Lesotho RC System Striving to Be More

Lesotho RC System: Striving to Be More Than Sum of Its Parts Presentation to the Joint Meeting of the Executive Boards of UNDP/UNFPA, UNICEF AND WFP By Mrs. Scholastica Sylvan Kimaryo, UNDP Resident Representative and Resident Coordinator of the UN System in Lesotho 26 January 2004

Outline/Sequence § § § § § Lesotho's Pressing Challenges; RC System Contribution During 2003; Search for Appropriate National Response to Pandemic; RC System's Response to Current Food Crisis; RC System's Contribution to Poverty Reduction; Mechanisms for RC System Management; Role of Regional & HQ Support to RC System's Success; Lessons Learned: Towards Strengthening RC System; Role/Contribution of Resident Donors.

1. Lesotho's Pressing Challenges § § § HIV/AIDS (ranked 4 th in the world); Chronic Food Crisis (10% arable land); Structural Poverty ( 58% of Basotho Live on Less Than one US$ per day) § Possibility For Lesotho Meeting the MDGs Seriously Undermined by the HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Food Crisis Nexus

2. On Meeting the MDGs § UN System Supporting Go. L in Its Efforts to Mainstream MDGs Into Its Development Plans; – Challenge: How Best to make MDGs known on the street in every village; – Urgent Need to create demand for change in service delivery from among the population; – Need for Radical Transformation in the way the Country does business: in Public/Private Sectors, Civil Society; – Opportunity: Government commitment to achieving the MDGs; – Joint Go. L/UN Task Force for MDGs already produced first MDG report, with forward looking recommendations.

3. RC System Contribution During Period Under Review: 2003 § Search for Appropriate National Response to HIV/AIDS Pandemic; § Response to the Food Crisis Through SADC Regional Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP); § Fight Against Poverty Through the PRSP; § CCA/UNDAF Review/Programme Harmonization: – – – UNICEF UNDP WHO UNFPA WFP 2002 to 2007 2005 to 2007 2004 to 2006 2004 to 2007

3. 1 Search for Appropriate National Response to HIV/AIDS Pandemic § Expanded Theme Group on HIV/AIDS -- Comprising UN Agency Heads, Resident Donors, LAPCA, First Lady's Office, "Positive Action" & "Holi. Life" -- the Driving Force; § Fielding of Inter-UN Agency, Multi-Disciplinary Missions to Buttress CO Capacity; § Broad Consultative Process Leading to Formulation and Adoption by Govt of Policy Document Titled Turning a Crisis Into an Opportunity: Strategies for Scaling Up the National Response to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Lesotho; § Inter-Agency Transformational Leadership Initiative to Energise Public Sector, Civil Society, Business to Underpin Implementation of Strategic Plan; § Selection of Lesotho one of five COs globally for Joint UNAIDS, WB, UNDP Corporate Pilot on transformational leadership to address the HIV/AIDS crisis.

3. 2 RC System's Response to Current Food Crisis § Inter-Agency CAP Task Force – Chaired by UNDP -- Responsible for Close Liaison with Go. L for CAP Preparation & Implementation; § Since mid-2002, CAP Task Force developed two annual appeals (July 2002 -June 2003 and July 2003 -June 2004) and related Mid-Term Reviews; § Focus on addressing the issue of vulnerability in the context of UNSG’s “Next Steps” Memo; § Response to CAP Appeals Have Yielded Far Less for Lesotho Than Desirable, both Food & Funds.

3. 3 RC System's Contribution to Poverty Reduction Through PRSP § Inter-Agency -- WB, UNDP, UNICEF, WFP -Technical & Financial Support to PRSP Process; § Support for the establishment of a National Poverty Monitoring System; § Establishment of Joint Poverty Fund from International Partners, Managed by the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning; § Inter-Agency -- UNDP, WB, UNICEF -- Technical & Financial Support to Vision 2020 Process.

4. Mechanisms for Sharing RC System Management § Institution of System of Responsibility Sharing by Each Agency Head Serving as Acting RC Per Month on Rotational Basis, e. g. UNICEF Rep is Acting RC for Jan 2004; § Expanded Theme Group on HIV/AIDS [Chair: UNDP (2002/2003) handing over to WHO on 29 January 2004]; § Joint Government/UNCT Task Force on HIV/AIDS Scaling-Up Implementation; § Gender Theme Group [Chair: WHO Representative (2002/2003), handing over to UNFPA in January 2004]; § Task Force on Food Security [Chair: FAO Representative]; § Task Force on Communications [Chair: UNICEF Representative]; § Task Force on Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children [Chair UNICEF Representative]; § Task Force on Operations [Chair: UNICEF Operations Officer]; § MDGs Task Force [also responsible for co-ordinating the UNDAF, CCA and CAP chaired by UNDP, Chair Economic Advisor]; § RC Office: UNDP Policy Team Leader as Substantive Focal Point.

5. Role of Regional & HQ Policy Support to RC System's Success § High-Level Visits by UNSG, Special Envoys for Food Security & for HIV/AIDS, as well as FAO/WFP-led Food Crop Assessments/Data Played Catalytic Role in Securing Donor Attention, Resources; § Jhb-based RIACSO a Catalytic Advocacy & Operational Role in Galvanising Regional/SADC Action in Response to Food Crisis; § RIACSO Now Needs to Place Stronger Emphasis on Fighting HIV/AIDS, Promoting Governance & National and Household Food Security keeping in mind the importance of NEPAD and the African Union; § Example, RIACSO Should Field Inter-Agency, Inter. Disciplinary Technical Mission in 2004 to Strengthen Lesotho CO's Contribution to Formulation of National Food Security Policy;

5. 1 Role of Regional & HQ Support to RC System's (cont’d) § Need for Formulation of ALL Emerging Corporate Policies, Guidelines to Always A Ensure Conformity to/Harmonisation With the Letter and Spirit of Existing Policies on UN Reform & the RC System at Country Level; § On Programmatic Side, Policies on Management of HIV/AIDS Programmes and Resources Has Constituted the Greatest Challenge; § On RC System Management Side, Need to Give More Affirmative Encouragement of Each UN Agency Resident Representative to Play More Substantive Role in RC System Management and Be Recognised for It, Including Through Existing Performance Evaluation Mechanisms.

6. Lessons Learned: Towards Strengthening RC System § Although Lesotho is a Small Country with Small Population (2. 2 ml), Country Faces Complex Development Challenges; § However, Only Five Resident UN Agencies, Most With Few Staff, Some with Only One or Two Professionals; § All Agencies Staffed Primarily by National Professionals, Tending to Seriously Undermine Internationalism, Non. Partisanship; § Doing Smart UN Business Under These Conditions Very Possible BUT Requires Better Focused Deployment of Regionally/HQ-Based Senior Advisors -- as Deliberate Corporate Strategy -- and/or Out-Sourcing, Competence Procurement;

6. 1 Lessons Learned: Towards Strengthening RC System § UNDP Can Do Superb Job of RC System Co-ordination IF Better Resourced to Play Substantive as well as Administrative Roles; § UNCT Lesotho Warmly Welcomes Planned Consolidation of the UNDP Johannesburg-Based Advisory Services as It Augurs Well for Strategic Harmonisation with RIACSO, Other UN/Other Regional Structures: e. g. WHO, UNICEF, FAO; SADC, NEPAD, AU; § Also Clear Advantage for Planned UNDP SADC Sub. Regional Facility -- to forge Strong Link With/Make DGO Felt at SADC Regional – in Support of UN System’s Development Mandate.

7. Role of Resident Donors, Their Contribution to Lesotho § Played Significant Role in Resolution of 1998 General Elections Debacle, All the Way to Country's May 2002 World Class General Elections; § Also Played Significant Role in the Search for Appropriate Responses to the HIV/AIDS Crisis. Now Challenge to Give Equally Unequivocal Support to Implementation of the Scaling-Up Strategies; § However, Donor Support in Response to Lesotho's Food Crisis Far Less Affirmative; § This in Light of Sharp Decline in ODA to Lesotho in Past Decade: US$ 75 in mid 1980’s and less than US$16 per capita in 2003; Also Limiting Resource Flows to RC System; § Largest Donors to Lesotho Include: Ireland, European Commission; UK; Germany; § And Yet, There Are Excellent Reasons Why One Should Invest in Lesotho: Improved Governance, Zero Tolerance vis Corruption, Go. L Commitment to Scale Up the National Response to HIV/AIDS.

Thank You for Your Attention UN Country Team Maseru 26 January 2003