Management of the
United Nations System

 

The United Nations System in Thailand includes all the UN agencies that have a physical presence in Thailand. Some of these agencies have principally a country-level interest, others have primarily a regional-level focus, and some have both. The Heads of Agencies have recognised a need for the various components of the UN System to collaborate effectively both in Thailand and in the region/subregion, and have created a management mechanism built on regular meetings of the Heads of Agencies and of the designated Committees and Thematic Working Groups.

The quarterly Heads of Agency Meeting (HOAM) is the principal mechanism for coordination of UN activities at the country as well as the sub-regional/regional levels. Through the HOAM, agency heads assess needs, set policies and priorities, and review work in progress on inter-agency collaboration. Below the HOAM there are currently two Committees and ten Thematic Working Groups.

The Committee for Programme Review and Coordination (PRC) is responsible for UN collaboration work in Thailand related to country programming, particularly the CCA/UNDAF process and maintenance of the UN Common Database.

The Committee on Administrative Management and Security (AMS) is responsible for coordination of activities related to administration and security, while a proposed working group on the Management of the UN Building (MUB) is intended to set policies on the structure and process for managing the UN Building in Bangkok.

The ten Thematic Working Groups plan and implement substantive activities involving collaboration of UN agencies. Each group spans country, sub-regional and regional collaboration, according to the needs determined by the participating agencies.

The HOAM has emphasised that: working groups are to focus on collaborative action in specific areas (rather than merely information sharing); they are to be target and results oriented, and, they are to be time-bound by a sunset clause of eighteen to twenty-four months to achieve their objectives.

The ten Thematic Working Groups are listed below, with the agency chairs and co-chairs agreed by the HOAM.

 

Thematic area

Chair or Co-chairs
1

Womens Empowerment and Gender Equality

ESCAP, UNIFEM
2

Trafficking in Women and Children

UNRC, UNICEF, ILO
3

Environment and Development

UNEP, ESCAP
4

UNAIDS

  • Thailand
  • Regional

 

  • IBRD
  • UNFPA
5

Disability related concerns

ESCAP, FAO
6

Poverty alleviation, rural development and food security

FAO, UNDP, ESCAP, ILO
7

Drug control and crime prevention

UNDCP
8

Human rights and governance

UNDP, ESCAP, ILO
9

Social Summit Followup

ILO, ESCAP
10

Education For all (EFA), Post-Dakar

UNESCO, UNICEF, ESCAP

 

Inter-Agency Support Unit (IASU)

The Interagency Support Unit (IASU) is part of the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand. It comprises a full time manager and support staff, and provides the secretariat support needed to manage the inter-agency collaboration of the United Nations System. IASU is funded by contributions from the participating UN agencies, and is accountable to these agencies as a whole.

Dated: 8 Dec 2000