RC Country Specific Orientation Briefing WG-RCSI Friday 14 D ecember 2012

1. RC Country Specific Orientation Briefing WG-RCSI Friday 14 December 2012

2. The RC Learning Continuum

3. Objectives of the Orientation process All Resident Coordinators new to their positions: • Have access to the best institutional memory and country-specific expertise available at UN headquarters, • Are given an early opportunity to make direct personal contact with the units and staff at UN headquarters who perform key functions in relation to their future country of assignment, and • Understand UN agencies’ strategies, priorities and concerns with respect to their country of assignment.

4. Procedures Timing Content All relevant development, political, economic, social, humanitarian, peace and security areas and issues pertaining to a specific country context.   The orientation program should be customised depending on the level of experience and knowledge of the RC/HC/DO. Video-conferencing with the Regional UNDG Teams • Ideally the orientation should take place prior to the RC/HC/DO taking up his/her functions in the country of assignment or within 6 weeks after they have arrived in country. • Should this not be feasible, he/she should be asked to suggest a most suitable time to undertake the orientation mission.

5. Targeted Approach In order to allow a targeted and tailored approach to the orientation process, UN departments, agencies, funds and programmes have prioritized the countries for which they would need to have either: • In-depth face to face briefings ( either at headquarter, regional or country level); • Video-/tele- conference briefings; • Electronic briefings via email. • No briefing at all • Details as of December 2012 in Annex C • Participating UN entities are responsible for informing DOCO should their preferred briefing modality change.

6. Orientation Flowchart • DOCO informs the RC/HC/DO of the list of agencies organizing briefings and their modality • The new RC/HC/DO is nominated and cleared • DOCO confirms the number and modality of briefings If Face to Face Briefing • UNDP and/or OCHA confirms the dates of the orientation mission in New York and/or Geneva • DOCO informs agencies requesting face to face briefings in New York and Geneva of the dates of the orientation mission • UNDP and /or OCHA organize the orientation mission in collaboration with concerned agencies If Teleconference and Electronic Briefings • Each agency schedules a time directly with the RC/HC/DO for the teleconference/ electronic briefing

7. Funding mechanism • Ensures customized support based on a targeted approach • Integrates the idea of a common pool to simplify  fund management and reduce transaction costs • Breaks contributions by year to facilitate budget projections and planning for agencies • Builds on existing structures and capacities in UNDP and OCHA to capitalize on resources and reduce costs

9. Monitoring and Evaluation • At the end of each orientation mission, the new RC/HC/DO will be invited to provide electronic feedback through the RC online website at http://rconline.undg.org/ • UN entities focal points are responsible to provide by year-end information to DOCO on compliance with country orientation briefings. • DOCO will consolidate the information provided by UN entities focal points, track compliance with the SOPs and communicate compliance rates once per year to the UNDG Working Group on RC System Issues. • DOCO will compile and analyse inputs received through the orientation feedback discussion and will periodically report this analysis to the UNDG Working Group on RC System Issues.