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Streamlining business processes
Improving organizational processes and management through results-based management
In line with UN-HABITAT's 2008–2013 Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan, the organization has developed guidelines for monitoring compliance with delegated responsibilities. It also supports the implementation of improved operating procedures for project review and approval, travel planning and approval, cooperation agreements, and on online training tools. The accountability framework aims at developing an audit trail in systems and databases, as well as setting up a Cooperation Agreement Review and Advisory Committee to establish quality standards and oversight mechanisms.
Business processes include:
Human resources management and administration
In order to better align staff competencies with programme priorities and improve efficiency, transparency, and delegation of authority, the agency's human resources management is undertaking the following tasks: developing standard and individual job descriptions; monitoring post reclassifications; developing a job description and classification database; preparing user manuals; establishing a post management system; developing a staff skill inventory; and launching a consultants roster.
Results-based management
Results-based management is a management strategy that ensures that its processes, outputs, and services contribute to the achievement of clearly stated and measurable results, aiming at improving performance. UN-HABITAT's strategy encompasses the following: empowering managers and holding them accountable; focusing on clients' participation and partnership; developing supportive mechanisms; and creating a culture of information use within the organization. Results-based management has linked budget planning with strategic policy planning, thus moving UN-HABITAT from having an internal management focus to having an outward-looking orientation, centred on
managing for development results.
As part of results-based management sensitization, experiential learning training has been given to UN-HABITAT regional offices and Habitat Programme Managers through one-day training sessions, received with enthusiasm by those who attended. Also, new guidelines of a strengthened programme review mechanism were presented to the Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan Steering Committee and adopted in 2009.
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HIGHLIGHT: STRENGTHENING UN-HABITAT 'S PROGRAMME REVIEW MECHANISMS
One very important milestone has been strengthening the programme review mechanism through Programme Review Committees. The committees are crucial to the implementation of UN-HABITAT's Medium- Term Strategic and Institutional Plan and are a strategic management tool for strengthening alignment between the results specified in the biennial work programme, on one hand, and, on the other hand, the programmes, projects, and activities that contribute to these planned results.
Strong Programme Review Committees are considered critical for promoting effective results-based planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting; for better alignment of programming and resource allocation; and for improving knowledge management and sharing. In addition to the Headquarters Programme Review Committee, three Regional Programme Review Committees are operational, using the new guidelines. The first Headquarters Programme Review Committee meeting was held in November 2009, and a total of 78 documents have since been reviewed. An orientation on the programme review mechanism was provided to all divisions between November 2009 and January 2010. |
Knowledge management
Sharing information for sustainable urbanization
In UN-HABITAT, the knowledge management concept supports the sharing of information and knowledge among staff for organizational effectiveness and harnesses the efforts of Habitat Agenda partners to achieve sustainable urbanization. An internal Knowledge Management Strategy has been finalized. This has created an enabling environment for positioning UN-HABITAT as a premier reference centre on sustainable urbanization and for empowering staff to share, reuse, and create new information and knowledge. This strategy also outlines key success factors for facilitating knowledge exchange, collaboration, and networking among partners. The establishment of a global knowledge exchange network on sustainable urban development (an online global urban portal) will promote evidence-based knowledge and link practical experiences from operational activities to normative dialogue, including World Urban Forum discussions. The network will also help raise global awareness on sustainable urbanization issues, thus supporting the advocacy efforts of the World Urban Campaign.
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HIGHLIGHT: REVITALIZED KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT TARGETS STAFF AND GLOBAL URBAN NETWORKS
On World Habitat Day 2010, a significant event occurred: UN-HABITAT's launch of an online global urban portal. The portal is initially responding to the needs of the Sustainable Urban Development Network, partnership strategies, and the World Urban Campaign. The second phase of the initiative will incorporate humanitarian and water and sanitation portals. Recent 'quick wins' on the knowledge management front also include a monthly staff newsletter with updates on major developments from headquarters and the field. Improved search facilities and dynamic translation of content into all languages have also been installed on the agency's intranet. |
Resource mobilization
Coordinating donor relations with a new corporate approach
A new Resource Mobilization Unit was established in 2008 in order to ensure that a new approach is adopted in fund-raising, an approach that encompasses shared intelligence and coordinated management of donor relations. With limited core resources from the UN system, UN-HABITAT depends largely on donor contributions, and therefore an institutional approach needs to be reasserted. In addition, a balance between earmarked and non-earmarked funding is needed to allow the organization to properly implement its mandate.
In only two years, UN-HABITAT has created a unit dedicated to resource mobilization and has delivered the following results:
- Developed information tools for development partners: the leaflet UN-HABITAT, for More Inclusive, Safer and Greener Towns and Cities, as well as this user-friendly catalogue, UN-HABITAT Products and Services, regularly updated for general and donor audiences and now including UNHABITAT policy strategies for each focus area
- Collected and shared knowledge throughout the organization on development partners' policy priorities and trends
- Consolidated and expanded UN-HABITAT's donor base by promoting longer-term partnerships with key development partners through new multiyear agreements
- Enhanced donor stewardship with high-level meetings that attract broad representation from key strategic partners
- Created a database of projects that are in the pipeline – the database is accessible on UN-HABITAT's website (www.unhabitat.org/pipelineprojects) and presents activities that need full or partial funding
- Developed an internal Donor Information System to facilitate coordination and information sharing on resource mobilization-related issues
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HIGHLIGHT: THE DONOR INFORMATION SYSTEM, A NEW TOOL FOR A CORPORATE RESOURCE MOBILIZATION
In only one year, UN-HABITAT has been able to develop, with extremely limited funding, an intranet-based system that has become the platform for facilitating coordination and information sharing on resource mobilization and related programme management issues throughout the organization. The Donor Information System was officially launched in late 2010 and is now the central source of reference for information on the agency's development partners. The different features include donor information, donor-related activities, calls for proposals, and proposal and project information. The set-up allows for cross-referencing across the agency, and it is linked to other key systems such as the Grants Management Information System and the pipeline projects and publications databases. The first hands-on training sessions for the system have already been given. |
Enhanced Normative and Operational Framework
Ensuring internal harmonization and better coordination in all regional and country operations
The Enhanced Normative and Operational Framework was established under UN-HABITAT's Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan, with the objective of harmonizing policy and programme approaches within UN-HABITAT and improving the coordination of operations on the ground. More specifically, its purpose is to facilitate inter-divisional coordination and better alignment of resources in order to more effectively achieve the expected results in a number of 'selected priority countries' through a more integrated and participatory programme planning and implementation process that clearly links the agency's normative and operational work.
A task force has been established to oversee this framework, which is responsible for translating UN-HABITAT's normative messages into concrete activities at regional and national levels. The task force has two main objectives: (i) to provide a platform for internal policy dialogue and coordination among all focus areas and the respective divisions and branches coordinating these focus areas, and (ii) to facilitate the design of an integrated programme of activities to be carried out in selected countries as a central part of the implementation of the Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan. This has facilitated internal harmonization and improved coordination of country operations globally. Done in a synchronized and more integrated manner, these efforts will increase the agency's impact at the country level.
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