“I see this as an essential part of the reform of UNESCO, to enhance efficiency and to strengthen the delivery of the Organisation in response to Member States and in the transition to the post-2015 Development Agenda,” declared the Director-General.  

In this first phase of the initiative, projects will be established around four main axes -- programme planning and delivery, corporate services review, strengthening field delivery and enhancing resource mobilization. Each project is led forward by two members of the Senior Management Team, with responsibility for delivering on the project.  

The projects are designed with two objectives in mind:   

1.      to establish operational modalities that are better suited to deliver, both globally, regionally and locally and tailor-made UNESCO programmes and;  

2.      to achieve a better, clearer and more strategic global, regional and country level positioning and leadership of UNESCO within the context of the post-2015 Agenda and investing in staff training as required. 

A FfP Senior Coordinator, reporting to the Assistant Director-General of the Bureau of Strategic Planning, has been seconded to the initiative in order to coordinate the projects and to facilitate the monitoring and reporting of progress to the Senior Management Team for review and recommendation for decision by the Director-General.  

“Expectations are high across the world – the Organisation must become ever more fit for purpose and this is the responsibility of all staff, in Headquarters and in the field,” said the Director-General.  

“This is a strategic initiative to review and enhance the efficiency of UNESCO’s operations, to better tailor them to actual needs, for more effective and competitive programme delivery.”  

More on the implications of this initiative for the work of the Organisation as well as the involvement of all staff within the post 2015 agenda can be found here.