The Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) Training Series 2016 Module 1 in New York

18 March 2016, New York, USA - The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) organized together with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) with the generous support of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations the First Session of the Briefing Series of the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) of the General Assembly on Friday 18th March 2016.

At the event participated approximately 70 delegates from 50 different Missions and staff from the UN Secretariat and other UN agencies. There were 4 different speakers:  H.E. Ms. Laura Elena Flores Herrera, Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations; Mr. Nicolas Randin, Counsellor from the Permanent Mission of Switzerland;  Mr. David Nabarro, Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and  Mr. Douglas Lindores, Independent Expert (via Video Conference).  The event was moderated by Mr. Navid Hanif, Director, Office of ECOSOC Support and Coordination from DESA; and Mr. Marco Suazo, Acting-Head, UNITAR New York Office.

During the event, it was discussed that the QCPR is the mechanism through which the General Assembly assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact of UN operational activities for development and establishes system-wide policy orientations for the development and country-level modalities of the UN development system in response to the evolving development landscape.

Panelists highlighted that to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development it is important to stepping up the training initiatives to help national governments build capacity for the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda. Develop monitoring and review frameworks are the new ways to follow-up in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In this context, the importance of the QCPR as a review mechanism is essential in order to guide, assess and monitor UN operational activities for development and ensure a UN development system that is fit to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.  Participants discussed the best ways to incorporate the 2030 Agenda into the daily work at the UN in order to break the silo approach. They also argued on the best ways to understand and integrate the role of the HLPF and the national reviews of every country, as well as how to better measure the efficiency of the system in a wider and more integrated cooperative UN system.

During this first session of the Briefing Series, it was highlighted the importance of reflecting on how does the QCPR should look like; what do we want the system to do. All these questions will have to be settled this year, therefore the entire UN community will have to agree on a road map on how to do it, and how to set  the bars on effectiveness, funding and governance for the next 15 years.

Photo1: Panelists of the QCPR training module 1

Photo2: Participants of the training session