GoB-UN POP 2010-2014 - UNFPA Botswana

ForewordThe cooperation between the Government ofBotswana and the United Nations system in Botswanais pursuant of the United Nations General AssemblyResolution 63/233 on Development Cooperation withMiddle Income Countries that recognises and calls forappropriate support to middle income countries toovercome disparities masked by national averagesand to realise all the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). The design of the cooperation betweenthe United Nations and Middle Income Countriesis an area of on-going learning. Despite extensivediscussion at the United Nations, there is still no policyframework that clearly defines a coherent UnitedNations strategy for engagement with middleincomecountries. While this is a challenge, it is alsoan opportunity for Botswana to generate lessons onhow best to utilise the capacities of the UN system.A key feature of this learning process is to exerciseflexibility and adaptation. In 2008, the Governmentof Botswana and the United Nations in Botswanaadopted a roadmap towards the operationalizationof the “Delivering as One” approach through theadoption of a single UN programme operationalplan aligned to national priorities and informed byUN programming principles. In 2010, implementationbegan in earnest.In 2012, we made adjustments to the ProgrammeOperational Plan on the basis of lessons learnt. Therevised GoB-UN POP 2010-2014, as an action planof the United Nations Development AssistanceProgramme (UNDAF) for 2010 – 2016 represents ashared conviction of the partners on how the UN canbest support Botswana to achieve its aspirations. Theobjective of the partners in revising the GoB – UN POP2010 – 2014 is two fold. Firstly, as it is expected of anaction plan, it had to be reviewed and adjusted toimprove its ‘fit for purpose’, that is; to enhance thecontribution of the UN to the realisation of NDP10 goals.Secondly, the GoB – UN POP 2010 -2014 represents amajor shift on how UN agencies work with each otherand how they work with Governments, including theGovernment of Botswana. On both these fronts,the first three years of the GoB – UN POP 2010 -2014,have offered some important experiences andlessons. Changes in the operational context havepresented both opportunities and challenges for thepartnership creating the need for adaptation.Over the past three years the Government ofBotswana has made considerable progress inimplementing the Tenth National DevelopmentPlan (NDP10) as evidenced by its mid-term reviewreport. Through successful implementation of theGoB-UN POP 2010-2014 activities, the UN has playedan important role as a partner in this achievement.Botswana has recorded good progress on manyfronts including the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs), with the country on course to achievethe majority of the goals. Many of Botswana’ssocial indicators,with a few exceptions, comparefavourably with those of other middle incomecountries. The country however faces continuedchallenges of reducing inequality. Therefore, theGovernment is poised to ensure, through inclusivepolicies and programmes, to develop the countryand its citizens. These objectives must be met in anenvironment that differs significantly from the oneobtained at the time the GoB – UN POP 2010 -2014was developed. The changes challenge both theGovernment of Botswana and the UN to be morecreative and more strategic.In 2012 both the NDP10 and the GoB-UN POP 2010-2014 underwent mid-term reviews that assistedwith the identification of areas for improvementas well as guidance on how the improvementscould be made. The five Component CoordinationGroups (CCGs) worked tirelessly to make thenecessary revisions to the GoB-UN POP 2010-2014.The product is a new version of the GoB-UN POP2010-2014 that reflects current understanding of theopportunities and challenges for the GoB-UN POP2010-2014 partners. The document presents ourshared strategic intent of utilising the comparativeadvantage of the UN system to further Botswana’sdevelopmental aspirations; the actions we intend totake to achieve our strategic intent; and elaborateson how we will manage our work in order to ensurethat all our actions are consistent with and in supportof our strategic intentions. The revised GoB – UN POP2010 – 2014 will also provide clarity on key conceptsand commitments that the partners have made. Inmaking these commitments the partners sincerelybelieve the principles outlined in this documentshould be at the core of their collaborative workand are fully aware that in some cases the progressmade may not reach the desired goals.The view adopted by the partners is that, making astart is better than not starting for fear of the scaleGoB - UN POP 2010 - 2014v