United Nations agencies, partners and donors increasingly pool funds and complementary areas of expertise to gain greater efficiencies in the field. Effective cooperation starts with UN interagency country teams working together to strengthen country analysis and influence national priorities.
UN agencies and partners are then in a position to deliver on these country priorities in a coordinated and streamlined way. This makes sense on the ground, and complies with the United Nations directive for a more coordinated, streamlined and accountable way of working.
Pooling funds to get results
UNFPA engages actively in a number of joint UN funding platforms at the country, regional and global level. These include thematic funds, such as the Global Programme and the Maternal Health Thematic Fund.
In late 2013, UNFPA also became the fiduciary agent for the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Fund, a coordinated global investment framework and financing facility set up to respond to countries' funding gaps related to the health of women and children.
Joint UN funding mechanisms
In many cases, UNFPA participates in and often serves as the administrative agent (AA) for joint programmes and multi-donor trust funds.
Joint Programmes with other UN organizations and pooled Multi-Partner Trust Funds (MPTFs) represent important mechanisms for the delivery of UNFPA's programmes at country, regional and global level. Having the requisite institutional capacities and systems in place, UNFPA started to perform the AA function for pass-through fund management on a limited scale in 2008.
UNFPA engages as AA purely based on demand and only for joint programmes or MPTFs in which it participates. Correspondingly, UNFPA has either taken the lead on or actively participated in the design of all the pass-through funds it administers.
These global, regional and country funds cover areas critical to UNFPA’s mandate – reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health; gender equality and women’s empowerment; ending violence against women, including harmful traditional practices; adolescents and youth; and population and development.
For further details, see the UNFPA AdministrativAgent Portal