As one of eight countries piloting One UN reform at country level, Vietnam is at the forefront of the efforts to improve the UN system and to ensure that the different UN agencies work more effectively together, in close coordination with Vietnamese authorities. The reform efforts are strengthening the UN’s normative role at country level. The unique tripartite structure in Vietnam, where UN agencies, the Goverment and donors work closely together, is key to the success of the partnership. Norway chaired the donor group in Vietnam in 2007.
Delivering as One: Making the UN system more coherent, effective and efficient
The Norwegian Prime Minister Stoltenberg took on a personal engagement for UN reform by co-chairing the High-Level Panel on System-wide Coherence together with his colleagues from Mozambique and Pakistan in 2006. The panel examined ways to strengthen the UN’s ability to respond to the challenges of the 21st Century.
The panel’s report, Delivering as One, has led to far-reaching changes in the way the UN system works at country level. When the Secretary-General launched the Delivering as One (DaO) initiative, the Government of Vietnam was one of eight countries (including Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uruguay) who volunteered to become a DaO pilot. As a pilot country Vietnam agreed to work with the UN system to capitalize on the strengths and comparative advantages of the different members of the UN family. Together they are experimenting with ways to increase the UN system’s impact through more coherent programmes, reduced transaction costs for governments, and lower overhead costs for the UN system. By strongly encouraging the eight pilot country teams to implement reforms and by giving them broad latitude to innovate and experiment with ways of working together as one UN team, Delivering as One has tested a number of different and ways of working together differently.
Positive results at country level
During a High-Level Tripartite Conference on “Delivering as One” in Hanoi, June 2010, it was stated that “the performance of the reform in Vietnam is remarkable and brings forward many lessons for other countries”. Fundamental changes have been achieved in the way the UN staff work together, especially through the Programme Coordination Groups (PCGs) and the One UN Communications Team. Pilot countries have found that they have greater ownership of UN activities, and that these activities are more closely in line with their own national priorities. One UN reform in Vietnam is concentrated around six pillars: One Plan, One Budget, One Leader, One Set of Management Practices, One Green UN House and One Voice.
Norway was among the first donors to strongly support the idea of a Green One UN House in Vietnam. Press here for more information about the One Green UN House in Hanoi.
Supporting the UN
The Norwegian Government seeks to strengthen the role of the UN in the world community. It is in Norway’s interest that we have a UN-led world order, and Norway will work for a considerably strengthened UN. As a member state, Norway will actively support the general reform process and seek to cooperate with like-minded countries in efforts to achieve a more modern and more effective world organization. In 2007, Norway was the third largest provider of voluntary contributions to the UN’s development and humanitarian efforts, after the US and the UK. We thus bear a responsibility for ensuring that these funds are used in the best possible way. Supporting Delivering as One (DaO) is one way of ensuring this.