UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services

1. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, has the governing body of your organization taken (or will it take) any decisions or new strategies to guide the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? If any, please provide a brief summary below, including the overarching vision of your organization.

The UNOPS self-financed and demand-driven business model is unique in the UN system. Its contributions in support of countries' achievement of the SDGs will be shaped by partners' demand and organizational capabilities to respond. UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board in its decision 2017/26 endorsed UNOPS strategic plan 2018-2021 and:

1. Expressed its appreciation for the UNOPS intent to engage more strategically with Governments and other partners;
2. Urged entities of the United Nations system to recognize the comparative advantages and technical expertise of UNOPS and engage in collaborative strategic partnerships for efficiency and effectiveness, including at the country level; and
3. Encouraged UNOPS in its continued pursuit of organizational excellence and attention to ensuring investment to build organizational capabilities and protect its unique business model for the future.

Further, in its decision 2018/12, the Executive Board took note of the solid implementation platform established on which to initiate the UNOPS Strategic Plan, 2018-2021, to support Member States in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNOPS strategic plan 2018-2021 (DP/OPS/2017/5) outlines the vision of the organization of a world where people can live full lives, supported by appropriate, sustainable and resilient infrastructure and by efficient and transparent use of public resources in procurement and project management.

With its implementation mandate, the organization can make direct and indirect contribution to the achievement of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Three contribution goals express the overall value proposition for UNOPS services:

1. Enable partners to do more with less through efficient management support services, delivered locally or as global shared services.
2. Help people achieve individual, local, national and global objectives, through effective specialized technical expertise grounded in international norms and standards
3. Support countries in expanding the pool and effect of resources available to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

2.1 SDG-specific strategies, plans or work programmes

UNOPS strategic plan 2018-2021 is fully aligned to the 2030 Agenda. It expresses the organization's ambition to become a known and recognized resource with a mandate to expand implementation capacity across peace and security, humanitarian and development efforts. As a demand-driven and self-financed organization, UNOPS partners with governments, the United Nations, and other partners, including foundations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

In full recognition of the universality, mutual reinforcement and interdependence of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, UNOPS can make direct and indirect contributions towards achievement of all the goals. UNOPS does not presume a global policy mandate in relation to the goals, but aims to enhance the implementation capacity of partners wherever its expertise and comparative advantage can add value.

Achievement of the goals will require infrastructure investment across numerous sectors, including energy, water, transport, waste, and information and communications technology, as well as public enabling assets for social infrastructure in health, education and housing. The policy review reaffirmed the need to ‘unlock' blended or pooled financing and risk mitigation for infrastructure. UNOPS has a mandate in infrastructure, and experience in most infrastructure sectors, and can support the prioritization and development of resilient, sustainable national infrastructure through evidence-based approaches.

Infrastructure will play a critical role for the achievement of Agenda 2030. A 2018 study, conducted by the University of Oxford and UNOPS, suggests that quality infrastructure affects 92% of targets across all SDGs (see below attached document). UNOPS aims to harness this potential by empowering government partners to plan, deliver and manage their infrastructure systems with a clear focus on sustainability and resilience. Such efforts to ensure infrastructure is well-planned, implemented and operated in the long term, exemplifies how economic, social and environmental sustainability can be mainstreamed into the United Nation's support to national governments as key actors of the 2030 Agenda.

Procurement represents significant government expenditure. With its mandate and technical expertise in public procurement, UNOPS is a resource for building public procurement capacity and transparent, accountable institutions. Establishing public procurement frameworks that enable innovative, sustainable choices and realize even small efficiencies can constitute a major impetus towards achieving the goals. UNOPS can support efforts to realize a procurement dividend by expanding resources through efficiency and innovation.

This is true throughout the United Nations system. The quadrennial comprehensive policy review requested entities to explore collaborative procurement at global, regional and country levels. Current institutional arrangements, however, appear too fragmented to realize the potential benefits of sustainability standards and combined purchasing power.

2.2 Aligning the structure of the organization with the transformative features of the 2030 Agenda, including any challenges and lessons learned in doing so

UNOPS has a demand-driven, self-financed business model. The organization will continue to adjust its presence and geographical scope in line with partners' need for support and rapid response, particularly in fragile situations.

In view of the need to ensure fit-for-purpose for delivering the 2030 Agenda, UNOPS continues to seek efficiency, simplification and empowerment ultimately serving enhanced management of risk and the ability to serve others. UNOPS has completed the revision of its internal governance and organizational structure, separating policy and control functions from operations management across the organization. This is in line with the ambitions for governance, risk and compliance established in the strategic plan 2018-2021, as well as with the Secretary-General's vision for the organizational structure of the UN Secretariat.

2.3 Readjusting or updating results-based budgeting and management, including performance indicators:

The UNOPS strategic plan 2018-2021 was adopted during the Second Regular Session 2017 of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board. The UNOPS Biennial Budget Estimates 2018-2019, which were adopted by the Executive Board in the same session, subsequently laid out UNOPS results framework, consisting of three mutually reinforcing contribution goals and four management goals, in full support of the 2030 Agenda.

UNOPS three contribution goals constitute its value-proposition and ambitions within its mandated areas, by (a) enabling partners to do more with less through efficient management support services, delivered locally or as global shared services; (b) helping people achieve individual, local, national and global objectives, through effective technical expertise founded in international norms and standards; and (c) supporting countries expand the pool and effect of resources available to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

Supporting the contribution goals, the four management goals express the UNOPS ambition for organizational excellence, quality and principled performance throughout its operations. They frame how it will drive internal reform and innovation through (a) partner value; (b) people excellence; (c); process excellence and (d) financial stewardship. Associated indicators, baselines, targets and allocated resources ensure that UNOPS is fit for purpose and that management resources support the 2030 Agenda while contributing to the United Nations management reform.

2.4 Action to enhance support to the principle of "leaving no one behind" and to integrated policy approaches:

In its strategic plan 2018-2021 (DP/OPS/2017/5), UNOPS emphasizes its readiness to support the Secretary-General's vision of the United Nations as a platform for prevention, addressing particularly the challenges for countries in fragile situation to manage risks and shocks effectively. Concretely, this includes capacity-building for resilience (paragraph 24), integration of DRR-principles in UNOPS infrastructure work (paragraph 26), transfer of proven solutions to fragile contexts (paragraph 28), improved knowledge management (paragraph 77), and continued agility in responding rapidly to need for prevention (paragraph 80).

Furthermore, the focus on the furthest behind is integrated into UNOPS sustainable implementation approaches (ibid., paragraphs 16). The annex to the strategic plan provides further analytical details.

Within the United Nations system, UNOPS remains available to manage implementation on behalf of partners as they focus on global normative policy mandates.

4.1 Supporting the intergovernmental body of your organization in contributing to the thematic review of the HLPF:

In line with resolution A/RES/67/290 HLPF shall follow up and review progress in the implementation of all the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and environmental fields. UNOPS actively participated in many of these conferences.

First of all, UNOPS participated in the HLPF in 2016 and 2017; and represented several initiatives including Cities Alliance, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN), and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) in the HLPF in 2017.

In 2016, UNOPS participated in the Habitat III conference and contributed to several sessions and events including the Special Session on Urban Infrastructure, the High-level Stakeholder Consultation on Multi-Partner Implementation Facility for Sustainable Urban Development, and the UNOPS-OHRLLS Networking Event: Harnessing the potential of urbanization in least developed countries.

In 2016 and 2017 UNOPS attended the Global Infrastructure Forum. The outcomes of the Forum were reported to UN Member States via the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up.

In 2017 UNOPS participated in the high-level UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.

4.2 Contributing to policy/background briefs for the HLPF:

UNOPS engages in strategic collaborative partnerships with UN organizations. In 2016 alone some 40% of the UNOPS activities were in direct partnership with entities of the United Nations, i.e. approximately USD 600 million through 300 projects in more than 80 countries.

UNOPS participated in the work of most coordination mechanisms. Representatives of the organization attended at both principal and expert level meetings of the main inter-agency coordination mechanism, the Executive Committee of Economic and Social Affairs Plus (ECESA Plus), which brings together 50 plus UN entities.

In addition to this, UNOPS Executive Director attended all CEB meetings and a number of UNDG meetings. UNOPS also attended UNDG meetings at expert level. Further to this, UNOPS participated in UNDG working (results) groups. Finally, UNOPS Executive Director also attended the Environmental Management Group meeting in New York.

UNOPS participated in all three subgroups for the Business Innovation Results Group, taking a lead role on mutual recognition. The organization also actively contributed to the Sustaining Development and Sustaining Peace results group. UNOPS consider considers engagement in this group especially relevant, as UNOPS delivers work across the humanitarian, development and peace nexus.

4.3 Helping organize SDG-specific events in the preparatory process:

In line with resolution A/RES/67/290, the HLPF shall follow up and review progress in the implementation of all the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and environmental fields. UNOPS actively participated in a number of related events.

In 2016 and 2017 UNOPS attended the Global Infrastructure Forum. The outcomes of the Forum were reported to UN Member States via the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up.

In 2017 the HLPF theme was "Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world". The HLPF also reviewed goals 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 14 and 17.

In preparation to HLPF 2017, UNOPS participated in the Habitat III conference and contributed to several sessions and events including the Special Session on Urban Infrastructure, the High-level Stakeholder Consultation on Multi-Partner Implementation Facility for Sustainable Urban Development, and the UNOPS-OHRLLS Networking Event: Harnessing the potential of urbanization in least developed countries, which all contributed to SDG 9.

In 2017 UNOPS also participated in the high-level UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. Among others, together with UNEP, UNOPS co-organized private sector round table on "Preventing and Combating Marine Litter or Businesses for Plastic Free Seas". UNOPS Executive Director also delivered a statement at the plenary session. Earlier in 2017, UNOPS also launched a partnership with WATO (now Ocean Generation) in order to promote the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources.

2018 HLPF theme was "Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies" and HLPF also reviewed goals 6, 7, 11, 12, 15 and 17. UNOPS participated in the regional forums on sustainable development in Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. UNOPS also supported one of its Board members who organized side event during HLPF 2018.

In 2018, UNOPS also participated in the regional forums on sustainable development in Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.

4.4 Organizing side evens or speaking at the HLPF:

UNOPS participated in the HLPF in 2016, 2017 and 2018; and represented several initiatives including Cities Alliance, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN), and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC).

4.5 Supporting VNR process:

In Lao PDR, UNOPS provided country-level support to the VNR process, through contribution to UN working documents.

5. How has your organization cooperated with other UN system organizations to achieve coherence and synergies in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs? In this regard, has your organization launched or intend to launch any joint programmes or projects in collaboration with other UN entities? Are there any results or lessons you would like to highlight that might help improve the design and impact of such efforts? Has your organization participated in any of the following coordination systemwide mechanisms or any other relevant platform - CEB, UNDG, EC-ESA Plus, RCMs, UN-Energy, UN-Water, UN-Ocean, IAEG, IATT?  Please specify which and indicate any suggestions you may have about improving collaborations within and across these mechanisms/platforms:

In 2017, more than one third of the UNOPS activities were in direct partnership with entities of the United Nations, i.e. approximately USD 580 million through 400 projects in more than 80 countries.

UNOPS enables partners' strategic initiatives to pursue the achievement of Agenda 2030 through its efficient management support services. For example, in support of technological advancements, UNOPS is assisting the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS) to operationalize the Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, enabling OHRLLS to close in on achieving SDG target 17.8.

In line with General Assembly Resolution 65/176, Executive Board Decisions 2013/23, 2016/12 and 2017/26, as well as observations from the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) in 1998, and again in 2018, a clear lesson learnt from many years of inter-agency cooperation is that a sharper division of labour based on comparative advantages, and aiming to leverage complementarities in mandate, is a useful key principle to help improve the design and impact of joint programmes and projects.

UNOPS participates in the work of a number of coordination mechanisms. Representatives of the organization attend, as appropriate, at principal and expert level, meetings of the main inter-agency coordination mechanism, the Executive Committee of Economic and Social Affairs Plus (ECESA Plus).

In addition to this, UNOPS Executive Director is a full and equal member of the Secretary-General's Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). UNOPS also attends and participates in UN meetings at expert level and working groups of relevance to its mandate and role.

UNOPS participated in all strategic results groups of UNDG as well as in all three subgroups for the Business Innovation Results Group, taking a lead role on mutual recognition. The organization also actively contributed to the Sustaining Development and Sustaining Peace results group. UNOPS consider considers engagement in this group especially relevant, as UNOPS delivers work across the humanitarian, development and peace nexus.

UNOPS is a member of several interagency working groups, including the Inter-Agency Consultative Group meeting on the Implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for the LDCs, the Inter-Agency Consultative Group Meeting on the Follow-up and Implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for LLDCs, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development, and the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development. In 2019, UNOPS submitted its application to become a member of UN Oceans.

6. How has your organization engaged with stakeholder groups, both in supporting implementation at the country, regional and global levels, and within your own organization? If yes, please provide main highlights, including any lessons learned:

As a demand-driven and self-financed United Nations organization, UNOPS partners with governments, the United Nations system and other partners, including intergovernmental institutions, international and regional financing institutions, foundations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

UNOPS aims to empower governments to plan, deliver and manage their infrastructure systems with a clear focus on sustainability and resilience. Such efforts to ensure infrastructure is well-planned, implemented and operated in the long term, exemplifies how economic, social and environmental sustainability can be mainstreamed into the United Nation's support to national governments as key actors of the 2030 Agenda. The organization will continue to build on successful collaborations with the governments of Nepal, Curaçao, Palestine, the Turkana County in Kenya, and other government entities in need of its competencies in quality infrastructure.

UNOPS supports public-private partnerships and the United Nations through efficient management support services. For example, the NCD Partnerships brings together state and private sector actors to jointly fight non-communicable diseases; while the Stop TB Partnership joins more than 1,500 partners in a fight against tuberculosis across more than 100 countries.

Within the organization, UNOPS undertakes regular reviews of its strategic plan, which features a comprehensive review of the external environment, including stakeholder feedback, as well as an internal consultation process with relevant stakeholders throughout the organization. Finally, a regular survey of UNOPS personnel provides valuable inputs to targeted action plans for management. Mechanisms and tools for frequent, organic exchange are also in place.

7. Has your organization organized any conferences, forums or events designed to facilitate exchange of experience, peer and mutual learning? If yes, please provide a brief summary below and include lessons learned and gaps identified based on the outcomes of these events. Please also include any events you plan to organize in the coming years.

UNOPS seeks to actively promote attention to key issues by collaborating with partners on joint events. Recent examples include an event jointly hosted with the European Commission and the Government of Japan on "Promoting Quality Infrastructure Investment", focused on highlighting the critical role of quality infrastructure for sustainable development, as well as the considerable funding gap; and the UNOPS Possibilities (UP) Forum in Yangon, Myanmar, jointly hosted with the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), focusing on supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises in Myanmar to engage in sustainable procurement activities.

During the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) UNOPS co-organized the event "What do you see? - Insight to gender mainstreaming in infrastructure?".

In October 2018, UNOPS co-organized a special event of the UN Second Committee "Infrastructure and Sustainable Development: Making infrastructure investments work for women and girls".

At the 2019 meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), UNOPS is planning to host a high-level side event posing the question of "How can infrastructure better contribute to the achievement of SDG 5", together with the governments of Estonia and Sri Lanka, and representatives of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The event will explore how to ensure that infrastructure development contributes effectively to the advancement of women and the attainment of SDG 5.

Furthermore, UNOPS provides efficient management support services to high-level meetings and forums. Recently this included the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation in Geneva, and the Artificial Intelligence Forum in New York.

8. Is there any other information you would like to share, including annual reports of your organization and any impact assessment or evaluation reports? If yes, please use the space below and attach the document(s). Please also use this space to provide any other information, comments or remarks you deem necessary:

UNOPS started using the GRI framework to report its annual results to the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board in 2016. The latest report "Impact - Sustainability Report 2017" can be found on the UNOPS website.

In collaboration with Oxford's Infrastructure Transition Research Consortium (ITRC), UNOPS recently published a report describing quality infrastructure as a central component of the Sustainable Development Goals. The report "Infrastructure - Underpinning Sustainable Development" demonstrates the influence of both networked and non-networked infrastructure on 92 per cent of 169 targets across all SDGs; and highlights the need for conscious planning and disciplined investment decisions with regards to infrastructure.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos in early 2019, UNOPS launched its publication "Hidden Champions: Smart solutions to impossible challenges". It outlines the journey of UNOPS as illustrated by unique projects from the organization's past, present and future.

UNOPS also supported a publication by the Economist Intelligence Unit on "The critical role of infrastructure for the Sustainable Development Goals"

9. In your view, what should a strategic plan for the UN system in support of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs look like? What key elements should it include and major challenges address in such a road map?

The Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (A/RES/71/243) and the Secretary General's report on Repositioning the United Nations development system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda: our promise for dignity, prosperity and peace on a healthy planet (A/72/684) as well as the General Assembly resolution on Repositioning the United Nations development system in the context of the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system (A/RES/72/279) set out the strategic priorities for the UN development system in support of implementing the 2030 Agenda. The principles and elements of reform described therein form a solid basis for setting the UN development system on a path to ensure it can support Member States to deliver on the 2030 Agenda.

UNOPS strongly supports the reform of the United Nations development system, and believes that cooperation and mutual recognition for a division of labour based on respective core mandates and comparative advantages are indispensable elements of the reform. UNOPS also urges a recognition of the realities of funding needs for development, and of the fact that private sources are key to unlocking the required funding.

The ability of the UN development system to partner with public and private actors by leveraging Official Development Aid (ODA) as a catalyst for sustainable development financing is paramount. Finally, attention must be paid to the criteria (currently under development) to be applied to the presence and composition of UN country teams.

To ensure countries receive the support they require, and can benefit from the expertise and support also of non-resident agencies, the UN's in-country presence must be flexible and agile. As stipulated in paragraph 8 of the resolution "Repositioning of the United Nations development system" (A/RES/72/279), the new resident coordinator system should draw on the expertise and assets of all United Nations development system entities, including non-resident agencies. UNOPS is ready to take on its share of responsibility, leveraging its presence and expertise in mandated areas, acting as a catalyst for channeling government and private-sector funding, and deploying its specialized technical expertise to support the 2030 Agenda so that results are achieved in a transparent, accountable manner, for the benefit of people, including through capacity development and promotion of national ownership.

10. Please indicate one or two endeavor or initiatives you suggest that the UN system organizations could undertake together to support the implementation of the SDGs between now and 2030:

UNOPS is a resource for UN system partners, to do more with less through efficient management support services, delivered locally or as global shared services. Non-location specific services can be provided from places where conditions and cost structures optimize value for money, and ensure consideration of all aspects of sustainability, for the operations supported.

The UN system organizations play a critical supportive role in enabling governments creating an environment for investment, for example into resilient and sustainable infrastructure. Legal and banking systems, political structure and processes, due diligence on human rights and environmental impact considerations are agendas the UN system organizations can best promote jointly, leveraging complimentary mandates and comparative advantages. This includes support to public-private partnerships.

A clearer division of labor within the United Nations system, based on mandate and expertise, could reinforce quality standards and allow more cost-effective approaches. It could also ensure the critical mass of institutional knowledge needed for innovation to harvest the benefits that sustainable, resilient infrastructure can bring. The system should align its efforts to enable Member States in preparing for disasters in an informed manner.

This is true also in the area of procurement throughout the United Nations system. The quadrennial comprehensive policy review requested entities to explore collaborative procurement at global, regional and country levels (op 65). Current institutional arrangements, however, appear too fragmented to realize the potential benefits of sustainability standards and combined purchasing power.

UNOPS stands ready to engage with all partners to expand the pool and effect of resources, including from the private sector. Such efforts may be based on identifying and pursuing linkages between individual Sustainable Development Goals and Private Sector strategies with the view to establishing strategic collaborative partnerships, including at country level