LocationsUNDP is leading a new model of operational transformation to deliver stronger, more sustainable results
Transforming operations into development impact in Brazil
July 16, 2026
UNDP Brazil is leading a new model of operational transformation to deliver stronger, more sustainable results. The initiative established the UN Brazil Pavilion during COP30, providing a common space for UN agencies to showcase their achievements.
Photo: UN Resident Coordinator Brazil
As UN budgets tighten globally and pressure grows to deliver more with less, one platform in Brazil is demonstrating what's possible.
In 2025, the UN Common Back Office in Brazil helped 18 UN entities process 12,400 service requests, generate US$ 5.1 million in validated savings, and achieve an 89 percent satisfaction rate.
UNDP is leading a new model of operational transformation, one that is helping the UN Development System (UNDS) deliver stronger, more sustainable results while reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
The Common Back Office (CBO) is part of the United Nations Secretary-General's Efficiency Roadmap, a global initiative to establish single service delivery at the country level. Led and coordinated by UNDP, the Brazil CBO is putting this vision into practice.
Launched in May 2024, the CBO Brazil is one of the four active pilot CBO initiatives which has rapidly emerged as a regional reference for shared services delivery across Latin America and the Caribbean.
From shared services to system-wide reform
Brazil’s CBO builds on more than a decade of UNDP-supported progress in common services.
The journey began in 2012 with the opening of the UN House in Brasília and UNDP’s designation as Common Premises Manager.
Following in 2016, Brazil piloted its first Business Operations Strategy, which led to the establishment of the Joint Operations Facility, a UNDP-led shared services unit that consolidated procurement, travel and administrative support for the UNDS.
The UN CBO partnered with the State Centers for Youth and Children's Orchestras of Bahia to promote social inclusion for vulnerable young people through music education and lutherie, the construction and repair of stringed instruments.
Photo: NEOJIBA
Operational excellence as a strategic enabler
A defining feature of Brazil’s approach was the inclusion of the Efficiency Agenda in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027.
This led to Brazil being the first country to formally integrate the Agenda into its programmatic cooperation framework with the national government.
The decision reflected a fundamental shift. Operational excellence is not merely administrative support; it is a strategic enabler of development results.
As former UN Resident Coordinator in Brazil, Silvia Rucks noted at the launch of the CBO in May 2024; “To better support countries in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, we must continuously seek new ways of operating.”
Through the CBO, UN agencies can focus on improving lives, especially the young. Youth Expectations is designed to deepen discussions on the contemporary challenges facing democracy in Brazil and Latin America.
Photo: UNDP Brazil
Designed around country needs
The CBO model was developed through a country-driven process, guided by the Resident Coordinator and with the close involvement of the UN in Brazil. The goal was to respond to operational demand, reduce costs and improve service quality.
It brings together 18 UN agencies and streamlines operations across 70 service lines. Its service platform covers common services at the UN House, procurement, travel, administration and protocol.
Together these areas standardize processes, reduce duplication and allow the UNDS in Brazil to truly 'Deliver as One'.
Through the CBO, UNDP is helping build a more efficient and agile UN Development System, enabling agencies to focus on what matters most: delivering impact for people.
In partnership with the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the PISTA programme supports social innovation and local development in the favelas of Rocinha, Complexo do Alemão, Maré, Cidade de Deus and in the municipality of Petrópolis.
Photo: Projeto PISTA
Results at a glance
By 2025, the UN CBO Brazil had become one of the most advanced initiatives under the UN Efficiency Agenda. For the first time, CBO services initiated the linkage to the Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating how operational efficiency can amplify the UN's programmatic impact.
- 18 UN entities participating in the initiative, representing 74 percent of entities operating in Brazil
- 70 service lines offered to the UNDS in Brazil
- More than $5.1 million in validated savings generated through UN CBO
- The most significant savings came from procurement (approximately $2.8 million) and travel services (approximately $2.18 million)
- Sustainability in practice: Through Greening the Blue initiatives, the CBO has reduced its environmental footprint by promoting renewable energy use, water reuse and responsible waste management
- Walk the walk: partnerships with local cooperatives and small-scale producers help reduce environmental impacts while promoting sustainable and responsible consumption
- 89 percent user satisfaction rate achieved
- Over 12,400 service requests processed
These results show the value of treating operations as a strategic asset.
By consolidating administrative, procurement and IT functions, the CBO streamlines workflows, reduces duplication and redirects resources toward core development and humanitarian mandates.
The model also highlights the importance of client-centred, scalable shared services. In 2025, the CBO expanded automation, introduced AI-based solutions, helping redirect staff capacity toward more strategic, substantive programmatic work.
Claudio Providas, Brazil’s Resident Representative, underscored the CBO’s ability to strengthen inter-agency collaboration: "The 2025 results demonstrated that 'Delivering as One' is not merely a conceptual framework, but a tangible driver of value creation for the UN system in Brazil.”
The COP30 UN Brazil Pavilion showcased the achievements of UN agency cooperation. Left: Maloca, the official COP30 metaverse platform for immersive virtual and hybrid climate events. Right: Macaozinho, an AI tool providing reliable information on climate change and international climate negotiations.
Photos: Left: Maloca COP30 | Right: Route to Belem - Macaozinho
A fit-for-purpose platform for the future
The UN80 Initiative has formally recognized the strategic role of Common Back Offices in UN operational modernization, providing institutional endorsement for the CBO model that Brazil helped pioneer.
This progress has been made possible through collective effort; the leadership of the Resident Coordinator’s Office and UNDP Brazil, support from UNDP’s regional and management bureau and the commitment of participating UN entities.
"The Common Back Office demonstrates how innovation in our operations enables us to deliver better results for the people we serve. As we move forward, our focus is to strengthen this platform as a cornerstone of a more integrated, efficient and impactful UN Country Team,” said Brazil’s new UN Resident Coordinator, Igor Garafulic.
The next step is to build an integrated, people-centred platform that connects operational efficiency with programmatic impact.
Brazil's experience demonstrates that operational excellence is not an end in itself: it is a catalyst for even greater development impact.
To learn more, read the UNDP Brazil 2025 Annual Report.
For more on UNDP’s global role in common services, visit our Services to the UN System page.
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