In the third year of UN reform, UNCT continued to steadily adopt ‘new generation’ approaches:
UNSDCF design benefitting from multi-stakeholder consultations: UNSDCF design was informed not only by conventional stakeholders, such as resident and non-resident UN agencies, GoA and development partners, but also UN75 survey was localized and generated the views of 6,148 people living in Armenia. Importantly, the perspectives of people left behind were generated through in-depth discussions with more than 50 CSOs, representing people faced with different forms of deprivation, disadvantage and discrimination.
Tailored UNCT configuration: As part of UNCT configuration exercise, 8 more UN agencies that were not signatories to 2016-2020 UNDAF, signed the 2021-2025 UNSDCF. As such, 20 resident and non-resident UN entities committed to achievement of UNSDCF results ensuring UN’s needs-based, tailored presence in the country.
Derivation of UN entity programmes from UNSDCF: UN entities’ country programming instruments were developed in line with the strategic approach, priorities and interventions of the UNSDCF. UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA Country Programme Documents (CPDs) outcomes reflect the UNSDCF outcomes verbatim and there is an agreement among other UNCT entities to also directly derive their agency-specific country programme instruments from the UNSDCF results.
Use of Joint Work Plans (JWP) and Results Groups (RG): In parallel to UNSDCF formulation, Results Groups (RGs) were established for each of the four UNSDCF pillars, with the UN Internal Gender Theme Group (IGTG) assuming the RG role for the standalone outcome on gender equality. 2021 was the first year for UNSDCF implementation and efficiency gains of increased collaboration and coherence remain to be seen. Still, UNCT has already sensed the benefits of joint RG-level work planning as well as annual review discussions and joint reflections.
UNCT Armenia onboarding UN INFO: In 2021, UNCT initiated the transition to UN INFO, the UN’s global and digital platform to plan, monitor and report on UNSDCF implementation. In response to longstanding requests from UN member states, UN INFO serves as a single house hosting real-time information of all UN agencies’ work, both collectively and agency specific. In 2021, RCO ‘digitized’ UNSDCF along with its JWPs and coordinated UNCT annual online reporting directly through UN INFO. Not yet fully operational, UN INFO has already replaced UN Armenia’s previously manual, excel-based reporting allowing for more accurate and consistent data management.
Joint programming on the rise: Joint programming has enabled to increasingly integrate UNSDCF guiding principles (such as gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), resilience and risk mitigation, LNOB, human rights and conflict sensitivity). Inter-agency coordination mechanisms, in many instances, have proved effective in accelerating coherent delivery and making better use of limited resources for greater impact. In monetary terms, joint resource mobilization under RCO coordination alone has attracted over USD 33 million as part of SERRP, over USD 46 million as part of IARP and around USD 6 million for joint delivery of development projects.