge to DaO implementation at country level; Perception of some agencies on DaO in Liberia seen to focus more on processes rather than results, and in some cases the voices and concerns of some agencies may not be heard or properly raised by the one voice; Coordinating challenges with regard to IAPT, OMT in particular where attendance and effectiveness need to be improved; Individual agencies tend to focus on their own visibility and sometimes engage in activities that may not be part of their comparative advantage. This creates unhealthy competition for funds among the agencies, in some cases results in duplication and does not enable the UN to speak with one voice; UN systems and procedures are sometimes inhibitive and this, coupled with internal bureaucracy, tends to limit its ability to take advantage of the fast changing development environment that is more and more getting focussed on quick delivery of results; While planning at the UNDAF level is based on results (RBM), most project implemented are based on activities and this does not permit results based reporting; UN activities have not been seen to focus more on providing policy and capacity support to national institutions and coordination of capacity development with development partners and other players providing similar support has not been efficiently done. Recommendations Recommendations being made to UNCT following the assessment are summarized below: 8

10 Delivering as One Strengthen the UN Communications Group (UNCG) in order to help communicate DaO messages to different audiences and ensure that there is accountability through regular updates to the UNCT. Options should be explored including that of creating an integrated communication structure; While it is appreciated that different agencies have different policies and procedures, it is proposed that points of convergence be identified around which Agencies can work together for the implementation of DaO, with a focus on areas where quick wins could be made especially with regard to common services and tapping on economies of scale; Coordinating mechanisms such as IAPT and OMT need to have their terms of reference revisited before the next UNDAF cycle, redefining responsibilities and ensuring as much as possible that the chairing of these organs is rotational to elicit commitment from all members. Members nominated to the IAPT and OMT should have this responsibility included in their terms of reference or job descriptions for accountability purposes; There is need to deepen the Result Based Management (RBM) beyond planning and ensure that reporting is based on results and not just on inputs, processes and activities. Agencies need to draw a medium term plan in order to achieve this goal. For a start, a simple spread sheet of budget monitoring for one programme could be developed and utilized, with budget information by agency and output on what is planned based as well as actual expenditures. This should include amounts received by agencies by donors with respect to the outputs. The criteria for sharing common costs may require another look in order to ensure that all concerns raised by some agencies are addressed and emphasis should be given to longer term benefits through carrying out cost studies and a cost benefit analysis. The criteria should however be simple for implementation purposes; Procedures need to be simplified when dealing with implementing partners (IPs). As such, initiatives such as HACT need to be accelerated so as to gradually move from Direct Implementation to National execution. This will reduce transaction 9

11 costs and lead to more efficient use of resources when implementing the UNDAF; The joint fundraising strategy should be carefully designed to ensure that it does not diminish the capacity of agencies to raise funds, especially those that have already developed networks and machinery to target particular donors and groups and where long term relationships have already been built; There is a need to reinforce the coordination of joint programmes by ensuring that the mandates of the steering committees and designated program managers are well understood by all the agencies involved; UNCT should focus on providing more policy and capacity support to national institutions and also coordinate this carefully with other development partners and players providing similar support in order to reduce duplication UNMIL Transition The OMT should accelerate plans of identifying and using private providers of services such as fuel, travel and in housetraining; UNCT needs to think of medical emergencies provided by air travel especially at the field level and given limited evacuation services from private providers in Liberia, there may be need to explore available options within the region; In the medium term, the UNCT needs to determine how field based support can be provided to UN agencies on the ground, especially in operational areas. In counties where there are joint offices, common services can be shared more or less the same way it happens in Monrovia with regard to security, utilities, etc. The UNCT does not need to have a presence in each county but could focus on areas where activities are concentrated in the short and medium terms. Support given by UNMIL to the counties could eventually be taken over by UNDP as part of local governance. This will require more investments in terms of human resources and equipment support; In order to continue supporting the Peace Building Commission, the proposed recruitment of a justice advisor by UNDP may help it fulfil this role and support 10

12 the UNMIL transition process as a result. Other agencies can also provide support on justice related areas based on existing capacities; Training of agencies in Human Rights Based Programming (HRBP) should be part of the transition strategy. This should include, in the medium term, recruitment of a human rights advisor within UNCT (could be based at UNDP or UNICEF) in order to continue providing support with regard to HRBP. UNCT should however work closely with UNMIL which currently has this capacity. Capacity Strengthening Plan A capacity strengthening plan has been given as detailed in chapter 7 of this report. The plan is based on identified needs during the capacity assessment. It is recommended that this plan be included as part of the UNDAF costing process and in individual agency country plans. Modalities should be worked for addressing common capacity development issues such as Result Based management and human rights based programming. 11

13 2. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND Delivering as One(DaO) was launched as a pilot initiative in eight countries in 2007 as part of the United Nation s response to the commitment made by the wider development community through the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. It aims to strengthen national ownership of development priorities, and increase the UN s strategic impact by providing more coherent, effective and relevant assistance at the country level. Since 2007, a number of countries have requested to become volunteers, or selfstarters, in implementing the UN reform process. On 25 February 2010, the Government officially requested that Liberia become a Delivering as One self starter country. In October 2010, a High Level Conference that brought together representatives from the Government, UN and donors, marked the official launch of Delivering as One in Liberia. Liberia is the first post conflict country with an Integrated Mission to embark on the UN reform process. The UN in Liberia has already made significant progress in joint programming to address national priorities. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Liberia incorporates key benchmarks of the Integrated Strategic Framework, and reflects interventions by the UN Agencies and the Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), while an integrated management structure provides strategic policy advice and guidance to the UN system s work in Liberia. A number of Joint Programmes have been developed, Joint Offices set up, and common services implemented. The Government of Liberia is presently developing Vision 2030, and its National Growth and Development Strategy (Poverty Reduction Strategy II). The current United Nations Development Assistance Framework ends in 2012 and UNMIL is in a transition phase. The progressive transition of UNMIL will change the composition and operational capacity of the UN in Liberia. A UN Delivering as One in Liberia will be better placed to respond to these developments. The United Nations system in Liberia decided to conduct an internal assessment of existing technical, human and financial capacities at both national and county levels to identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps, and enable the UNCT to strengthen its capacities to implement Delivering as One and support UNMIL s transition. 12

14 3. ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES As detailed in the terms of reference annexed to this report, the main objective of this assignment is to assess the UN system s human, financial and technical capacities in order to contribute relevant and targeted assistance to the Government s national priorities, both at the national and sub national levels, in the context of Delivering as One and taking into account UNMIL s transition processes. The following specific objectives were to be addressed: To assess the UN s existing institutional capacities (in country and of Non Resident Agencies) at national and sub national levels, to; o Address relevant national priorities currently being formulated in the PRS II, for which the UNCT has a comparative advantage, and o Implement the One Programme/new UNDAF and the new approach to common services as detailed in the operational change management plan. To identify required institutional capacities to contribute to the achievement of national priorities as articulated above, by Delivering as one, taking into consideration UNMIL transition requirements. To identify key milestones in UNMIL transition planning requiring UNCT input/consideration, as well as key UNMIL functions that need to be handed over for implementation by the UN Country Team. To identify critical capacity gaps, synergies and technical requirements, by agency/entity, in line with their foreseen roles and responsibilities within the new One Programme, taking into consideration their comparative advantages and mandates. To recommend actions and measures to be implemented in the short and medium term which would develop and/or strengthen UNCT capacities to coherently respond to national priorities, deliver the One Programme, facilitate the change management process and ensure a smooth transition of UNMIL. 4. ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY The assessment was carried out during the months of February and March 2012 and employed a mix of methodologies presented hereunder: Desk review of existing and relevant literature. A list of documents reviewed is attached in Annex 1. The desk review exercise involved two stages: desk review 13

15 prior to planning meetings for familiarization with the issues at hand; and post planning desk review that was done concurrently with other activities; Planning and briefing meetings with key stakeholders including the UN resident s Office and other UN coordinating organs. The aim of this was to clarify expectations, identify stakeholders to be interviewed, documents to be reviewed, assessment tools to be utilized(interview template) as well as an agreed calendar of activities including overall coordination mechanisms; Held discussions with key stakeholders (see Annex 3) through a variety of methods that included individual and group interviews. An interview guide was prepared and sent to the agencies in ahead of the interview date and this was followed by a scheduled interview/group discussion with the heads of the agencies and their staff. A quick summary of proceedings of the interview was prepared and sent back to the agency in question to ensure that all key issues have been captured relating to areas of comparative advantage, current capacities and capacity gaps. Held discussions with heads of two field offices including attending a meeting where all were present to discuss the DaO structure and their role in it; Prepared a zero draft reporting on among others, critical capacity assets and synergies present as well as capacity gaps broken down by agency, recommendations and a capacity strengthening plan. Major findings were shared with UNCT through a presentation and further inputs received; Finalized report incorporating inputs received after the presentation. 5. MAIN FINDINGS 5.1. UNDAF Strategic Focus & UNCT Capacities UNDAF Strategic Focus The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) covering the period and which is currently being finalised focuses on four major priority areas in line with the Government of Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS2) expected to be finalized in June The four major priority areas include: Peace, security and rule of law Sustainable economic transformation Human development Inclusive Governance and public institutions 14

16 Supporting these priority areas are important normative programming standards cutting across programs such as human rights including HIV/AIDS, gender and environmental sustainability. Two operational principles, capacity development and Results Based Management (RBM) have also been applied in the development of the UNDAF. For each of the four priority areas and cross cutting issues, outcomes have been developed as well as planned outputs to contribute towards achieving the desired outcomes (see Annex 1 for a detailed table of priority areas and outcomes). In order for the UN agencies to successfully implement the UNDAF within the framework of Delivering as One (Dao), they need to have necessary and appropriate technical, human resources and financial capacities Business Models used by UNCT members Capacity requirements need to be understood within the context of the way each agency conducts its business or in other words, its business model. This can be broadly looked at in two angles: the way the agency is funded or funds its operations and; the manner in which it implements its programs. Based on this, the following categories were identified: Based on mode of funding Agencies with regular (core) funds and project based budgets Agencies only funded through projects ( no core funds) Based on method of implementation Direct implementation where the agency manages funds; Use of partner systems (National Implementation method) A combination of both An understanding of the business model is crucial in determining capacity gaps of an agency. For instance, where an agency is fully project funded, it may not need to keep a lot of staff or back office capacity as this can be expanded based on need, so long as the organization has the capacity to mobilize personnel when 15

17 required. Likewise, increased use of partner systems may release administrative and financial capacity that is required, though additional capacities may be needed for monitoring and quality control. The table below attempts to classify the Agencies based on the business model they employ in their operations. Agency Core Funds & Projects Project Funds only Direct Implementation National Implementation 1 Direct Modality and elements of National implementation UNHABITAT UNESCO UN Women WHO FAO UNDP UNOPS UNAIDS WFP IOM UNICEF UNIDO UNHCR 1 The Direct implementation is still the predominant method for the Agencies in question 16

18 UNFPA ILO Matching Capacities with UNDAF requirements In order to determine required capacities to implement the UNDAF, key technical and human resource requirements were determined for each priority area (See Annex 1) and compared with existing capacities at the agency level. This was complemented with individual capacity assessments done for each Agency and acted as a means of ensuring that no major gap has been overlooked. Details on comparative advantages and capacities per agency are described in the next chapter. From this comparison, key institutional capacity gaps were identified for each agency. Capacity has been determined not only based on what is available incountry but takes account of regional and international expertise at the disposal of the agency in question. Annex 1 also shows available capacities in each of the key priority areas and related outcomes as spelled out in the UNDAF. The table below summarizes each agency s area of comparative advantage, the related strategic focus and critical institutional capacity gaps identified. Agency Summary Comparative Advantage(s) Main UNDAF Strategic Priority/Cross cutting issue Critical Institutional Capacity Gap(s) in form of Expertise Note: Agencies may be involved in multiple priority areas. FAO Agricultural production & Food Security Sustainable Economic Transformation Operational Management; M&E ILO Policy advice and technical assistance to Government on equal opportunities for decent employment, work place rights, social protection Sustainable Economic Transformation & Human Development Lack of permanent country representation ( representative covers 4 other countries) 17

19 Agency Summary Comparative Advantage(s) Main UNDAF Strategic Priority/Cross cutting issue Critical Institutional Capacity Gap(s) in form of Expertise Note: Agencies may be involved in multiple priority areas. and dialogue IMF Policy advice and technical assistance to the Central Bank and Ministry of Finance Sustainable Economic Transformation IOM Migration management & Post crisis community stabilization Peace, security, rule of law, human development Labour Migration; In house migration management (normally provided from regional office) UN Women Women s economic empowerment & Gender Mainstreaming Peace & Security, Economic Transformation, Gender UNAIDS HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support HIV/AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation; Inhouse Gender & HIV UNDP Governance and Propoor economic development Governance & Public institutions; Sustainable Economic Transformation, peace security, rule of law Aid Coordination, Peace Building Fund Management UNESCO Education & Culture Human Development Information Management, Culture, M&E 18

20 Agency Summary Comparative Advantage(s) Main UNDAF Strategic Priority/Cross cutting issue Critical Institutional Capacity Gap(s) in form of Expertise Note: Agencies may be involved in multiple priority areas. UNFPA Reproductive Health, Population and development Human Development UNHABITAT Land reforms & Urban planning Sustainable Economic Transformation Fundraising; Evidence based advocacy on urban areas UNHCR Refugee protection, provision of life saving aid, emergence response and durable solutions Peace, Security & Rule of Law Commodity & Financial Tracking UNICEF Child survival & Development including maternal and child health, protection child and social ; Youth empowerment and basic education Human Development UNIDO Private sector, trade capacity development and Business investment Sustainable Economic Transformation Monitoring & Evaluation, Mainstreaming Gender & HIV UNOPS Infrastructure development with focus on construction Human Development Resources for staff capacity; mainstreaming gender and human rights WB Policy and technical support on sector wide strategies and Sustainable Economic Transformation, 19

21 Agency Summary Comparative Advantage(s) Main UNDAF Strategic Priority/Cross cutting issue Critical Institutional Capacity Gap(s) in form of Expertise Note: Agencies may be involved in multiple priority areas. conducting studies and analysis to support them human development WFP Food security and fight hunger reduction Sustainable Economic Transformation & human development WHO Health policy, systems, regulation and research Human Development Resource mobilization UNCT overall Comparative Advantage From the table above, it is evident that while UNCT is involved in all the four priority areas in the UNDAF, human development stands out as the overall area where most agencies are involved in and is perceived by outside stakeholders and consisting the overall comparative advantage for the UN. This means that interventions in all other priority areas namely peace, security and rule of law; sustainable economic transformation and; governance and public institutions need to be designed in such a way that they help delivery of public services and improve the overall well being of the Liberian population UNMIL Services & UNCT Capacities As part of UNDAF planning, it is important to consider critical services and functions being provided through the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)and factor them in as practically possible as a way of supporting a smooth transition. Main services and functions as well as UNCT possible response to the drawdown are outlined hereunder UNMIL Critical Services to UNCT While the UNMIL transition involves both security and civilian elements, this assessment focused on the civilian services currently offered by UNMIL and that will have a great impact on the work of the UNCT once they are scaled down. 20

22 UNMIL currently provides both programmatic and operational support services to UNCT members in Monrovia and to the counties where there are limited capacities in most areas. Major functions and services 2 provided by UNMIL are briefly covered below: Field Support Coordination UNMIL remains the coordination focal point for county activities. UNMIL is present in all the 15 counties of Liberia from where staff provides monitoring and reporting support that takes the form of weekly reports. This is done through the Field Support team (FST). Logistics The critical logistics provided by UNMIL in both Monrovia and field offices include: Transportation in terms of air, sea and road transport for personnel and goods; Refuelling and bulk fuel supplies; Maintenance and security at field offices; Other services for some counties such as cash payment escorts and water supply; Health services provided to UN staff through JORMED level III and other clinics Operational support to visiting missions that includes hotel reservations, immigration and custom formalities, ticketing and flights confirmations Programmatic Functions Justice, Security and National Reconciliation UMMIL, through its Security Sector Reform (SSR) advisor provides advice to the Liberia Peace Building Commission (PBC). According to the UNMIL civilian services mapping analysis (July 2011), justice and security expertise as well as 2 This has been drawn largely from the UNMIL civilian services mapping analysis conducted in July 2011 and supplemented with discussions with UNMIL and UNCT staff 21

23 coordination resources are currently not available within UNCT to support the PBC in terms of technical and administrative support. Police Support to the Liberia National Police (LNP) and to the Bureau of Immigration & Naturalization (BIN) is currently provided by UNMIL through its advisors (UNPOL) and this includes providing a link between UNCT programming and the institutional development needs of these institutions. This specialist capacity will need to be developed within the UNCT given the planned UNMIL drawdown. Specific areas of support by UNPOL include LNP operations, reform and restructuring, training and development, planning and research, among others. Human Rights and Protection This involves capacity for policy and programme development that incorporates human rights approaches. While the UN agencies are already involved in joint UN Government programmes and projects that are focused on protection of vulnerable groups, they will need to think of current advisory services provided through UNMIL that include technical support to the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities within the UNCT and applying the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) to programming. Support to UNCT at County level While field support services provided by UNMIL both in Monrovia and the field have already been mentioned above, it is worthwhile to revisit some of the specific support services at the county levels. These may vary from country to county but they can be categorised as follows: Logistics that involves refuelling at UNMIL logistics bases, supply of water and power, accommodation in some counties(guest house) such as Gbarpolu, Lofa counties, transportation of drugs where required, server and network services, office maintenance services such as is the case in Lofa county for WFP and UNDP, recovery of vehicles when required, escort and provision of security for WFP payments mostly at Lofa county, among other services; 22

24 Coordination and administration services that include monitoring all UN supported Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) implementing projects on behalf of UN agencies including monitoring visits for the Joint Programmes(JP), monitoring and providing information to UNHCR on human rights activities and violations and refugee situation and protection issues as is the case in Maryland county, provision of weekly consolidated reports, coordinating UN representation at County Development Steering Committee meetings; Training in some counties such as that involving UNHCR community monitors in Maryland county and providing administrative support to the International Office for Migration with regard to third country nationals being repatriated home Other Services Provided by UNMIL to UNCT Other than the critical services outlined above, there are other key services for which UNCT may need plan for in the UNDAF as part of supporting UNMIL transition. Some of these include: Advice to the County Support Team (CST) on resource needs for county administrations and capacity development needs for the CST; Technical advice to the Transitional Justice Working Group; Training through the Integrated Mission Training Centre (IMTC) on professional improvement courses and others; Provision of legal advice and training to UNDP on proposal writing, implementation and evaluation to civil society organizations Legal advice and technical training for UNICEF on the joint Child Justice Program Critical UNMIL services to the Government & Civil Society In addition to the services that UNMIL provides to UNCT, it is equally important to consider some critical services currently provided to the Government of Liberia and the civil society. Absence of these services will impact negatively on the way UNCT implements the UNDAF if certain capacities are not in place at the Government level. These services include: 23

25 Training peace committees in soft components of conflict prevention through conflict analysis, dialogue, mediation and resolution and helping to consolidate institutions through facilitation and coordination; Strengthening capacity of the Bureau of Corrections in strategic planning, policy development and prison oversight. This service is offered through UNMIL s Corrections Advisory Unit through co located advisors and mentors; Legal and judicial systems support through training of lawyers and strengthening the judiciary and legislature. Areas to be considered by UNCT include provision of legal aid and legislative reforms; Building the capacity of the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the bureau for Immigration and Naturalisation (BIN). Both institutions are critical in providing long term and sustainable security and stability in Liberia UNCT Capacities to respond to UNMIL Drawdown The scale and pace of UNMIL drawdown and reconfiguration of functions and services is currently under high level discussions. However, as part of the process of supporting a smooth transition, UNCT should plan with UNMIL on those services that can be assumed based on existing capacities. Annex 2 to this report lists some of the key functions currently being performed by UNMIL and indicates areas where capacities do exist. In making a choice on what to hand over to UNCT in the immediate and medium term, criteria that should be considered include: Functions and activities in which the agencies have been collaborating closely with UNMIL both in Monrovia and country levels and where the agencies have reasonable capacity that could be further strengthened if need be; Activities that are not complex in nature and for which the UNCT can acquire relevant capacity within a relatively short period. These areas include: Common services such as fuel provision, travel and training services; 24

26 Justice and security so long as UNDP recruits two specialists in this area as indicated in the gaps analysis, in order to support the work related to the Peace Building Fund (PBF). The last chapter contains some recommendations with regard to services and activities provided by UNMIL DaO Synergies, Challenges and Opportunities Delivering as one (DaO) presents an opportunity for the UNCT members to utilize their respective comparative advantages and capitalize on synergies in order to implement the UNDAF Programmatic areas Current status There are already a number of positive developments towards DaO implementation and these include: Joint programming as evidenced by the current joint development of the UNDAF on which individual agency planning shall be aligned; Joint programs that have been or are being carried out by various agencies and these include Prevention of and Response to Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Gender Equality and Women s Economic Empowerment, Food Security and Nutrition, Youth Employment and Empowerment, Joint Programme on Adolescent Girls and County Support Teams (CST); Ten agencies implementing HIV/AIDS programme together with UNAIDS with one common plan and monitoring and evaluation framework; Programmatic management and coordinating structures put in place such as the Inter Agency Programming Team (IAPT), Outcome Groups for all the outcomes under the current UNDAF, theme groups on gender and HIV/AIDS, a monitoring and Evaluation group, among others. 25

27 Challenges While progress continues to be made, challenges still exist for the successful implementation of DaO. These include: While the DaO concept is well understood at the higher levels, the same may not be said about the lower levels of management suggesting a gap in information sharing in order to trigger agency wide ownership across the UNCT. In certain cases, there are different interpretations of DaO from one agency to the other, including what it means to speak with one voice; Related to the point above, some agencies have dedicated staff for communications while others have a focal point person. The UN Communications Group (UNCG) is mandated to harmonize and coordinate communication activities within the agencies but there is yet in place a well implemented coordinated strategy that ensures that common messages regarding DaO are well handled and appropriately communicated to various audiences and at various levels; Different policy positions followed by the headquarters of various UN Agencies, making it a challenge to come to a common position on issues at the country level; Lack of clarity as to how joint fundraising will be carried out and some UNCT members have concerns on how this will affect their operations; There is not yet an agreed criteria as to how funds raised jointly shall be allocated to the agencies as well as an agreed framework on funds management; The IAPT as a coordinating mechanism has not worked optimally, with attendance reported to be low and in some cases seconded members are not adequately briefed by their supervisors before the meetings in order for them to be able to contribute effectively in the discussions. It is also reported that discussions focus more on operational issues rather than policy 26

28 Opportunities There are numerous synergies that present an opportunity for the agencies to work together and deliver as one. The next chapter, capacities per agency, identifies examples of these synergies and most of these are already being taken advantage of in the current joint programmes; Strong UNCT leadership committed to the DaO process; The new UNDAF presents yet another opportunity of delivering as one through joint programming and having one budgetary framework against which actual performance can be compared Common Services Current Status At present, the common services and initiatives include: The dispensary, transport for some agencies (WFP, UNHCR, UNDP and FAO), internet for some agencies, security in Monrovia that are shared; Joint field offices in some counties (Lofa, Grand Gedeh, Maryland); Six agencies housed in one building in Monrovia (UNESCO, FAO, IOM, UN Women, UNFPA and UNIDO), presenting an example of how agencies can share common facilities such as security, power generators and other common services under one roof; The Operations Management Team (OMT) coordinating the way common services are to be implemented and is currently exploring ways of further harmonisation through task forces on the Harmonised Approach to Cash Transfers(HACT), procurement, ICT and Human Resources; Challenges Challenges that need to be addressed with regard to common services include: 27

29 A lack of a clear understanding of what common services entail. For instance, there is a perception that this will entail, for example, merging procurement procedures for all members; Coming up with an acceptable formula on how to share common costs. The current criteria based on staff numbers has been contested by some agencies; Different operational procedures and requirements by respective HQs have been cited as not facilitating one approach to common services such as human resources, ICT and procurement and agencies have different rules when it comes to international procurements. There is also a perception by some agencies that their concerns and voices may not be adequately articulated by the DaO; Initial financial investments required to be invested for certain services may be substantial such as conducting HACT assessments, one UN office, etc. and this tends to discourage some agencies in embracing one approach to common services; Joint programme coordination remains a challenge. While there is a steering committee and managers, their authority over individual agencies is somewhat diminished or not well defined; Coordination challenges related to the OMT: Attendance at the monthly meetings is reported not to be very good, alternate staff seconded to attend on behalf of substantive members in most cases do not participate adequately, there is no deputy chair at present and OMT management is not part of the job descriptions of members Opportunities The challenges notwithstanding, opportunities do exist: For making savings on costs and focusing more on issues that do not jeopardise individual agency procedures. These include use of one travel agency, sharing information on prequalification of bidders or carrying them out jointly, use of one fuel supplier, etc. A good example is the 28

30 sharing of one single building by five agencies namely UNESCO, IOM, UN Women, FAO and UNFPA Staff secondments from one agency to the other to fill identified needs or additional support in a particular area as far as common services as concerned 5.4. Other DaO Findings and Observations During the assessment process, other observations were made and UNCT may wish to consider them while implementing the DaO. Key ones are summarized below: While appreciating efforts being made to work as one team, individual agencies tend to focus on their own visibility and sometimes engage in activities that may not be part of their comparative advantage. This creates unhealthy competition for funds among the agencies, in some cases results in duplication and does not enable the UN to speak with one voice; UN systems and procedures are sometimes inhibitive and this, coupled with internal bureaucracy, tends to limit its ability to take advantage of the fast changing development environment that is more and more getting focussed on quick delivery of results; Weak coordination and monitoring of joint programmes especially at the program level where overall accountability and reporting mechanisms are weak; Progress reporting is still input and/or activity based and not necessarily based on results, and this does not permit a more informed comparison between the planned results and what has actually been achieved; UN interventions have not put enough focus on policy and capacity development of national institutions where capacity is very weak and have not adequately coordinated this with development partners providing similar support; While the UNDAF is aligned with the PRS at the higher levels( outcomes), some stakeholders have noted that there tends to be a disconnect at operational and activity levels 29

31 6. INDIVIDUAL AGENCY CAPACITIES & NEEDS The relative comparative advantages, capacity strengths, capacity gaps and needs are described under for each UNCT agency assessed. This has been arranged following the order in which they were assessed UN HABITAT Agency Mandate UNHABITAT in Liberia works on human settlements with a focus on urban planning and housing. As an entry point into Liberia, UNHABITAT has been supporting the newly established Land Commission to assess the state of the land sector, monitor progress on land and housing interventions including reforms required through legal and institutional harmonization. A key element of its work has been capacity building at county levels on areas of leadership, local economic development and financial management Comparative Advantages and Capacities Areas of Comparative Advantage Mode of Operation/Business Model Land expertise Urban planning Capacity Development UNHABITAT staff work directly (imbedded) in government institutions to provide required technical support. There are no core funds. Programmes implemented using National Implementation(NIM) Current Capacities: Technical Land reforms (policy, institutional and legal) advice to the Government; land conflict resolution Urban planning advice and technical support, including informal settlements Support to decentralization through capacity development of county administrations 30

32 Institution building technical team is embedded within government office and strengthening finance, HR and general management Human Resources In country: Chief technical advisor on land, a senior planner, one financial manager and 3 national staff on training External Support: land and urban expertise provided by Nairobi HQ; Training Unit based in HQ Nairobi deployed when required Financial Financial resources are limited to donor funded projects. UN HABITAT works directly with Government counterparts hence no much financial management capacity of its own Administrative/Logistical UNDP provides administrative and financial support. Capacity Gaps 3 Lack of resources limit the capacity to pre invest in emerging areas where the agency has comparative technical advantages as funds are all tied to projects. Lack of resources to quickly deploy the training unit when required and to pre invest funds in emerging areas as funds are all tied to projects. This same factor hinders UN HABITAT in Liberia to have a wider presence in the field in order to provide capacity development through training; No experience in incorporating certain cross cutting issues such as HIV/AIDS and it is not easily applicable to current areas of intervention Limited time for donor awareness and fundraising regarding existing work and emerging priorities Limited resources to provide technical advice to UN family on planning and land related issues even though there is increasing demand Capacity Needs Fundraising Evidence based advocacy on urban issues 3 Capacity gaps are those directly related to the capacity of the Agency to capitalize on its comparative advantage 31