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UNDG Joint Programs Lessons Learned

UNDG Joint Programs Lessons Learned. Philippe Grandet (UNFPA ) based on an independent report by Charles Downs UNDG – Donor Meeting on Multi-donor Trust Funds 11 February 2013 New York. What are the Joint Programmes ?. Pooled Parallel Pass-through.

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UNDG Joint Programs Lessons Learned

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  1. UNDG Joint ProgramsLessons Learned Philippe Grandet (UNFPA) based on an independent report by Charles Downs UNDG – Donor Meeting on Multi-donor Trust Funds11 February 2013 New York

  2. What are the Joint Programmes? Pooled Parallel Pass-through

  3. Key elements of a Pass-through JP • Joint Programme document • Steering Committee • Administrative Agent • Standard legal documents

  4. Distribution by modality • Nearly 90% of the 526 JPs in the current records of MPTF Office, UNICEF and UNFPA are funded on a pass-through basis.

  5. Evolution over 10 years • The peak during the 2007-2009 period is linked to the establishment of the MDG-F. • Pass-through JPs became a constant feature of the funding architecture.

  6. Who participates? • 41 UN Organizations have been involved in JPs. • The five UN Organizations that most frequently participate are: • UNDP (present in 68% of the JPs) • UNICEF (57%) - WHO(27%) • UNFPA (44%) - FAO (23%) • The number of Participating UN Organization in any given joint programme ranges from 2 to 16. • 72% JPs involve 4 or less agencies (82% 5 or less).

  7. Where? In what contexts?

  8. The survey • Input from staff dealing with JPs in the headquarters of 10 UN Agencies • An on-line survey that received responses from 329 UN staff at country-level • A mission to three case countries (Ecuador, Nepal and Uganda) to obtain national Government and donor perspectives

  9. Reasons to establish a JP • “Good fit for the programme” is definitely the best reason. The programme must drive the funding. • Other reasons are not necessarily bad but we (donors, HQs, RCs, Government) must be careful about not creating undue pressure if the modality is not the right fit. • To increase effectiveness, the programme must drive the funding mechanism.

  10. Aid effectiveness • The current JP guidance note is in the spirit of Paris and Accra: national Government is given a key role (signatory of JP document, member of Steering Committee). • However, some respondent to the survey perceived guidance as too UN-centric. Revision should emphasize the aid effectiveness benefits and the role of Governments.

  11. Factors of success (1) Limited number of UN Participating Organizations: • Balance between inclusiveness and effectiveness • More than 80% of survey respondents indicate that the number of PUNOs should never exceed 4 to 5 A significant budget: • Frequency of very small JPs has fallen over the year • Still 39% of JPs post 2008 have a budget below $1 million. • Small JPs may have a political value or fulfill specific purposes • Below a certain threshold, transactions cost are too high (to be discussed)

  12. Factors of success (2) Sufficient time: • designed for development programming and not for quick impact projects. • 60% of respondent indicate that duration should be at least three years (75% two years) Strategic engagement with Non-Resident Agencies: • NRAs can provide valuable technical expertise • JPs can provide an excellent point of entry • Lack of regular presence is an obstacle to participation in management and coordination structures.

  13. Transaction costs Joint Programmes and Aid Effectiveness by Fund Experience (vertical axis: 2=Strongly Agree, 1=Somewhat Agree, -1=Somewhat Disagree)

  14. Joint accountability for results Lack of joint accountability is a weakness: targets remain agency targets, neither AA nor the PUNOs are accountable for the JP as a whole This should be addressed through: • Strengthening of the governance structure • An indicative allocation of 3% to 5% of the budget for M&E • Providing an overview of the full budget (beyond JP budget)

  15. The governance/coordination structure Currently: • Guidelines only make reference to the Steering Committee • In practice, many different models with some degree of confusion For large JPs, the report recommends: • A policy-level Steering Committee with donors and Government • An operational coordination committee • A coordination unit

  16. The Administrative Agent function Selection: • Selection of the AA purely on administrative not programmatic capacity • all agencies are not currently equipped to provide the same level of services. • Being entirely dedicated to perform the AA functions, the MPTF Office offers the highest quality of services. Closure of JPs: • Financial closure is a major challenge for AAs. • Handling of unspent balance is problematic and should be agreed beforehand.

  17. Reporting Recommendation: • Official reporting (narrative and financial) on an annual basis • Informal reporting more frequent (quarterly or semi-annual) to strengthen joint monitoring/management by the coordination structure.

  18. What next? • Revision of the UNDG guidelines on Joint Programmes: • Issue of threshold • Closing procedures • Management/coordination structure • Continue training efforts: • Understanding of the modalities • Strategic use of Joint Programmes

  19. Thank you

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