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This document was prepared as a background paper for the 10th UN Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development, which is to be held in Addis Ababa from 12 to 14 February 2007, in line with the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/51/172 of December 1996. This publication provides an overview of the issues that were covered during the Round Table, as well as suggestions as to how inter-agency coordination can be improved, both at headquarters and at country level.

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has said: “the true measure of success for the United Nations is not how much we promise, but how much we deliver for those who need us most”. Strengthened collaboration among UN agencies in the area of communication for development will increase the UN capacity to deliver by enabling it to combine efforts and build synergies.

The 10th UN Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development aimed at discussing the ways in which different UN agencies can reinforce their collaboration in this area, with particular emphasis on achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The paper has five parts. The introductory section provides background and spells out the objectives of the Round Table. With reference to the evolution of the field, section 2 discusses the state of communication for development in the UN system. Section 3 highlights a cross-section of existing good practices in inter-agency collaboration, while section 4 articulates the key expectations from the 10th Round Table. A tentative Plan of Action, including concrete areas in which UN agencies can collaborate as a first step towards enhanced partnership around communication for development, is appended as an annex.