Starting last year, the UN family in Uzbekistan made up of several agencies, funds, and programmes including UNFPA have embarked on developing of the third UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), which will cover the period of 2016-2020. UNDAF serves as a strategic document envisioning a coordinated UN system response to the needs and priorities of the country. It aims to support the government in implementing its development priorities building on comparative advantages of the UN system.
As shown in the diagram, Common Country Assessment (CCA) precedes formulation of UNDAF, as an integral part of UN programming cycle. It is a joint effort of UN Agencies to identify country needs and priorities.
First UNDAF in Uzbekistan covered the period of 2005-2009. UN system is currently finalizing the second UNDAF for the period of 2010-2015, which focuses on the following priority areas:
- Economic wellbeing, with particular attention to vulnerable groups;
- Social services, emphasizing increased access to and use of quality services;
- Environment, encompassing integration of the principles of sustainable development into national policies and programmes;
- Governance, focused on enhanced effectiveness, inclusiveness, and accountability at central and local levels.
Implementation of the UNDAF is a joint endeavor and builds on broad partnership among 12 UN agencies, national partners and donor community. UNDAF Steering Committee established by the resolution of the Prime Minister provides strategic guidance to its implementation. The thematic groups along four priority areas aim to ensure thematic coordination between UN, national partners and donor community.
- Conducting the Common Country Assessment;
- Independent evaluation of the UNDAF 2010-2015;
- Co0nsulation with the Parliament and NGOs;
- Strategic prioritization meeting with the Government;
- Government-UN working groups consultations.
The new UNDAF is inspired by the President’s 2010 work on ‘Concept on further deepening of democratic reforms and establishing civil society in the country’. The concept sets a people-centered development vision ‘to build an open democratic and law-governed state with a stable developing economy and a society’. The focus on people-centered development is in line with the UN’s central development paradigms, in particular human development and human rights, the MDGs and the post-2015 development vision, the so-called Sustainable Development Goals that are currently in draft stage.
