There are many reasons to turn your attention to the first regular session of the 2022 UNICEF Executive Board.
There is the text of the statement to the Board by UNICEF’s new Executive Director.
There is the Country Programme Document for high-income Greece, to the tune of 126 Million Dollar – which is five times the amount approved for Albania, double than what is requested for Vietnam, six times the amount requested for El Salvador, and eleven times the amount needed in the Maldives. Quite modestly, UNICEF Greece only requests a third of what is needed in Mozambique.
The Board was requested to approve the proposed six-month extension of the country programme for the Syrian Arab Republic, following two previous one-year extensions; a nine-month extension; a three-month extension; a two-month extension; a four-month extension; and an eight month extension.
The Board will have deliberated over the creation of another ASG level position to head the Global Covid-19 Vaccine Delivery Inter-agency Structure in the context of the pandemic. The ASG will not be alone, as there will be several D2s and other senior staff to support the position, also seconded from other agencies.
My absolute favourite of the Executive Board Agenda is the “Joint Evaluability assessment” of the “Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All”.
Evaluability is an intriguing term that I held dear since the mid-point of my own career. It is a judgement about the quality of a plan or proposed programme. If something doesn’t pass the evaluability test, it cannot be ascertained whether planned results have been or would be achieved, or whether any results were clearly articulated. To put is plainly: the plan sucks.
The Global Health Action Plan (GAP) was published on 132 pages, almost two-and-a-half years ago. It is a plan of 12 UN agencies, UNICEF included, to achieve the SDG #3, which is health and wellbeing for everyone.
Having read the damning evaluability assessment, I was fascinated by the original plan. It is as introvert as any other reform discussion among the UN Development Group; it talks about Sherpas and how UN entities should talk to each other. It doesn’t say what countries should do to keep their citizens in good health.
I find it even more engrossing that it took UN agencies almost two years to figure out that the plan they drew up is no good. After all, a key role of UN agencies is to advise countries on how to better plan. To top it all, I can’t even figure out why evaluation experts were not consulted when the plan was drawn up, so as to get it right from the word go.
Some more highlights of the Board session: Check out the UNICEF audited Financial Statements, showing a net surplus of 1.2 billion USD at the end of 2020. To say it differently: in 2020, the difference between total revenue and total expenses was 1200 million Dollar.
The Private Fundraising and Partnership 2022 Workplan aims, among others, to integrate campaigns that provide a highly tailored donor experience. Giving will never be the same!
The Executive Board has also been presented with a report of the visit by two programme countries (Costa Rica and Morocco) and several donor missions to the UNICEF Supply Division, Copenhagen. As a result of their visit, they recommend to promote more coherence among UN agencies, and to use recyclable packaging materials.
Detlef, one learns something every day. Today, for me was "evaluability" didn't know this word existed.... Thanks.
ReplyDeleteRefreshingly frank observations the like of which might well have hastened your exit from the Office for Internal Audit ? A pity because UNICEF needs advocates who speak truth to power even if they are referred to, disparagingly, as ‘whistle-blowers’.
ReplyDeleteThe ‘highly tailored donor experience’ may need some clarification for it sounds similar to an arts critic’s take on a stage performance. Is that really what UNICEF sees as its role in the humanitarian sector, providing donors with entertainment ?
One doesn't need to blow any whistle. All information and data are available on the publicly available website of the UNICEF Executive Board.
ReplyDelete