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MOZAMBIQUE

BACKGROUND OF THE RETREAT

The Government of Mozambique had not formally endorsed or committed itself to UNSIA per se. However, it had established ownership and leadership of the formulation and implementation of UnSIA priority areas with the support of partners, including the UN system. A health sector reform programme has been going on for 5 years, and a health SIP was being implemented since 1996 with donors' support and needed to be revised.k A strategic master plan (SME) for education was being formulated by the Government and served as an instrument for permanent dialogue with donors. An Education Sector Investment Programmes (SIPs) would be formulated from the SME. A national water management plan was being prepared by the Government, and a water SIP was being envisaged. The JCGP members were working on the formulation of a joint gender programme for the Zambezi region.

Since its launch, the UN country team viewed UNSIA as an useful framework for bringing greater coherence to the UN system development activities in Mozambique. The CSN, which was approved by the Government in August 1995, was not being fully implemented, because most programmes of UN agencies pre-dated the CSN. The Resident Coordinator and the UN country team, in the context of their regular coordination mechanism, launched the preparation of the Common Country Assess (CCA), at the request of the JCGp and in response to the Special Initiative. The CCA would have a more clearly defined programmes planning objectives around which UN activities should develop,k and would establish the basis for integrated actions. An Inter Agency Task Force was established chaired by UNDP to oversee the work of thematic Technical Working Groups (TWGS) formed of agency and technical personnel. the themes correspond to the priority areas of UNSIA and the TWGS worked with national counterparts and other partners.

PURPOSE OF THE RETREAT

The overall objective of the retreat was to enhance joint programming and foster greater coordination under the UNSIA. The specific objectives were:

• To review the status of UNSIA implementation, issues, and to agree on how to move forward;
• To intensify dialogue on how to build a common framework for UN cooperation with Mozambique;
• To reach agreement on the CCA and on which additional support was needed to finalize it, based on the priorities and recommendations generated by the Working Groups and technical committee which prepared the CCA;
• To review each priority area by identifying specific collaborative actions in support of the country's efforts especially education, health, water, governance, gender;
• To review the links between UNSIA and the UN system reforms;
• To review the coordination mechanisms and the role of each member of the country team;

CONTENT

Discussions during the retreat centered on the following points: UNSIA and related implementation issues, UN system reforms, the CCA and its thematic contents, the coordinating mechanisms and the role of the Resident Coordinator and members of the UN country team. Discussions on the agenda took place in plenary sessions. They were opened, and agreements recommendations on major points or on follow-up activities were reached by consensus. Working documents included the draft CCA, CSN, and UNSIA update report.

PARTICIPATION

All UN agencies heads in Mozambique participated in the retreat. Donors were represented by the Swedish ambassador. One representative from the UN Staff College and from UNSIA Secretariat anticipated as resource persons. The Government and NGO representatives did not participate in the retreat.

ISSUES DISCUSSED

The following issues were discussed during the meeting:

Initial team building activity: Value that give life to each UN country team member to our organizations United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa (UNSIA)

• Value added;
• Relevance of the priority areas to Mozambique;
• Support, ownership and leadership of the Government;
• Contribution to UN agency coordination, harmonization and synergy;
• Additionality of resources;
• Information flow;
• Harmonization of approaches, procedures, regulation by UN agencies and support form Headquarters;
• Bringing other development partners on board;
• Links with other UN initiative and with UN-NADAF;
• Benchmarks for measuring progress;
• UNSIA and the UN reform effort;
• UNSIA and the Nordic proposal for the reform of the UN system;

Common Country Assessment (CCA)

• General review of the draft CCA document;
• CCA as a coordinating tool;
• Moving towards a common framework for the UN cooperation in Mozambique;
• Timing and role of the Government;
• Building the CCA into a partnership instrument between the Government, donors and the UN system;
• Identifying and mobilizing UN agencies support for the formulation and/or implementation of sectoral strategies and of sector investment programmes (SIPs) in education, health, water, food security;
• Identifying and mobilizing support for other priority areas: Governance, and cross-cutting issues such as populations, environment, gender, HIV/AIDS;
• Short term work plan for UN system support;
• Joint programming, especially on cross cutting issues (gender).

OUTCOME OF THE RETREAT

The retreat contributed substantially to deepening dialogue between the members of the UN country team and donors and among themselves and led to agreements/understanding on how to move forward towards a common framework for UN cooperation with Mozambique. Donor participation also enhanced their support for UNSIA.

The following specific decisions/recommendations were made:

United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa (UNSIA)

• Strengthening of dialogue with the Government;
• Increase support to the Government in the implementation of the priority sector;
• Sharing SIPs and the CCA with other development partners;
• Development of a database with the Ministry of planning and Finance;
• Intensification of efforts to bring other partners on board and advocate UNSIA;
• Enhanced support of UNSIA by the UN country team;

The CCA and priority areas of UNSIA

• The draft CCA was adopted, and there was a consensus on how to make changes in order to finalize it. For each priority area of the CCA (and UNSIA), specific collaborative actions were identified, lead agencies designated and resources commitment by each agency indicated;
• For health sector, the retreat agreed that the UN system should provide inputs into the review and update of the ongoing health SIPs. To this end, a joint UN/Government workshops would be convened by June 1997 by the World Bank and WHO as lead agencies;
• For the educations sector, agreement was reached on the necessity to identify additional UN support tot the educations sector, and for an inter-agency group to work on making concrete recommendations. After a meeting with the Government on May 2, 1997, the UN system agencies under the coordination of the WB and WHO would meet to identify specific mans through which the UN could support the master plan for educations and complement the SIP. A working group convened by UNDP would have concluded a study of the overall education and training system in Mozambique.
• For water and sanitation priority sector, and before the World Bank appraisal of the proposed water SIP, UNICEF would convent a UN system working group, to focus on developing a common understanding of the proposed SIP and to identify supplementary activities and related work programme through which the UN system can support water resources management;
• For the cross cutting issues of population: agency activities related to population would be reviewed and collaborative approaches identifies. UNFPA would convent a workshop by August 27, and a work programme would be established.
• It was agreed that the UN agencies will share plans which incorporate gender elements. During the period of 20 to 23 May, the JCGP gender focal points would conduct a joint situation analysis in the Zambezi province and prepare a presentation on their finding for the UN system.
• A joint pilot project would be developed by the end of 1997. By the end of June, UNDP would obtain UN system agency input into the formulation of the proposed strategies of the Social Action Programme.
• With regards to HIV/AIDS, it was agreed that the UN system would update the status of the AIDS epidemic in high risk Provinces and that strategies for mitigating the spread of AIDS would be formulated.
• For the area of Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry, there was agreement that, at the invitation of FAO, UN system agencies would participate in the development of work plans related to the FAO pilot projects being planned for 3 areas of the country. Under the leadership of UNDP, UNIDO and FAO, the UN system would synthesize the UN current support of credit programme and provide input into a comprehensive implementation strategy. All agencies would have the opportunity to participate in the formulation of the integrated rural development project supported by the Government of Italy.
• With respect to environment, there was an agreement that regular inter agency fora on environment programmes and issues are conducted.

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