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BCPR’s new five year strategy, by External Relations, BCPR

BCPR is pleased to announce its new five year strategy for 2007-2011. Building on extensive reviews and consultations, the new plan reflects changes in the international environment, shifts in UNDP’s organizational priorities, and expansions within the Bureau.

Several steps remain before the current version becomes a final document: completion of a change management process; finalization of a gender approach to inform all of BCPR's work; and development of a monitoring and evaluation plan to measure the results.  These steps will be completed in the next few months. 

The strategy introduces several critical changes in the way the Bureau will work:

Clarity of focus: The plan describes clear, evidence-based criteria to determine BCPR’s engagement in specific crisis situations, and defines the core services BCPR will deliver to partners.

Focus on outcomes: The plan organizes BCPR’s work around the outcome areas of recovery and prevention, and systematically links BCPR’s support to a set of national development outcomes and UNDP country office outputs.

Become a center for policy and best practice: The plan describes how BCPR will exploit synergies between operations and policy, will share its best practices with partners at regional and country level, and will strive to position UNDP as a thought leader on CPR issues.

As a Bureau Strategy, this plan does not attempt to recommend a comprehensive UNDP approach to crisis prevention and recovery (CPR).  However, since BCPR leads the CPR practice area for UNDP, this strategy represents a necessary initial step towards developing such an integrated UNDP plan. 

Working well with programming and policy partners -- other UNDP Bureaus, the UN agencies, donors, regional organizations, civil society and academic institutions -- will be key to the success of this strategy.  Partners’ comments on the strategy are welcome.

To receive a copy of the BCPR 2007-2011 strategy or share your feedback, email laura.callanan@undp.org.

Since 2004, the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) and the CSO Division of the Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships (BRSP) have been working on a small grants program for civil society organizations in conflict and post-conflict situations. This initiative had at its core the transformation of UNDP engagement with civil society organizations from a relationship of service provision to one of genuine partnership. The program aimed to develop the capacity of CSOs to build peace through dialogue, the recovery of democratic and civilian institutions, economic revitalization, and sustainable partnerships with UNDP Country Offices in three pilot countries, Sri Lanka, Liberia and Colombia.

In 2006, following the completion of the pilot phase, a review was organized to learn from the country experiences and to guide future UNDP-CSO partnerships in conflict and post-conflict settings. Key highlights include:

1. The importance of CSO mapping as a capacity building tool for UNDP to initiate and improve mutually beneficial partnerships with CSO;

2. The importance of local selection committees (comprising of civil society actors) as an effective mechanism to guide program directions and to create a forum for dialogue among multiple stakeholders;

3. The importance of supporting Track 3 initiatives at the district level, through small granting, and of scaling up these efforts to the national level;

4. The critical role that UNDP can play in facilitating vertical alliance between civil society and government and in providing accompaniment and protection to CSOs in crisis environments.

For more information on the pilot and future phase of the program, please contact Celine Moyroud, BCPR and Thierno Kane, BRSP.

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