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Mission impossible? Country-level coordination in the UN development system

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  • Baumann, Max-Otto
Abstract
With its, on average, 18 entities in every developing country, the United Nations (UN) faces an enormous challenge in coordinating its development activities. Under the 2030 Agenda and its complex set of Sustainable Development Goals, coordination has become even more urgent. The UN Secretary-General has recognised this and has made better coordination the main thrust of his reform proposals, which were presented earlier this year. This discussion paper aims to contribute to the ongoing debates and negotiations in New York with a snapshot of country-level coordination in the UN development system. It is based on an analysis of five developing countries and focusses specifically on the working-group level of coordination. The findings are not encouraging: Notwithstanding positive examples here and there, UN country-level coordination can still be characterised as a burdensome extra process with little practical consequence, rather than a way of working together for better results. To analyse these deficits, the paper looks at the incentive systems under which UN entities and their staff operate. It reconstructs how (a lack of) formal provisions, accountability, staff capacities and administrative harmonisation drive or impede coordination. Looking only at the UN itself would, however, miss an important part of the picture, as the UN operates under the mandates and the informal influence of member states. The paper therefore also analyses how member states shape UN country-level coordination through the formal mandates they issue in the General Assembly and the boards, the funding they provide and the ownership they exercise on UN development activities. The paper concludes by offering nine recommendations that complement the reform proposals advanced by the UN Secretary-General.

Suggested Citation

  • Baumann, Max-Otto, 2018. "Mission impossible? Country-level coordination in the UN development system," IDOS Discussion Papers 7/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:diedps:72018
    DOI: 10.23661/dp7.2018
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Furness, Mark, 2018. "Strategic policymaking and the German aid programme in the MENA region since the Arab uprisings," IDOS Discussion Papers 5/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    2. Stephan Klingebiel & Mario Negre & Pedro Morazán, 2017. "Costs, Benefits and the Political Economy of Aid Coordination: The Case of the European Union," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(1), pages 144-159, January.
    3. M.-O. Baumann, 2018. "Forever North–South? The political challenges of reforming the UN development system," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(4), pages 626-641, April.
    4. Ali, Murad, 2018. "Monitoring and evaluation in South-South Cooperation: the case of CPEC in Pakistan," IDOS Discussion Papers 1/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    5. Minasyan, Anna, 2018. "Evidence-based allocation in global health: lessons learned for Germany," IDOS Discussion Papers 4/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    6. Ohnesorge, Jan, 2018. "A primer on blockchain technology and its potential for financial inclusion," IDOS Discussion Papers 2/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    7. Bergmann, Julian, 2018. "A bridge over troubled water? The Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) and the security-development nexus in EU external policy," IDOS Discussion Papers 6/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    8. Mahn, Timo C., 2013. "Country-level aid coordination at the United Nations: taking the Resident Coordinator system forward," IDOS Studies, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), volume 77, number 77, July.
    9. Thiele, Rainer & Köster, Maximilian & Okoli, Ikechukwu & Rühmann, Friederike, 2018. "African economic development: what role can the G20 Compact play?," IDOS Discussion Papers 3/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
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    Cited by:

    1. Baumann, Max-Otto & Weinlich, Silke, 2018. "Unfinished business: an appraisal of the latest UNDS reform resolution," Briefing Papers 13/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    2. Dick, Eva & Schraven, Benjamin, 2018. "Regional migration governance in Africa and beyond: a framework of analysis," IDOS Discussion Papers 9/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    3. Högl, Maximilian, 2018. "Enabling factors for cooperation in the climate negotiations: a comparative analysis of Copenhagen 2009 and Paris 2015," IDOS Discussion Papers 14/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    4. Baumann, Max-Otto & Weinlich, Silke, 2018. "Wichtige Fortschritte, ungelöste Probleme: Bewertung der neuesten UNDS-Reformresolution," Analysen und Stellungnahmen 10/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    5. Weinlich, Silke & Baumann, Max-Otto & Lundsgaarde, Erik & Wolff, Peter, 2020. "Earmarking in the multilateral development system: Many shades of grey," IDOS Studies, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), volume 101, number 101, July.
    6. Fues, Thomas, 2018. "Investing in the behavioural dimensions of transnational cooperation: a personal assessment of the Managing Global Governance (MGG) Programme," IDOS Discussion Papers 12/2018, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).

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    Keywords

    Regionale + globale + transnationale Governance;

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