Background and Rationale:

In 2005, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, announced the establishment of a High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence in the areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance and the Environment[1] which was tasked with recommending ways of ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of the UN system as a whole, in keeping with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of 2005. The High-level Panel, whose report titled ‘Delivering as One’ was launched in Nov 2006, made recommendations regarding operations, funding and resource allocation, joint programming, and empowered leadership. Initially eight countries volunteered to pilot the programme, Pakistan being the largest. The Delivering as One pilot is intended to streamline UN interventions, increase national ownership, to improve joint programming among UN organisations at the country level, to reduce transaction costs, and increase harmonization and accountability through four main pillars – One Leader, One Budget, One Office and One Programme. Of these the One Programme was the first to be implemented.

The Pakistan One Programme is conceived to enhance UN systemic coherence and synergy, ensuring that the UN’s collective intervention is focused on achieving optimal strategic impact based on alignment with national priorities and MDG targets, adherence to core UN principles, while leveraging the UN’s comparative advantage in Pakistan.  The result aimed at is streamlined, cost-effective and efficient support to the people of Pakistan which is strategically focused on areas of greatest need where the UN system has expertise and a proven track record.

Pakistan’s One UN Programme was signed on 4^th February 2009 in the presence of the UN Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Initially it was operative for a two-year period (2009-10), but due to its effectiveness, the Government of Pakistan and the UN agreed to extend the One Programme for two more years, up to Dec 2012. The current Pakistan One Programme, which unites 19 resident UN agencies and one non-resident agency, provides support to development initiatives of the Government of Pakistan through five Joint Programmes on (a) Agriculture, Rural Development and Poverty Reduction (ARP), (b) Disaster Risk Management (DRM), (c) Education, (d) Environment, and (e) Health and Population, with four cross-cutting issues of Gender Equality, Human Rights, Civil Society, and Refugees.

The first cycle of the One UN Program (OP I) will come to an end in 2012. The second generation One UN Program (OP II) should come into effect from 2013 for a period of five years (until end-2017).  Extensive planning and preparation is required for this new cycle, which will require a comprehensive review of the previous program (including identifying key lessons learned), assessment of the dynamic national context and alignment with new government priorities. Most importantly, as reiterated at the High Level Committee (HLC) Meeting held on 01 Feb 2011, a comprehensive consultative process involving all key stakeholders is necessary to ensure ownership and validation of OP II.

As outlined in the UN guidelines on the UNDAF/OP process (available for circulation as required), the new One Program (OP II) roll-out process requires, inter alia, “national ownership that is inclusive of all stakeholders in all stages of the process, and Alignment with national development priorities, strategies, systems and programming cycles.” It is expected that the Government at national and provincial levels (including EAD and the line ministries) will provide leadership and guidance to the UN system in undertaking the planning framework for UN development assistance for Pakistan. In addition, the next cycle preparation will also engage with the provincial administration, key donors, and a wide spectrum of civil society, thereby ensuring the broadest possible stakeholder participation.

A key product in the process of preparing the next One UN Programme is the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) that should be ready by January 2012. This framework will guide the preparation of UN agency Country Programmes and other programming instruments. Upon endorsement of their programme documents and resource requirements, the UN will prepare and finalise the UNDAF Action Plan. UNDAF document and the Action Plan will jointly constitute the basis of the next One UN Programme (OP II) which we foresee to be completed in October 2012 to take effect in January 2013.

Process and Timeline:

In order to complete the new OP II document in time, the UN system has planned a detailed road map for the roll-out of the new cycle. This process, which has just begun, will continue until the end of 2012. The main steps involved in the process are spelled out in the road map [Annex 1], while the roll-out phases are outlined below.

The Table below identifies the six inter-connected stages of this process, including basic timelines.

The draft One UN Programme roll-out plan and a note on the roll-out and consultation process has been endorsed in principle by the Government of Pakistan. The roll-out plan, which constitutes the road map that spells out the various steps in the process of preparing the One UN Programme, is a living document, and adjustments will be made as the process gains momentum.

National ownership, alignment with national development priorities and Government leadership are key principles underlying preparation of a successful One UN Programme. The UN Country Team anticipates close collaboration with the Government of Pakistan both at the federal and provincial levels to ensure that the next One UN Programme is fully aligned with national priorities and highly focused on areas of strategic transformational potential.