Secretary-General Responds to High-Level Report

The Secretary General agrees and lends his support to the recommendations in the report of the High-level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence. The SG believes that the proposals should be pushed forward as a whole, and an effort should be made to avoid duplication of processes with other reform issues. He also suggests that, even though the main consideration of the report’s recommendations will be elaborated by the GA, other policymakers and actors should also be brought into the discussion to “build a deeper understanding and ownership of the proposals.” In order to test the “One UN” approach, eight pilots will be initiated by the UN Development Group, and this will provide a test of the application of the principles advocated by the Panel in different countries. The SG also states that the recommendations of the Panel are “clearly very much in line with [his] priorities in such areas as transparency, accountability, efficiency and human resources development, including the promotion of staff mobility, and should be actively pursued in all relevant forms.” The document pays particular attention to the Panel’s recommendations on strengthening the Organization’s role as a coordinator in terms of enhancing partnerships and its capacities to deal with the transition phase from relief to development, as well as, the recommendations on the gender architecture of the UN, gender equality and women’s empowerment, human rights, and governance. The SG concludes by stating that he is in agreement “with the Panel’s conclusion that more detailed and specific proposals for further streamlining and consolidation would require a more in-depth technical analysis than was feasible in the time frame available to the Panel.” Building on the foundations of the Panel’s work he will be giving consideration to the proposal that he establish an independent task force to further eliminate duplication within the UN system, and consolidate UN entities, where necessary.