UNFPA is a key partner of the Australian Government in working to strengthen sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights in services in developing countries. Its objectives align well with DFAT’s Health for Development Strategy 2015-2020 which prioritises integrated health systems strengthening, including investing in maternal and newborn health and family planning.
It continues to lead effectively within the UN system both with respect to providing strong advocacy for improved SRH and delivering quality programs. UNFPA’s work in partnering with national governments to increase budget commitments for SRH underpins a sound focus on achieving sustainable improvements to services. The Multilateral Performance Assessment found UNFPA scored 5 out of 6 on all six assessment criteria: Results and Impact; Relevance and Alignment; Value for Money; Partnership Behaviour; Organisational Capacity; and Organisational Governance.
UNFPA generally achieves high impact development results at an institutional level and across programs globally. It has clarity of purpose and a mandate with a global reach; uses compelling evidence and analysis to advance SRH and gender equality issues at a global level; and purchases and distributes SRH commodities globally at competitive prices. UNFPA explicitly focuses on advancing gender equality, women’s and girls’ empowerment, and reproductive rights, including for the most vulnerable and marginalised women, adolescents and youth.
UNFPA was found to be strongly performing in effectively delivering assistance in humanitarian and emergency settings and remains a valued partner for the Australian aid program. Importantly, it has strengthened national disaster mitigation and response strategies and continues work to ensure key SRH commodities are available. This work makes an important contribution to saving lives during disasters.
In the Pacific, UNFPA has made some improvements to its operations in recent years although its human resources remain modest. More remains to be done to strengthen key SRH indicators, data collection and improve outcomes. Across the region, adolescent fertility rates and unmet need for modern family methods remains high. The planned 2016 evaluation of UNFPA’s Pacific Regional Operations will be an important mechanism for driving improved performance.
Since Australia’s last major review of UNFPA, the organisation has made good progress in improving its corporate management, increasing public reporting, strengthening human resource management and improving accountability for performance through the use of its global Integrated Results Framework.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Australia contributed $19.3 million in core funding to UNRWA in 2015-16.
Multilateral Performance Assessment: UNRWA
Overview of performance
Results and Impact
Good
Partnership Behaviour
Good
Relevance and Alignment
Good
Organisational Capacity
Good
Value for Money
Good
Organisational Governance
Adequate
Summary of assessment
UNRWA plays a key role in maintaining a degree of social and economic stability in its five Field Areas of operation (Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) where some 5.6 million Palestine refugees live. It provides services in education, health care, relief and social services, microfinance, infrastructure and refugee camp improvement, emergency assistance and protection of refugees’ rights under international law. The deterioration of security, political and economic conditions has made refugees increasingly reliant on UNRWA for these services in recent years.
In 2014, Australia was the 10th largest donor to UNRWA and is represented on its Advisory Commission and its Sub-committee. The Multilateral Performance Assessment confirmed that UNRWA is delivering strong results under challenging circumstances.
The MPA found that UNRWA has a strong positive impact, delivering a good standard of basic public services in an efficient manner in comparison with other regional providers, and is an effective organisation delivering tangible outcomes for Palestine refugees. In 2014, results UNRWA achieved included over 9.5 million patient visits at UNRWA health centres, a vaccination rate of 99.3 per cent for infants aged 18 months, and over 493,000 children attending UNRWA’s 685 schools.
UNRWA’s operating environment has featured major conflicts in Gaza and Syria and the Agency has a strong record of rapid response to such emergencies. In the 2014 Gaza conflict, UNRWA supported the entire population of 1.28 million Palestine refugees through services including primary health care, emergency shelter and education for almost 240,000 students. In Syria in 2014, UNRWA continued education services to over 46,000 children, distributed food and essential items to over 100,000 families, and provided temporary accommodation to 13,000 displaced Palestine refugees.
UNRWA’s funding has not kept pace with increased demands due to increasing refugee numbers, continued conflict in the region and deepening poverty. UNRWA has instituted internal reforms to increase efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery, a program of expenditure cuts and broadening its donor base in response to repeated budget shortfalls in recent years. Australia is monitoring the impact of these reforms to see how they are implemented across UNRWA’s operations. Australia is working with UNRWA to increase its focus on gender, disability and sustained neutrality through the Harmonised Results Working Group, a group of donors leading on harmonised monitoring and reporting by UNRWA.
World Health Organisation (WHO)
Australia contributed $12.4 million in core funding to WHO in 2015-16.
Multilateral Performance Assessment: WHO
Overview of performance
Results and Impact
Adequate
Partnership Behaviour
Adequate
Relevance and Alignment
Adequate
Organisational Capacity
Less than Adequate
Value for Money
Adequate
Organisational Governance
Adequate
Summary of assessment
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations system. WHO’s activities align closely with Australia’s Health for Development Strategy 2015-2020, and contribute to the Strategy’s two strategic outcomes.
WHO is an important partner in humanitarian emergencies as the lead for the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Global Health Cluster. In multiple humanitarian disasters in the region, WHO has demonstrated its effective leadership, coordination and capacity to deliver. However, this view must be balanced with its performance during the international response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa in 2014.
This Multilateral Performance Assessment was conducted in 2015, immediate post-Ebola, and the ratings reflect that tumultuous period. The ‘adequate’ scores demonstrate that WHO has satisfied the criteria and has not failed in any major area. During this period the capacity of the organisation was assessed to be ‘less than adequate’ given the high global expectation of WHO’s role and performance, complexities of the Ebola outbreak, and resultant delays in progressing WHO’s reform agenda. Importantly, WHO has publicly acknowledged its shortcomings during the Ebola outbreak and has been proactive in accelerating essential reforms, particularly in organisational governance and capacity, and health emergency preparedness and response. Implementation of many elements of this reform agenda commenced in 2016, and this is expected to deliver stronger emergency response performance in the future.
WHO delivers technical expertise to countries in our region, assisting governments to build country-level health systems and services that are responsive to people’s health needs. WHO plays a lead role in supporting countries to prepare for, identify and respond to emerging diseases, as well as strengthening regional preparedness and capacity to respond to health threats. WHO has a long history of supporting countries in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen health systems and disease surveillance. It has strong relationships with partner governments in the region, achieved through the provision of high quality technical input by WHO officers, often embedded in Ministries of Health. WHO is uniquely placed to provide this technical assistance to countries in the region. It is important to note that WHO’s technical and normative work supports other aid program investments, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS and UNFPA.
