DCO serves as the secretariat to the UNSDG Business Innovation Group (BIG), co-led by WFP and UNHCR, to advance collective efforts to ensure more efficient UNCT operations.
This has required a heavy lift and we are now in a positive trajectory.
Efficiencies
DCO serves as the secretariat to the UNSDG Business Innovation Group (BIG), co-led by WFP and UNHCR, to advance collective efforts to ensure more efficient UNCT operations.
This has required a heavy lift and we are now in a positive trajectory.
55% of UNCTs had a BOS in March 2020, compared to 40% in 2018, on track to meet the target.
The BOS framework was revised to reduce the time and complexity to develop it
High impact services are being identified for replication in other countries.
Over 200 inter-agency personnel were trained by the first quarter of 2020 to develop and manage the BOS. An on-line version of the training is being developed to reduce cost of capacity development and target a greater number of personnel.
Evidence shows that the highest efficiency gains are in fact achieved from entities individually centralizing functions.
The BIG has mapped out 163 services that could be offered by at least one UN entity to UNCTs through global shared service centres and will broker inter-agency agreements in 2020
Viet Nam, Brazil, Cabo Verde and Eswatini have piloted common back offices to date
DCO currently supports over 40 UNCTs in moving towards common premises
The BIG is establishing an inter-agency database of UN premises to track every country’s current situation, finalize common premises pilots in six countries and devise a methodology for consolidation.
Recently established Common Premises report significant results in terms of cost avoidance, UN image and reputation, and inter-agency collaboration.