Recommendations for substantial rerforms of the UN system were presented in New York today by the Prime Ministers of Norway and Pakistan – Jens Stoltenberg and Shaukat Aziz. With Prime Minister Luisa Diogo of Mocambique they have been co-chairing a high level panel on how the UN can most effectively respond to the challenges of the 21st century.

The essence of the High Level Panel's vision is for the UN to "deliver as one" in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment. The report was presented to Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the UN General Assembly.

One UN for development - at country level
"We recommend the establishment of One UN at country level, with one leader, one programme, one budget and, where appropriate, one office", the High Level Panel says. The situation today is that UN activity at country level is fragmented due to the presence of a number of UN organisations and agencies in each country.

The panel recommends that the One UN model be tested out in 5 pilots by 2007 and – subject to satisfactory review – 20 One UN Country Programmes by 2009, 40 by 2010 and all other countries by 2012.

One UN for development - at headquarters level
"We recommend the establishment of the UN Sustainable Development Board to oversee the One UN Country Programmes", the High Level Panel says. Such a consolidated coordination board is necessary to provide system-wide coherence and coordination and monitor performance of global activities.

Humanitarian assistance
To improve the UN's role in humanitarian disasters and emergencies the High Level Panel recommends stronger coordination between the UN, national governments and NGOs.

Other recommendations in this field is full funding of the UN's central emergency response fund, clarification of UN mandates regarding responsibility for internally displaced persons, more investment in risk reduction and stronger leadership, quicker funding and better coopoeration in post-conflict and post-disaster transition.

Environment
"Environmental priorities have too often been compartmentalised away from economic development priorities", the High Level Panel says, recommending that international environmental governance be strengthened and made more coherent in order to improve effectiveness and targeted action of environmental activities in the UN system.

As a basis for reforms to improve UN coherence, the High Level Panel recommends an independent assessment of the organisation's role in international environmental governance, and that UNEP be upgraded and have real authority as the environmental policy pillar of the UN system.

Gender
"We recommend the stablishment of one dynamic UN entity focussed on gender equality and women's empowerment", the High Level Panel says, considering gender equality to be central to the delivery of effective development outcomes.

The High Level Panel says the three existing UN entities in the field should be consolidated into an enhanced and independent women's agency entity, headed by an executive director with the rank of Under Secretary-General. While this new entity must be ambitiously funded, gender equality would be a component of all UN One Country programmes and remain the mandate of the entire UN system.

The High Level Panel underlines that its recommendations represents a whole. Referring to the UN's crucial role in articulating the Millennium Development Goals, the High Level Panel says: "It is for the sake of the poor and the destitute that we need an efficient United Nations, one that is well governed, well funded, which will remain a global repository of hope".

In addition to Prime Ministers Stoltenberg, Aziz and Diogo, the High Level Panel has consisted of among others British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, Chilean former President Ricardo Lagos and Tanzanian former President Benjamin William Mkapa. The panel was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan early this year, in response to the UN 2005 General Assembly's request for further action to improve the UN's efficiency in the fields of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment.

Executive summary of the High Level Panel's report

Prime Minister Stoltenberg's talking points at the launch of "Delivering as One" report to UN General Assembly