Outcome APA_O_5

UN-Women efficiently and effectively discharges of all business processes that advance integrated delivery of its mandate at HQ, Regional and Country levels, including through shared services.

Generally, ROAP’s business processes were discharged smoothly. ROAP constantly tried to improve business processes but one of the significant milestones was reviewing functions of Coordination Unit and Monitoring and Reporting Unit and to a certain extent Operations and new units were created, namely, Strategic Coordination Unit, Planning, Monitoring and Reporting Unit (PMRU), and Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU), which led to increasing efficiency and effectiveness of the ROAP business. In the process of re-organizing work of coordination, planning, monitoring and reporting and programme management support, work in these areas got more streamlined, overlaps were eliminated, and better coordination among the three areas/units were established. In the area of UN coordination , ROAP supported the roll-out of the processes for developing the new CCAs and UNSDCFs in China, Indonesia, and Timor Leste, before the new Strategic Note processes began. The country offices were able to mainstream gender in the CCAs with technical support from ROAP. In addition, after ROAP promoted accountability, providing tools and training, commitment of RCs and UNCTs in GEWE is getting strengthened as illustrated in the 100% completion of annual reporting on gender equality scorecard. In the area of planning , there was no country that developed new SNs in the region during 2024 but leadership was exercised for work planning exercise of 21 offices in the region. With detailed guidance and quality assurance, all the work plans for 2025 were approved, meeting the criteria in the WP checklist. ROAP provided support for Annual and Biennial Work Plan (WP) revisions to the regional office and most of the countries throughout the year, to ensure that all final core resources of 2024, Institutional Budget and Extra Budgetary were aligned with the actual allocations by the Regional Budget Advisory Committee and to reflect changes in the SP indicators as a result of the Mid-Term Review of the SP. They were successfully completed within the stipulated timeline. By creating Planning, Monitoring and Reporting (PMR) Unit, planning work and monitoring and reporting work are now better connected and are done in sync, better facilitating the implementation of the PMR policy. Feedback, suggestions and knowledge as a result of monitoring and reporting are smoothly fed into planning document and planning work in general. Special orientation was given to NPPs on the PMR policy. In programmatic quality assurance (QA), ROAP provided QA for new pro docs and partner sections (Responsible Party) for the RO and COs/NPPs through Regional Project Appraisal Committee (RPAC) and Fast Tracking cases. In addition, ROAP provided guidance/orientation and technical support and hand-holding support to ROAP programmatic teams and NPPs to develop Joint Programmes. Similarly, technical and QA support was provided to an RO project team and an NPP to take through POC process in order to conclude pro docs in time, which led to securing 10 million AUD for each case. Cross functional team collaborations were strengthened by reviewing the roles and re-confirming the purposes of the X-Pillar team, which has strengthened functions of problem-solving that are beyond one unit as well as targeted country support that are beyond. Project management skills of project managers got strengthened through the Project Management training for country offices and NPPs (May 2024, Bangkok) co-organized with HQ PMSU with an aim to strengthen project delivery. The training covered principles and concepts of project management, operational enablers and corporate tools, international best practices in project management (basic level of PMP, PRINCE2) etc. In addition, participation of RO and CO staff in external training institutions were actively sponsored to expand the pool of staff with PM skills. Digital campaigns across multiple platforms, including web stories, social media, YouTube, and newsletters became robust by making communication as one of the center pieces in the design of thematic work/projects. To support the implementation, the online request system of Communication team asked colleagues to submit requests through a unified form, which helped streamline content delivery. This approach not only consolidated the content output of the office but also ensured a cohesive and integrated delivery of UN Women's mandate across the region, leveraging shared services for maximum impact. Sharing resources across units was practiced. For example, WEE team shared resources with the climate and resilience team to leverage WEE, namely entrepreneurship work in climate and resilience. In another instance, WEE team cost-shared 50% a gender statistics specialist in 2024 resulting in elevated data produced for evidence-based decision making in the WEE and particularly “care” space. ROAP rolled out the Regional Crisis Standard Operating Procedures and piloted it during the Bangladesh Political Crisis, streamlining a crisis response mechanism through improved communication and decision-making. It led to ensuring more consistent, faster disaster responses. Surge support from ROAP to country offices helped them strengthen disaster response through missions during crises, such as the Typhoon Yagi response in Viet Nam, where leading Protection Sector coordination, publishing a Gender Alert, and developing a gender-responsive appeal and response plan in a timely manner were made possible. Similar virtual surge support was provided during the Philippines' multi-typhoon response. Technical experts in ROAP allowed timely proposal development and resulted in resource mobilization at the country level. “A Regional Framework Towards Peaceful and Inclusive Societies: Advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and Inclusive Governance in the Asia-Pacific Region (2023-2027)” significantly contributed to resource mobilization of countries. The capacity building, peer learning and other initiatives were undertaken to support the programme development and/or resource mobilization capacities of field offices. In 2024, ROAP mobilized 700,000 USD for direct implementation by a field offices or mobilized by a field offices with technical support of ROAP (for WPS implementation from Japan, Cybersecurity from Australia and Women's Leadership for Beijing + 30 from Republic of Korea) in addition to the Regional Framework. In climate change, similarly, technical experts helped mobilize significant funding, including USD 19.5 million under the EmPOWER project, which established nine financial mechanisms for renewable energy initiatives benefiting women-led enterprises. Experts in the RO supported proposal development for gender-sensitive humanitarian and resilience efforts in Afghanistan (USD 200,000), Viet Nam (USD 640,000), and Sri Lanka (USD 6.7 million). In EVAW, ROAP’s technical expert helped update and enhance knowledge and skills to mobilize resources and promising to increase/scale-up EVAW funding in 14 field offices in the region and provided targeted guidance and technical support to those drafting their concepts and proposals for the Spotlight 2.0 funding opportunity in collaboration with HQ. The human resource (HR) contribution to the efficient and effective discharge of our business processes included: 1) Timely support for the implementation of HR initiatives; 2) Timely and high-quality HR and capacity building advice; 3) A performance culture and ethical workplace environment fostered; 4) Timely and high-quality HR support to managers and personnel to facilitate delivery of UN Women’s mandate; and 5) Timely and high-quality recruitment and selection process of candidates.

UN-Women efficiently and effectively discharges of all business processes that advance integrated delivery of its mandate at HQ, Regional and Country levels, including through shared services.

In 2023, UN Women Regional Office for Asia and Pacific (ROAP) achieved substantial progress, significantly contributing to the efficient and effective advancement of UN Women’s integrated delivery of its mandate at the regional level. This progress is attributed to the diverse works of various units. Strategic Partnerships and Communications: Through the External Relations Unit, advanced progress was recognized in the integrated delivery of UN Women's mandate at the regional level stemming from the enhanced capacity of Country Offices, Programme Presences, and programmatic units within the Regional Office. This improvement is a result of providing strategic advice and offering technical support, particular in the areas of communication, advocacy, and RM/partnership. Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Migration: The WEE Unit designed the results frameworks for different programmes within its portfolio,aligning withthe Strategic Note (SN) Outcomes and Outputs.These frameworks, funded directly through SN, address WEE priorities, including Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), care(Gender Inclusive Care Economy Programme), and entrepreneurship (e.g., 2024 climate tech accelerator program,funded by MOGEF). Despite the end of the WeEmpowerAsia donor programme in 2019, internal and external capacities developed in Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and private sector engagement allowed the WEE team to persist amid funding gaps from August 2022 to 2024 and continued prioritisation of this area even without a full programme, sustaining relationships and interest built through WEA with donors. The WEE through advancing private sector engagement evaluation recommendations provided further guidance in shifting the focus from WEPs commitments to programming for deepened implementation and also encouraged a broader focus from SME development in the WEE portfolio towards informal sector, care work and migration and micro entrepreneurship, that captures the full scope of efforts to advance WEE in the Asia Pacific region. WEE missions supporting various country offices (as detailed in Output OEEF 5.7) informed priority areas and developed a coherent approach to labor migration. The gender mainstreaming by UN Women in the area of labour migration extended to intergovernmental mechanisms such as ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML) and the Colombo Process and its thematic area working groups. Additionally, through the first-ever multi-agency programme “Governance of Labour Migration in South and South-East Asia (GOALS)”, a Joint UN Regional Programme implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Labour Organization (ILO), and UN Women, supported by the Swiss Agency for Develo pment and Cooperation (SDC), UN Women provided valuable technical inputs and recommendations on gender mainstreaming in improving policies and practices in the areas of ethical and fair recruitment, skills development and recognition, and sustainable reintegration. These efforts also increased gender data towards evidence-based and gender-responsive policy development. Results from the programme will be used to inform future WEE programming with a view to standardize this approach while tailoring it to different sectors and issue areas. Governance, Peace, and Security and Access to Justice: “A Regional Framework Towards Peaceful and Inclusive Societies: Advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and Inclusive Governance in the Asia-Pacific Region (2023-2027)” – known as “The GPS regional Framework” – significantly contributed to programme’s effectiveness and resource mobilization of countries (including Sri Lanka, Philippines, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Papua New Guinee, Pakistan, Nepal, Mongolia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Kiribati, Fiji, Samoa, and North Korea through support to Special Rapporteur). The thematic priorities based on knowledge, expertise and evidence-based programming, included National Action Plans on Women Peace and Security (WPS), promoting women in law enforcement and preventing trafficking in border locations, preventing violent extremism, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, climate and peace and security, natural resource management and disaster preparedness. The capacity building, peer learning and other initiatives were undertaken to support the program development and/or implementation and/or resource mobilization capacities of Country Presences. Additionally, knowledge products were developed to support Country Presences’ efforts. Notably, ROAP mobilized 7.2 million USD for direct implementation by a country presence or mobilized by a country presence with technical support of ROAP. Humanitarian: The Resilience Unit developed a tracking document to meticulously record all the support provided to country offices, HQ, and ROAP. In a continued effort to enhance this system, the team was developing a form specifically designed to monitor each instance of support provided throughout 2024. HIV: ROAP provided technical support to COs, ensuring the timely implementation of activities and utilization of resources. Despite the challenges arising from the roll-out of Quantum and delay in fund transfers, the average delivery rate exceeded 80%. Strategic Planning and Coordination (SPC): The SPC Unit contributed to the inclusive and integrated delivery of ROAP's mandate. The planning process has been further simplified at the corporate level, and the SPC team provided necessary support to translate the procedure at the APRO and CO levels. The process for developing Strategic Notes (SN) has been simplified. The SPC team piloted the new SN guidance in two countries (Myanmar and Papua New Guinea) during the reporting year. Evaluation: The Evaluation Unit improved efficiency through an establishment of retainer contracts for engaging evaluators. Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW): The EVAW Unit contributed to the improvement of business process by providing observations and points of feedback regarding gaps and challenges associated with Quantum. Monitoring and Reporting: Monitoring and Reporting Unit periodically reviewed its business processes and made adjustments to be more efficient and effective as well as placed “clients” at the center of its services, and leveraged AP RBM COP (co-organized with two other units) to conduct capacity building and knowledge exchange.