nextThese days, everyone is checking each others capacity. We
conduct macro and micro financial capacity assessments to find out whether our
development partners can handle our cash. We are identifying capacity gaps of
local, sub-national and national duty bearers. We look at the capacity of
countries to govern themselves. Donors are scoring the capacities of UN agencies
as a whole.
Do we know our own capacity gaps? Do we know whether we are able to accomplish
what we set ourselves to do? A few months ago a Regional Director – not from
UNICEF – suggested that UN Country Teams do generally not have the capacity do
prepare a decent CCA or UNDAF.
Shall we invite assessments of our capacity and usefulness by host country
governments? This would, for a change, be a change. But of course we would first
have to assess whether our programme partners have the capacity to assess our
capacities.
But we do now recruit and promote staff according to their demonstrated and
assessed core competencies, don’t we? And these competencies set out minimum
professional standards or qualities. And if our work has the potential of being
of life-saving nature, shouldn’t staff – once they passed the test - then be
issued a license?
(28 May 2004)
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