BCPR’s Internal Reviews
A renewed strategic vision for the Bureau
By BCPR Staff

Next year marks the beginning of a critical time for the UN system, which must adapt to a changing international development and security environment marked by the challenges of delivering on the Millennium Development Goals, new aid modalities, and increases in the flow of official development assistance. UNDP, as the UN’s global organization for development and steward of the Resident Coordinator system, is at the center of this shifting landscape. As UNDP’s lead on crisis prevention and recovery, BCPR has a particularly important role in ensuring that UNDP can provide global leadership in addressing the needs of fragile states. To help address these challenges, the Bureau commissioned three internal reviews. Here are their key findings.

Internal Review Key Findings
BCPR’s support of crisis countries and contributions to UN inter-agency discussions on crisis-related issues are of great value. The following changes would strengthen its effectiveness:

• A coherent medium-term strategic vision that can guide the Bureau’s work
• A bureau-wide strategy for gender mainstreaming
• A more rational and transparent financial reporting framework
• Stronger monitoring and evaluation capacities

Gender Review Key Findings
BCPR has made positive steps toward integrating gender sensitivity into its policy and programming, especially in mine action, small arms, and demobilization. Recommended changes include:

• Clearer gender policies for each area of BCPR expertise
• Data collection to build gender-sensitive indicators for Bureau-supported programmes
• Partnerships with key actors in the field n Promotion of gender-sensitive police-reform initiatives to lead a global discussion on more accountable security-sector reforms
• Active engagement in a UN inter-agency effort to end violence against women in conflict
  

Small-Arms Review Key Findings
BCPR has an innovative approach to small-arms programming, but there is room for improvement in the following areas:

• Reliable baseline information on the availability and distribution of weapons, and on the social and political context for insecurity and weapons demand
• More realistic targets for small-arms programmes
• Further clarification of the division of labor between different partners involved in small-arms programmes
• Elaboration of indicators that better measure the impact of small-arms programmes on people’s lives.
  

In response to the review’s recommendations, BCPR has launched a bureau-wide strategic visioning and planning process, which should be completed by early next year. It is designed to include wide-spread participation of BCPR staff members and consultation with key UNDP partners. The inputs and feedback we receive will help ensure that UNDP continues to deliver excellent support and services to countries undergoing or emerging from crisis.

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