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Centres of Excellence - Update by the CoE Design Team : Pieter Bult


The CoE Design Team sent out a message on 30 June in preparation for a global conversation on 1 July. They included the latest design paper and the results from staff surveys. These are linked below.

Attachments:

Here is an AI-generated summary of the design paper.

Summary of UNICEF’s Centres of Excellence (CoEs) Design Paper – 27 June 2025

Purpose & Strategic Rationale

UNICEF is establishing four Centres of Excellence (CoEs)—in Amman, Nairobi, Panama, and Bangkok—as part of its Future Focus Initiative. These centres aim to transform technical assistance delivery to governments, Regional Offices, and Country Offices by providing agile, context-specific, and high-impact support. They are designed to reflect UNICEF’s 2026–2029 Strategic Plan priorities: Focus, Scale, Impact, and Differentiation.

Core Functions

  • Nairobi – Child Survival (Health, Nutrition, WASH)
  • Panama – Child Poverty (Social Policy)
  • Amman – Education and Child Protection
  • Bangkok – Climate Resilience

CoEs will provide:

  • Global technical leadership and policy guidance
  • Customized technical assistance (routine, deep, and emergency)
  • Normative operationalization (translating global norms into country tools)
  • Knowledge management, learning, and digital service delivery (via TAHub)
  • Performance monitoring, emergency surge capacity, and strategic partnerships

Institutional Architecture

  • A distributed network with cross-CoE functional alignment and cross-sectoral integration
  • Staff operate under a networked model—functionally tied to Global Technical Directors but deployed flexibly
  • CoEs integrate cross-cutting areas such as gender, disability, SBC, and ECD

Service Model

  • Client-centered and typology-sensitive
  • Supported by the TAHub platform—an AI-enhanced system for managing TA requests, expert matching, and performance dashboards
  • Emphasis on digital knowledge tools, peer learning, and real-time data sharing

Staffing & Financials

  • Each CoE supports ~32–34 countries and 36–45 Country Programme Documents
  • Staffing includes Global Technical Directors, sectoral specialists, liaison officers, and cross-sectoral advisors
  • The financial model includes core, variable, and donor-aligned resources, aiming for cost efficiency, equity, and sustainability

Governance & Accountability

  • Functionally accountable to Global Technical Directors, operationally managed by CoE Coordinators
  • Governed by a Global Steering Committee and supported by a dedicated Implementation Task Team
  • TAHub provides traceability, service-level accountability, and client satisfaction metrics

Risk Management

Key risks include role ambiguity, digital rollout delays, staff resistance, and funding gaps. Mitigation strategies include structured change management, clear governance, phased implementation, and performance monitoring.

Change Management

A three-phase transition (July 2025 – December 2026) includes recruitment, TAHub deployment, and full operational launch. Staff support strategies prioritize communication, engagement, and continuity.

Annex I: International Expert Network

A global roster will complement CoE capacity, with diverse contracting options (e.g., LTAs, ICAs, pro-bono experts) and structured engagement to ensure availability, knowledge retention, and surge response.

Key Takeaways

  • The CoEs are not just a decentralization effort but a major institutional paradigm shift, aiming to embed strategic, scalable, and accountable technical support across the organization.
  • The emphasis on digital infrastructure (TAHub) and AI-enhanced service delivery marks a notable modernization.
  • The model balances normative leadership with responsive field operations, backed by structured accountability and risk mitigation.
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Comments

  1. It’s a collection of unicef buzz words with lots of dashes. With the new era of UNICEF, maybe we should simplify the verbiage.

    ReplyDelete

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