The United Nations System Staff College and the UN Development Coordination Office partner on a capacity development exercise

The United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) in association with The United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) launched today, two customized online learning offerings to support the successful implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), and Business Operations Strategy 2.0, otherwise known as the “BOS 2.0”.

Launched in 2019 the Guidelines for the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) provide new strategic direction for the planning and implementation of the UN development activities at country level. They are in line with UN development reform to enhance coordination, and provide coherent and effective support for countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Aimed at addressing the Secretary General’s Efficiency Agenda, BOS 2.O will enable UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to identify new opportunities for collaborations and report their efficiency gains in a harmonized manner. It is aimed at eliminating duplication, leveraging the common bargaining power of the UN, and maximizing economies of scale.

The two learning offerings- UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework online course, Business Operations Strategy (BOS) 2.0 Practitioner Online Training , co-designed with DCO are an important contribution for both programme and operations staff who will need knowledge and expertise to increase UN effectiveness and efficiency   to  contribute to a more collaborative UN system that delivers on its mandates. Embodying the spirit of partnerships that are at the core of the 2030 Agenda, the UNSDCF course offers an in-depth understanding of the new elements of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, and aims to help participants turn UN collective effort into tangible action for people in the countries they serve. The successful implementation of BOS 2.0 will among other things, depend on the active engagement of UN entities, as well as their capacity to roll it out. To this end, learning geared towards UN business operations is set to equip participants with the right mix of the competencies and skills sets needed to contribute to, or lead the business operation strategy in their respective countries.

The launch, attended by over 800 UN staff members  marks the scaling up of a significant capacity development cooperation  to address the challenges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and UN reform.

Speaking on the occasion, Assistant Secretary General for Development Coordination, Robert Piper noted the importance of the interlinkages that exist between the Cooperation Framework and BOS 2.0.  He encouraged country teams to look at the offerings as two sides of the same coin- a vision for what the UN system wants to offer, and a toolkit for how we are going to achieve it.

UNSSC Director Jafar Javan echoed similar sentiments and spoke about UNSSC’s adaptability in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He assured participants that their online learning experience would be seamless.  

The two online courses will be delivered through UNSSC’s state of the art online learning platform BlueLine  which was launched in April 2020. BlueLine has enrolled over 7000 UN personnel from across the globe and different UN agencies. It is open to all UN staff interested in personalized self-directed learning.