In 2006, IFAD’s President, Lennart Båge, served on the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence. The panel’s report made far-reaching recommendations to ensure that the United Nations does “deliver as one, in true partnership and serving the needs of all countries”. IFAD is participating in the reform, which aims to harmonize and simplify the development efforts of the various UN funds and specialized agencies at all levels.

At the country level, “delivering as one” means that the different UN bodies must work as a single team under the leadership of a stronger UN Resident Coordinator, within a single country programme underpinned by a single budgetary framework.

Today, the One UN programme is being piloted in eight countries:

• Albania
• Cape Verde
• Mozambique
• Pakistan
• Rwanda
• Tanzania
• Uruguay
• Viet Nam

IFAD is participating in the One UN pilot initiatives and is exploring how it can best engage in each country. As a non-resident agency in several of the countries, IFAD is identifying how it contributes to the UN’s collective effort in those countries, particularly by working with local institutions.

In most pilot countries, IFAD is involved in the common analysis of development needs and in the formulation or revision of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).

In Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Uruguay and Viet Nam, IFAD is integrating or aligning its country programmes with the common programme. IFAD is relocating its country programme managers for Viet Nam and Tanzania to those countries to ensure full participation in the pilots.

Key features of the “One UN” programme at the country level include:

One programme

• country-owned and signed-off by the government
• drawing on all relevant UN services and expertise
• strategic, focused and results-based

One budget

• UN development assistance mapped against desired results
• programme funding linked to performance
• transparency in UN overheads and transaction costs

One leader

• strengthened authority, capacity and independence
• clear accountability framework
• competitive selection

One office

• an integrated results-based management system
• common support services
• joint premises where appropriate

Rome-based UN agencies working together

IFAD has strengthened its ties to the other Rome-based UN agencies: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). Together, the three agencies are exploring ways to expand and deepen their collaboration and to make more efficient use of resources. FAO, IFAD and WFP are finding new ways to share policy and analytic functions, human resource management and training, financial processes and administrative functions.

The High-level Panel urged the three agencies to work together to help build long-term food security and break the cycle of recurring famines, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. A joint mapping exercise between the agencies is identifying gaps and opportunities for greater collaboration in many areas, including agricultural investment, policy formulation and emergency aid.

In April 2006, FAO, IFAD and WFP jointly established Food Security Theme Groups at the country level to combine the technical and outreach capabilities of the three agencies. The Theme Groups will operate within the One UN programme, ensuring that food security and hunger are adequately addressed by the UN country team. While the Rome-based agencies will jointly lead the groups and form their core, other UN agencies will be encouraged to participate, as well as national institutions, civil society organizations and other development partners. The groups will directly support countries’ development efforts in the areas of food security, agriculture and rural development and provide the basis for intensified UN-wide action towards halving the proportion of hungry people in the world by 2015.