Inter-agency coordination

Asia-Pacific Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM)

ESCAP serves as secretariat to the Asia-Pacific Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM). The RCM focuses on key regional/sub-regional policy issues and takes the lead in the normative and analytical work, with a view to enhancing system-wide coherence at the regional level. It is composed of 30 United Nations and affiliated regional and subregional entities, of which 25 are based in Bangkok. PPD supports the Executive Secretary in convening the RCM and services the meeting.

The RCM works at two levels: at the executive-level with meetings to interpret and implement policy level consensus on opportunities for increased regional cooperation, recognizing the importance of the interaction between regional and country level development, and the interaction between humanitarian, security and development issues; and at the operational-level, with Thematic Working Groups to focus on specific operational and programmatic issues that could benefit from improved regional cooperation.

There are currently six RCM Thematic Working Groups: Education for All, Environment and Disaster Management, Health, Poverty and Hunger, International Migration and Human Trafficking, and Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women.

Heads of Agencies Meeting

ESCAP is co-Chair of the Heads of Agencies Meeting (HOAM), a forum where country as well as regional offices meet to coordinate special events and discuss matters of common interest to all agencies based in Thailand.

Regional Directors Team

The RDT, initiated in 2005, has the role of providing leadership, strategic guidance and support to RCs/UNCTs for the achievement of country level results. The RDT membership, initially limited primarily to the UNDG ExCom agencies, has now been broadened to include other agencies. The RDT for Asia and the Pacific, chaired by the UNDP Regional Director for the Asia and Pacific Bureau, has a membership of 15 UN agencies. ESCAP is member of the RDT and works to ensure synergies with the RCM.

The RCM and RDT are, each in itself, important instruments for enhancing the coordination and coherence among UN agencies and getting the highest possible value on the ground from limited resources.

With regard to the division of labour between the RCM and the RDT, the RCM takes the lead on regional policy and normative matters, while the RDT takes the lead in coordinated support to and oversight of country level operational activities.