The United Nations Country Team of Venezuela
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VENEZUELA – Mission Report September 2009 PRELIMINERARY FACT FINDING MISSION: THE UNITED NATIONS COUNTRY TEAM OF VENEZUELA PREPARED BY HUMANITARIAN FUTURES PROGRAMME KING’S COLLEGE LONDON DRAFT REPORT FOR CIRCULATION– SEPTEMBER 2009 VENEZUELA – Mission Report September 2009 Executive Summary Overview Preliminary Findings and Recommenda‐ tions The complexities, interrelationships, and dimensions of hu‐ manitarian threats over the next two decades will require an The HFP’s work with the UNCT in Venezuela was guided by a approach for anticipating and responding to crises that is sig‐ similar premise to other UNCTs assessed by the HFP. This nificantly different from that of the present. The greater the premise is based on the belief that a UN country system of agility and the more attention given to systematically thinking the future will need to have the capacity to understand and to along the lines of “what if” and to innovation and to collabo‐ address issues that relate to a confluence of shocks and is‐ ration, the more readily will organizations be able to antici‐ sues, short and long‐term. Additionally, in contexts that are as pate and adapt to what may occur. uncertain and politically challenging as Venezuela, the UN will The overarching objective of the Humanitarian Futures Pro‐ need to be able to adjust its approach to programming and gramme (HFP) is to assist organizations to prepare for an in‐ adapt its frameworks for change accordingly, in order for it to creasingly complex humanitarian future. Towards this end, remain relevant and to demonstrate added‐value. the HFP works with a wide range of governmental, inter‐ Due to the rapidly changing and complex nature of the na‐ governmental and non‐governmental organizations to en‐ tional context and the preliminary nature and short time hance their capacities to anticipate and address the main driv‐ frame of the mission, the HFP team is cautious about drawing ers of vulnerability, on the one hand, and opportunities to any definitive conclusions or making a set of “prescriptive” offset such vulnerabilities, on the other. recommendations on the way forward. The HFP Mission was undertaken at the request of the UN That said, overall, the HFP team believes that the UN country Resident Coordinator with the aim of identifying opportuni‐ team in Venezuela is well positioned to serve as a pioneer and ties for how the UN Country Team (UNCT) can strengthen its a role model within the region and the broader UN system own capacity and that of Venezuela to anticipate and respond for: to future humanitarian threats and crisis drivers. The mission was conducted by a two person HFP team (Joanne Burke, • How the UN can effectively support governments with Philipp Shonrock) during the period of 27 July through 10 Au‐ high capacity to address both short‐term shocks and gust 2009, visiting Caracas and the State of Merida. The mis‐ long‐term threats in a systematic, coherent and for‐ sion included a series of group meetings, individual key infor‐ ward looking manner, mant interviews and the completion of the HFP question‐ naire: Organizational Self‐Assessment Tools (OSAT). • How the strengthening of futures capacities can en‐ hance the UN’s own added‐value in middle‐income A total of 41 people were interviewed during the mission of countries with complex humanitarian contexts, whom 22 were UN staff. Additionally, two focus groups were conducted. External participants included representatives • How to develop creative working models and relation‐ from the Government, donors, academia and the scientific ships within a very complex and polarized political en‐ and technical community. Given that the private sector and vironment. non‐governmental organizations do not have active humani‐ This report consists of eight preliminary findings and ten sce‐ tarian roles in Venezuela, they were not targeted to partici‐ narios for strengthening futures capacities. They are formu‐ pate in the discussions. lated around the following four HFP capacities: • Long‐term strategic thinking and planning • Systematic information gathering and synthesis • Adaptation and innovation • Collaboration, networks and partnerships 3 VENEZUELA – Mission Report September 2009 Capacities for Long‐term Strategic Thinking and “futures test” the UNDAF against one or more long‐term crisis Planning drivers. The exercise would serve as a type of audit to help identify which UNDAF objectives and which UN programmes Preliminary Finding 1: In 2008, the United Nations Develop‐ can incorporate a futures perspective. ment Assistance Framework (UNDAF) was signed by the Gov‐ Scenario 2: Undertake a futures capacity audit of one UN ernment for the period 2009‐2013. Venezuela has not re‐ programme ported on its progress and achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the last four years, nor has it A scenarios planning exercise could be organized with one or been forthcoming in providing any matching funds for the more UN organizations or with the UNETE. The purpose of UNDAF’s implementation. There is a concern that the neces‐ the exercise would be to test a specific crisis driver for one of sary ownership for the UNDAF’s implementation is lacking on the five UNDAF objectives. Such an exercise would need to be the part of the Government. The general nature of the UN‐ undertaken in collaboration with key external partners, per‐ DAF per se does not provide for a clearly articulated vision for haps organized at the State or municipal level. change that can be measured against systematically tested crisis drivers. Nor is there a common set of principles for the Scenario 3: Futures capacities training for the UNCT UNDAF’s implementation; one that guides the work of all the UN organizations against which targets, outcomes and impact The UN could develop a training module to build capacities on could be measured and resources allocated. The UN needs to future humanitarian threats. The training could be designed have a clear message (or set of messages) that “brand” the around core competencies for long‐term strategic thinking, UN’s role and work in Venezuela. information gathering and analysis, strategy and operational alignment, and innovation and collaboration. The UN would Preliminary Finding 2: The top six crisis drivers identified in then have a package of tools that it could adapt and use in the the OSAT Questionnaire included: increasing numbers of ur‐ context of its own work. ban poor, climate induced disasters, water access, collapse of state structures, declining food availability, and resource scar‐ Scenario 4: Redesign the UN Venezuela’s webpage city driven by conflict. The potential for interstate conflict The website can help to “brand” the UN’s work in Venezuela. was also cited. Given that up to 80% of Venezuela’s popula‐ It could be more user‐friendly in terms of language and navi‐ tion resides in urban contexts and that up to 75% of its food is gation. The information could be better tailored to an exter‐ imported, crisis risks associated with these drivers, along with nal audience that needs to understand what the UN system climate change, need to be very well mainstreamed into the does in Venezuela and whom it partners with. The webpage UNDFAF’s implementation. could include a futures section that speaks directly to the Preliminary Finding 3: Current programming and funding UN’s work and partnership with the Government to address cycles do not allow for systematically thinking about and plan‐ long‐term threats and crisis. ning for the future. There is a high degree of speculation Capacities for Systematic Information Gathering about “what might happen” in the future. However, planning processes do not include regular monitoring of future crisis and Analysis drivers as the basis for forecasting or for developing plans to Preliminary Finding 4: The current context in Venezuela is specifically mitigate impact. Responding to the immediate is, not considered to be conducive to systematic and transparent no doubt, important. But, working in a complex environment information gathering, exchange and dissemination. The gen‐ also means that the UN’s work needs to be guided by plan‐ eral feeling was that the UN’s own internal capacity for crisis ning models and frameworks for change that are sensitive to trend monitoring, analysis and forecasting is weak. Having context and highly attuned to what the future may bring. good evidence of risk and threats is essential in order to an‐ Scenario 1: Undertake a futures capacity audit of the UNCT’s ticipate and plan for long‐term crisis drivers that could have Programme negative humanitarian consequences. The UN’s work with the National Institute of Statistics serves as a good example A scenario planning exercise could be a first step to both of the UN’s added‐value in the area of information and strengthen the UN’s capacity to understand and to anticipate knowledge management and as a good model for internal UN long‐term threats in a systematic way. The exercise would 4 VENEZUELA – Mission Report September 2009 collaboration. also serve to capitalize on the UN’s convening role and its role in promoting dialogue between scientists, policy makers and Preliminary Finding 5: There is a lack of systematization of programmers. Having a Futures Group could also serve to humanitarian experience, including the experience of the UN. bring in resources that few UN organizations would have the If another event were to occur in Venezuela, some of the capacity to develop internally. same internal UN coordination problems that occurred in Var‐ gas in 1999 would be likely to resurface. Currently, Venezuela Capacities for Adaptation, Innovation and does not count with any central information platform whose Collaboration function is to collect, systematize and make accessible the rich array of research, good practice and information re‐ Preliminary Finding 6: Working successfully in an uncertain sources that are available in the country on humanitarian, risk and complex landscape requires flexibility and agility and the and crisis threats.