UN AND WORLD BANK STRENGTHEN POST-CONFLICT

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001169 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID KPKO UN SUBJECT: UN AND WORLD BANK STRENGTHEN POST-CONFLICT COOPERATION ¶1. SUMMARY: UN and World Bank officials have jointly briefed New York missions on measures to improve field coordination and standardize operating procedures, improving consistency and reaction time to post-conflict emergencies. Initiatives include standardizing fiduciary arrangements and fund transfer, more commonality to Multi-Donor Trust Fund mechanisms, the Post-Conflict Needs Assessment process, and in some countries, joint operational planning. Participants in New York and Washington acknowledge, however, that the degree of cooperation in the field can vary dramatically, depending on the country. END SUMMARY ¶2. On November 28, United Nations Development Group Office (UNDGO) Director Sally Fegan-Wyles and World Bank Fragile States Unit head Sarah Cliffe briefed donor missions on recent collaborative planning and harmonization initiatives between the World Bank and the UN system. Some regional development banks have also recently begun to participate. Fegan-Wyles characterized the initiatives as largely bottom-up driven, with progress on harmonizing operating procedures for post-conflict interventions leading to high level discussion of tighter joint planning and more commonality in assessment, best practices, and training. ¶3. The bottom level consisted of documents detailing working procedure; a fiduciary framework agreement, standard grant agreement, and protocols standardizing fund transfer and models for Multi-Donor Trust Funds (MDTFs). Those agreements would feed into discussions on common procedures for post-crisis recovery programs, with other situations to be taken up in the future. Cliffe and Fegan-Wyles expected to draft an overall UNDG-WB partnership note that "would clarify the decision-making process in country, as well as ensure consistent HG support on both sides on the basis of a common understanding of post crisis requirements." ¶4. UN and WB participants in the discussion saw these low-level initiatives as opening the door to the following: 1) closer coordination and merged efforts with UN integrated missions, beginning with joint assessments through the Post Conflict Needs Assessment (PCNA) process; 2) expanded use of Multi-Donor Trust Funds for individual countries; 3) significant savings, particularly in legal and transaction costs; 4) expediting a "common platform" for working with governments and national stakeholders on peacebuilding and recovery priorities; and 5) expanding interoperability outward to include initially regional development banks, but also bilateral donors. ¶5. Cliffe noted an important role for the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) in supporting the Secretary General's Policy Committee as the final arbiter as to how enhanced coordination will work with the Integrated Missions Planning Process (IMPP). Reflecting the bureaucratic rivalry between the Secretariat and some UN independent agencies, other participants noted that a committee formed by UN agencies involved in humanitarian coordiation and conflict prevention also had a role in coordination. Khalilzad