Overview
In December 2006, UNDP and the Government of Spain signed an agreement to establish a new fund to accelerate efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and to support UN reform efforts at the country level. The Government of Spain committed €528 million to the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDG-F) for programming between 2007 and 2010.
The MDG-F supports innovative actions with the potential for wide replication and high-impact in 59 countries, within the framework of the Millennium Declaration's global partnership for development and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. The MDG-F's decisions and approach are guided by the imperatives of ensuring national and local ownership, alignment with national policies and procedures, coordination with other donors, results-orientation and mutual accountability.
The MDG-F operates through the UN development system and finance, collaborative UN activities that leverage the value-added of the UN, particularly where the UN's collective strength could be harnessed in order to address multi-dimensional development challenges. The MDG-F supports eight thematic areas: democratic governance, gender equality and women's empowerment, basic social services, economic and private sector development, environment and climate change, culture and development and conflict prevention and peace building.
The MDG-F Steering Committee Secretariat is located in UNDP. UNDP's Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) provides the Administrative Agent functions of the Fund.
To read more about how the MDG-F operates, review the Framework Document.
This is UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office website on the MDG Achievement Fund. To visit the official MDG-F website, click here.
Assistance Strategy
The MDG-F aims to accelerate progress towards attainment of the MDGs in select countries by:
- Supporting policies and programmes that promise significant and measurable impact on select MDGs;
- Financing the testing and/or scaling-up of successful models;
- Catalysing innovations in development practice; and
- Adopting mechanisms that improve the quality of aid as foreseen in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
A number of principles will guide the MDG-F activities. It is designed to aid country-level interventions, which seek to:
- Support programmes anchored in national priorities in line with the Paris Declaration;
- Ensure the sustainability of its investments;
- Apply the highest standards in quality of programme formulation, monitoring and evaluation within a management framework oriented towards results and accountability;
- Consolidate inter-agency planning and management systems at the country level;
- Minimize the transaction costs associated with administering the Fund.
Activities supported by the MDG-F at the country level take the form of Joint UN Programmes where multiple UN organizations collaborate around a common programmatic goal. Funds will be channeled to Participating UN Organizations to meet their commitments to the Joint Programme, through the Administrative Agent.
The central driver of the MDG-F's success and achievement will be the leadership of the Resident Coordinators working with their respective Country Teams.
Governance
The MDG-F Steering Committee provides MDG-F with overall leadership. The Steering Committee sets the strategic direction of the Fund, decides on financial allocations to joint programmes, monitors strategic allocations and delivery amongst priorities and countries, and tracks Fund-wide progress.
The MDG-F Secretariat, located in the Partnerships Bureau of UNDP headquarters, services the Steering Committee. It ensures policies and strategies decided by the Steering Committee are implemented and adhered to. The Secretariat also manages the proposal review process and manages the Fund's overall monitoring and evaluation strategy.
The UN Resident Coordinator provides ongoing oversight to the joint programme(s) at the national level, and that the participating UN organizations are meeting their obligations. The Resident Coordinator is entrusted with leadership of the overall programme design, ongoing programmatic oversight of the MDG-F activities and co-chairing regular National Steering Committee meetings. He/she also facilitates ongoing monitoring and evaluation of MDG-F activities in conformity with UN standards.
A National Steering Committee (NSC) is established in each country to provide oversight and strategic guidance to the programme(s) as well as approving Joint Programme Document(s) before submission to the MDG-F Steering Committee, the annual workplans and budgets. The NSC membership consists of non-implementing parties to allow for independence and includes a representative of the Government, a representative from Government of Spain and the RC. The RC and the Government representative co-chair the NSC. Other representatives, such as civil society or other donors, and observers may be invited by the co-chairs. Depending on the country specific context other formal members may be included in the NSC. The NSC normally meets semi-annually and makes decisions by consensus. The NSC agrees upon its Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure.
A Project Management Committee (PMC) is established at the national level for each individual joint programme. The PMC's role is to provide operational coordination to the Joint Programme. Membership consists of implementing Participating UN Organizations and relevant Government counterparts. The RC or his/her designate chairs the PMC. The PMC meets quarterly, but meet more frequently as necessary. The NSC and PMC seek to integrate its work under the UNDAF thematic structures in place at the country level.
The UNDP MPTF Office serves as the Administrative Agent (AA) and is responsible for concluding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Participating UN Organizations. It receives, administers and manages funds approved by the MDG-F Steering Committee for country-level joint programmes. It disburses these funds to the Participating UN Organizations in accordance with the decisions of the NSCs. The AA also consolidates financial and narrative progress reports.
Decision Making Process
Eligibility
The MDG-F finances activities at the country level. Only the 59 countries identified in the Spanish Master Plan for International Cooperation are eligible to apply to the MDG-F. To learn more about the Government of Spain's ODA policy please visit the web site for Spanish Cooperation.
Proposal Submission
Applications to the MDG-F will be solicited through a Request for Proposals (RfP) based on the thematic windows. Multiple rounds of RfPs are launched depending on the availability of resources. The two-stage application process follows:
- Concept Note: Eligible UN Country Teams may apply to specific thematic windows through the electronic submission of a 'Concept Note" that will be reviewed by an independent expert panel (Technical Sub-committee) and approved by the MDG-F Steering Committee. For details about the Concept Note application process, click on this link.
- Joint Programme Document: Following the approval of the Concept Note, the responsibility for development and submission of the Joint Programme Documents will be led by the Resident Coordinator in collaboration with the Participating UN Organizations and partners. For details about the Joint Programme Document preparation process.
Proposal Review & Approval Process
The review and approval cycle for the MDG-F thematic windows is as follows:
- UN Country Team Submits Concept Note to Resident Coordinator who submits it electronically to the MDG-F Steering Committee
- MDG-F Technical Sub-committee, composed of independent experts, reviews Concept Note and makes recommendation
- Based on recommendations, the MDG-F Steering Committee determines the indicative budget and requests the to Resident Coordinator to design the joint programme
- Draft Joint Programme Document is reviewed by MDG-F Secretariat upon receipt from the Resident Coordinator and it is submitted to the MDG-F Steering Committee for final approval
- Joint Programme Document is finalized at the national level and signed by all implementing partners
- Funding disbursed by Administrative Agent to Participating UN Organizations.
