The United Nations is the most important actor in the areas
of conflict management and peace building. It is also the key source of
legitimacy for the international community. Furthermore, the UN has been able
to develop a body of doctrine and the respective instruments that place the
organization at the forefront of the international peace efforts.
But it is equally a machinery that is fragmented and complex,
composed of entities that often are reluctant to accept effective coordination
and tend to compete among themselves. The so-called “turf wars” are quite
common at headquarters, with different agency personnel vying for visibility
and resources, at the expense of coherence and impact.
It is also a very
decentralized organization, which is an advantage, as it brings the decision-making
close to the potential beneficiaries. The decentralization gives a large degree
of authority to the UN representatives in the field and the trend seems to be
to further strengthen such authority.
For an external partner, the office of the UN field representative
is the most appropriate entry point to explore opportunities for joint
collaboration and coordinate efforts.
No comments:
Post a Comment