Overview
In January 2006, in response to the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR) and ECOSOC the Executive Committee of the United Nations Development Group (UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP) and the Government of Cape Verde established a Joint Office for the United Nations Funds and Programmes in Cape Verde. The primary objectives were to achieve a more coherent Programme delivery at the country level and to achieve a significant reduction in the administrative and procedural costs of the organizations to their national partners.
In November 2006, the Cape Verde Government reiterated its commitment to pursue the reform efforts by moving from the Joint Office to “Delivering as One” pilot within the context of the High Level Panel (HLP) on UN System-Wide Coherence and the Spirit of the Paris Declaration. Since the beginning of 2007, Cape Verde is piloting the concept of “Delivering as One” as proposed by the HLP, but tailored to the national context.
As many of the elements of the “Delivering as One” were already present in the Joint Office of the four Ex Com Agencies, the process was agreed to focus on the programmatic aspect of the “Delivering as One”, making the “One Programme” the main goal to enlarge the UNCT to include Non-Resident Agencies in addition to the two non Joint Office Resident Agencies, FAO and WHO, under a common development document based on new emerging national priorities. The "One Programme” 2008-2010 and its related budgetary framework are aimed primarily at addressing the implications of the Graduation of Cape Verde from the group of Least Developed Countries and vulnerabilities related to this and to attain the MDGs by 2015.
Thus, the focus is to ensure a guiding framework and common understanding between UN Agencies working in the country, according to the UNDAF priorities for the period 2006-2010, and in line with the Government’s request to implement the “Delivering as One” concept in Cape Verde. The “One Programme” is being developed to achieve the overall goal of UN strategic support to accelerate the country’s development and transition, especially after its Graduation from the LDC group in January 2008. The One Programme is composed by (9) sub-programmes led (in alphabetical order) by: UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNODC and WHO.
Following the various UNCT retreats in 2007, the UNCT agreed to establish the Transition Fund to support the implementation of the One UN Programme during 2008. The Transition Fund is governed by its Terms of Reference that may be revised to reflect the dynamic nature of the UN in Cape Verde.
The Cape Verde Transition Fund is administered by the UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) in accordance with its financial regulations and rules.
Assistance Strategy
The objective of the Cape Verde Transition Fund, under the management leadership of the Government and the UN Steering Committee, is to support the coherent resource mobilization, allocation and disbursement of new donor resources to unfunded elements of the One Programme in Cape Verde, including the One UN Communication Strategy implementation, and the new initiatives responding to emerging needs within the context of the One UN Programme and the ‘‘Delivering as One’’ in Cape Verde.
The Transition Fund is the proposed vehicle for new resources contributed by Donors to support the unfunded portions of the One UN Programme and new initiatives responding to emerging needs within the context of the One UN Programme. The Transition Fund conforms to the principles governing a pooled and pass-through fund management modalities based on the United Nations Development Group (“UNDG”) Guidance Note on Joint Programming.
The Transition Fund intends to facilitate the delivery of outputs planned in the One UN Programme by strengthening the joint planning, coordination and implementation process and channeling funds towards the highest priority needs determined by the Steering Committee for “Delivering as One” in Cape Verde, based on the agreed criteria and procedures with documented process and rationale for allocations. The objectives of the activities to be financed by the Transition Fund are elaborated in the One UN Programme.
The Cape Verde Transition Fund will support partnership and communication between all stakeholders involved in development led by the Government of Cape Verde.
Following the various UNCT retreats in 2007, the UNCT agreed to establish the Transition Fund to support the implementation of the One UN Programme during 2008. The Transition Fund is governed by it Terms of Reference that may be revised to reflect the dynamic nature of the UN.
Governance
The One UN Steering Committee
The objective of the One UN Steering Committee is to advance the UN reform by providing strategic leadership and guidance to the "Delivering as One" process in Cape Verde; to perform an advisory function and to ratify strategic decisions. The Steering Committee oversees and monitors the implementation of all components of the "Delivering as One", particularly the "One Programme" and conducts bi-annual reviews of the results on the "One Programme" progress. The One UN Steering Committee is co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the UN Resident Coordinator. The membership of the One UN Steering Committee is limited to nine representatives; three from the Government, four from the United Nations, one from the National Association of Capeverdean Municipalities and one from Civil Society.
The Resident Coordinator and the Resident Coordinator’s Office
The overall management of the Transition Fund is led and coordinated by the Resident Coordinator (RC), in consultation with the United Nations Country Team (UNCT). The RC is the co-chair of the One UN Steering Committee and in this capacity provides strategic guidance and leadership to, as well as promotes strategic decision-making of, the Committee. Furthermore, the RC takes leadership in mobilizing resources for the Cape Verde Transition Fund, in collaboration with Participating UN Organizations. The Office of the Resident Coordinator is responsible for support to the strategic leadership role of the Resident Coordinator for the Transition Fund.
The Administrative Agent
The UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) has been appointed the Administrative Agent of the Cape Verde Transition Fund. Its responsibilities include the receipt, administration and management of contributions from Donors; disbursement of such funds to the Participating UN Organizations in accordance with the approved Annual Work Plans/Programmatic Documents; and provision of consolidated narrative and financial reports, in accordance with the MOU, on the Cape Verde Transition Fund to the Resident Coordinator, One UN Steering Committee and to Donors, based on individual reports submitted by the Participating UN Organizations.
Decision-Making Process
The Resident Coordinator’s Office, under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator and in consultation with an evaluation team constituted by the UN Country Team, will review proposals submitted by Participating UN Organizations to verify that there are no overlapping objectives or activities. The proposals will then be presented to the Steering Committee for approval and financing.
Under the strategic leadership of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Resident Coordinator, in their capacities as the Co-Chairs, the One UN Steering Committee will ensure the strategic alignment of the One Programme with national priorities as defined in the Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EGPRS), in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Declaration and according to the outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The Steering Committee will allocate resources mobilized under the Transition Fund in accordance with agreed criteria, as set forth in the Cape Verde One UN Steering Committee Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedures. Where the Steering Committee cannot make a decision by consensus, the Co-Chairs will make the ultimate decisions on fund allocation.
The Administrative Agent will make disbursements from the Cape Verde Transition Fund Account based on instructions from the Resident Coordinator, on behalf of the One UN Programme Steering Committee, and in line with the budget set forth in the approved programmatic document.
