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The Joint Office initiative

The United Nations is committed to working together to harness the full potential of the varied specialized mandates and expertise of UN agencies and provide the best possible response for the benefit of the government and people of Liberia. The focus is on current and proposed activities that could be effectively integrated for better impact in the longer term, with all UN agencies working together in identified sectors.

Toward this effort, the United Nations in Liberia set up a joint office in Voinjama in Lofa County in June 2008 and more recently, opened a second office in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County early 2009, offering the opportunity to share office space and resources as well as potential to achieve greater synergy in the UN’s interventions. The UN team in Liberia is however advocating and working on developing clearly defined areas for prioritized interventions beyond the physical aspects of a joint office.

A joint UN team has identified youth as a focus for joint programming during the first phase. Capacity building/training, HIV/AIDS and Peacebuilding were identified as other areas in which joint programming will take place, based on the County Development Agendas.

Some of the other aspects of the ‘working together’ effort will include:

  • Developing a joint Work Plan for 2009 that feeds into the government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) and the CDAs, using the expertise of the various agencies operational in the district.
  • Closer cooperation amongst agencies, even if some projects with specific project activities continue parallel to general programming
  • Pooled funding
  • Revised Terms Of Reference for all staff
  • Joint assessments
  • Integration of implementing partners

The Joint Office initiative is expected to be replicated in other districts in a phased process.

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