VZCZCXRO9306
RR RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #1009/01 1500018
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300018Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5499
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 3129
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1183
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0258
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0031

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001009 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND IO/EDA CHARLES CHANG 
STATE PASS USAID FOR ANE/AA KUNDER/KENNEDY/WARD 
USUN FOR ALEC MALLY 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK FOR RDM/A 
ROME FOR FODAG, NAIROBI FOR US PERMREP JAMES STEWART 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KUNR PREL UN EAID SOCI PHUM AL CV MZ PK RW TZ UY
VM 
SUBJECT:  "ONE UN" PILOT PROGRAM INCHING FORWARD IN VIETNAM 
 
(U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET. 
 
REF: (A) STATE 43368 (B) 06 STATE 187687 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The "One UN" pilot program in Vietnam has taken 
its important first steps, but much work remains before the program 
becomes operational.  According to Hanoi-based UN diplomats, the 
Government of Vietnam (GVN) strongly supports the "One UN" pilot, 
which Vietnam began last February as one of eight countries aiming 
to achieve greater cohesion among UN agencies at the country level. 
The One Plan combines and synthesizes the work of the six 
participating UN organizations in Vietnam-namely UNDP, UNICEF, 
UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNV and UNIFEM.  The One Plan "Fund," which will 
become operational in June 2007, will mobilize and allocate funding 
to implement the One Plan.  UN Resident Coordinator Hendra publicly 
said donors that are required to earmark funds as they did before 
the One UN program began can continue to do so through 
agency-specific cost-sharing arrangements.  They can also earmark 
funds at the level of "outcome" in the One Plan.  While some details 
of the initiative need to be worked out and progress is slow, the 
program is well underway.  End Summary. 
 
STARTING TO IMPLEMENT THE "ONE UN" PROGRAM 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) The main objective of the One UN initiative is to 
strengthen program coherence and coordination by enabling 
participating agencies to be a more focused, responsive partner of 
the GVN.  Since the UN began the One UN process earlier this year in 
February, UN agencies in Vietnam report that the "One UN" program 
has progressed significantly, though it is not yet fully 
operational.  UN agencies across the country have worked more 
closely together to enhance impact, to reduce overlap and look for 
opportunities to strengthen and take better advantage of the 
specific skills and experience of UN agencies, according to Vietnam 
UN Resident Coordinator John Hendra.  With strong support from the 
GVN, the "One UN" in Vietnam comprises five elements, including: the 
One Plan, which will create greater coherence in UN programming; the 
One Plan Fund, which will establish a single budgetary mechanism; 
the One Set of Management Practices, which will work together to 
reduce transaction costs for government counterparts and key 
partners; the One Leader, which will lead high level policy dialogue 
and develop and manage a shared communication strategy; and the One 
UN House, which will increase cooperation, coordination for 
information sharing.  This set of "deliverables" is also referred to 
as the "Five Ones."  The launch of the One Plan, the One Plan Fund, 
and the One Leader is expected to take place in late May, Hendra 
said. 
 
¶3. (SBU) On April 19, the Vietnamese state press reported that 
Vietnam's UN Ambassador Ly Luong Minh said in New York that "the 
UN's effectiveness in assisting the socio-economic development of 
Member States is limited because of a lack of coherence in policies, 
overlapping programs and shortage of funds."   The GVN, therefore, 
is strongly behind the "One UN" Initiative, according to UN 
officials in Hanoi.  Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dzung has been 
engaged in the initiative. Last year, he approved the "Agreed 
Principles, Objectives and Instruments" to achieve the One UN in 
Vietnam and signed the Terms of Reference for a Tripartite National 
Task Force (TNTF), which will guide the implementation of the 
initiative.  The task force consists of representatives of the 
Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
Ministry of Finance, Office of the Government, as well as 
participating UN agencies and bilateral donors. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The One UN program in Vietnam is based on a format 
contained in the draft Guidelines for the Common Country Program 
Action Plans (CPAP), but has been amended as needed to reflect 
Vietnam-specific circumstances.  The "One UN" program aims to 
supersede individual country-specific action plans, with 
representatives of the participating UN agencies and the GVN signing 
off on the plan, said Kitty Van Der Heijden, of the office of the UN 
Resident Coordinator in Hanoi.  The draft program was transmitted to 
the GVN at the end of January 2007.  Based on the first round of 
consultations, a second draft has been prepared.  This draft will be 
forwarded to the GVN for its review by the end of April and is 
expected to be finalized in June. 
 
ALLOCATIONS FROM THE ONE PLAN FUND 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
HANOI 00001009  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) Under the plan, RC Hendra will make allocation decisions 
based on recommendations of an internal allocation committee.  The 
RC and the GVN have consulted donors in the formulation of the 
single country program and single budget.  Donor consultations have 
taken place within the context of the TNTF.  A TNTF meeting to 
present the draft One Plan is scheduled for the end of April, 
according to Van Der Heijden.  A consultative TNTF on the One Plan 
will take place in May, 2007, Van Der Heijden added. 
 
¶6. Implementation of the One Plan will be funded through a range of 
UN regular (core) resources and through other (non-core) resources, 
Van Der Heijden continued.  (Note: "Core" resources refer to 
un-earmarked resources to various UN agencies.  "Non-core" resources 
are funds that UN agencies mobilize with individual donors to 
certain specific programs or projects.  End Note.) 
 
¶7. (SBU) A One Plan Fund for Vietnam will be established as the 
primary mechanism to mobilize other resources at the country level. 
The new pooled fund will be directly linked to the One Plan, and the 
resources will be allocated to program priorities within the One 
Plan.  Financial support by donors should preferably be given as 
multi-year contributions without earmarks to the pooled fund.  While 
such contributions will be strongly encouraged, donors that are 
required to earmark funds can continue to do so through 
agency-specific cost-sharing arrangements or at the level of 
"outcome" in the One Plan, RC Hendra said publicly. (Note: In 
Vietnam, therefore, the United States will have a mechanism to 
ensure that U.S. funds will not be shared with those UN agencies or 
programs from which the U.S. withholds funding, such as UNFPA.  End 
Note.) 
 
¶8. (SBU) The One Plan Fund will be implemented in line with the new 
relationship between RC Hendra and the heads of participating UN 
agencies.  In this relationship, UN agency heads are more 
accountable to the RC than in the past.  Allocation of resources 
mobilized through the One Plan Fund will be determined by a new One 
Plan Fund Management Committee, consisting of the heads of the 
participating agencies and chaired by RC Hendra.  At this time, the 
One Plan and the One Plan Fund are not yet operational. Finalization 
and launch of One Plan and One Plan fund will implement in June, 
¶2007.  As the One Leader, RC Hendra has the authority to make final 
decisions and is responsible and accountable for results, according 
to a report from the UN office in Hanoi. 
 
AUDITS AND EVALUATION 
--------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Audit findings in Vietnam continue to be guided by the 
audit procedures of the UN agencies involved, said Van Der Heijden. 
The evaluation of the "One UN" program will be undertaken by the UN 
Evaluation Group (UNEG).  RC Hendra will provide inputs for the 
performance evaluation of UN Country Directors based on their 
contribution to the United Nations country team, according to a 
report of UN office in Hanoi.  The UN Country Team will evaluate the 
performance of the Resident Coordinator, according to the same 
report. 
 
¶10. Comment: Local diplomats have complained about slow 
implementation of the "One UN" concept in Vietnam.  While some 
details of the initiative need to be worked out and progress is 
slow, the program is well underway.  Moreover, strong backing from 
the GVN and UN RC Hendra have helped move the program forward.  Post 
will continue to monitor implementation of this reform.  At this 
point it is too early to judge whether this pilot project is more 
efficient or producing better results on the ground in Vietnam than 
the decentralized system.  End Comment. 
 
MARINE 
 
 
 
1