Management Response

: Regional Office for Americas and the Caribbean (Panama)
: 2022 - 2025 , Regional Office for Americas and the Caribbean (Panama) (RO)
: RO Strategic Note Evaluation
:
:

Regional Office for Americas and the Caribbean (Panama)

:

The evaluation of the ACRO Strategic Note 2023–2025 has been a exercise to strengthen regional planning and alignment with global and national priorities. The process enabled the identification of critical areas such as the need for greater flexibility in planning and the importance of integrating innovative approaches in resource mobilization and partnerships. While the recommendations address structural and strategic aspects, it is worth highlighting the relevance of continuing to foster a culture of learning and systematization of good practices, particularly in volatile political contexts. The analysis on operational efficiency will be key to advancing the implementation of the UN80 model and professionalizing support functions. Finally, the evaluation underscores the opportunity to leverage data and technology to improve decision-making and accountability, which will be integrated into the next phase of regional planning.
: Approved
Recommendation: REGIONAL RESOURCE MOBILIZATION PLAN Develop a regional resource mobilization plan, in accordance with corporate guidance, that promotes regional coordination and supports the matching of funding needs to donor priorities at national level.
Management Response:
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Review and update the current Resource Mobilization Strategy focusing on coordinated funding approaches while avoiding competition between offices. Continue actions already in place such as mapping the donor landscape, identifying multi-country opportunities, and providing regular updates with targeted intelligence to COs and NPPs, based on strategic analysis of current political landscapes. Nuria Felipe Soria Supporting Task Team: Alma Perez Engell Jaime Isabelle Turcotte 2026/07 Not Initiated
2. Review current obstacles in receiving funding from private sector and non-traditional donors, including by continuing to work closely with the private sector team in Headquarters establishing clear policy frameworks for these collaborations. Nuria Felipe Soria Supporting Task Team: Isabelle Turcotte 2026/07 Not Initiated
3. Prioritize securing flexible multi-year funding when possible, using Strategic Note intended results. Nuria Felipe Soria Supporting Task Team: Alma Perez Engell Jaime Isabelle Turcotte 2026/06 Not Initiated
4. Continue to advocate with Headquarters for funding mechanisms that ensure greater sustainability for essential operational and structural positions, mapping those currently dependent on short-term project funds. Nuria Felipe Soria Supporting Task Team: Alma Perez Lana Bozic 2026/06 Not Initiated
5. Continue work across the region to explore innovative funding mechanisms and national and sub-national governments’ contributions to COs and facilitating knowledge exchange with the COs. Nuria Felipe Soria Supporting Task Team: Alma Perez Engell Jaime Isabelle Turcotte 2026/06 Not Initiated
6. Ensure the new Strategic Note promotes a programmatic and strategic focus with clear priorities that are consistently applied. This shift aims to engage funders and LAC governments at the Strategic Note level, which can increase the overall level of flexible funding and significantly reduce transaction costs by streamlining multiple smaller programme proposals into a cohesive programmatic offering. Bibiana Aido Supporting Task Team: Cecilia Alemany, Nuria Felipe Soria, Engell Jaime 2025/12 Overdue-Not Initiated
7. Continue to innovate and pilot scale up of strategies implemented within Care and WPS to other underfunded thematic areas. Responsible: Sarah Douglas Supporting Task Team: All specialists. 2026/12 Initiated
Recommendation: STREAMLINE AND STRENGTHEN BACK-OFFICE FUNCTIONS Conduct a functional analysis to streamline back-office processes for improved agility and efficiency gains across operational functions.
Management Response:
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Conduct a comprehensive functional review of the Regional Office, to map workflows, identify specific bottlenecks, and produce an action plan towards cost-efficiency in light of UN80 Responsible: Sarah Douglas Supporting Team: Lana Bozic Pilar García HRBP 2026/03 Not Initiated
2. Follow implementation of the functional review recommendations and advance solutions to manage pooled services and staff, allowing capacity to be shared across multiple countries as needed Lana Bozic Supporting Team: Pilar García Ramón Chong HRBP 2026/06 Not Initiated
3. Pilot and scale models for shared regional operational services (e.g., HR support hub, procurement network) to provide specialized, efficient support and build economies of scale, particularly for offices with limited dedicated operational staff. Lana Bozic Supporting Team: Pilar García Ramón Chong HRBP 2026/09 Initiated
4. Develop SOPs for key operational processes, establishing clear oversight and service standards and benchmark response times for support requests Responsible: Lana Bozic Supporting Team: Operations unit heads 2026/12 Not Initiated
5. Implement a Regional Cost-Recovery System, using HQ guidance and cost-sharing alternatives adapting to challenges and changes of UN80 reset in regions and countries, while retaining talent that ensures quality delivery and cost-efficiencies across the region. Lana Bozic Supporting Team: Pilar Garcia Ramón HRBP 2026/06 Not Initiated
Recommendation: ALIGN REGIONAL PLANNING WITH LOCAL NEEDS AND DONOR PRIORITIES Align regional planning and prioritization with country-specific needs and donor priorities through participatory, bottom-up strategic planning.
Management Response:
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Foster prioritization based on commonalities across countries to streamline efforts and allocate expert, administrative, and financial resources more effectively. Bibiana Aido Supporting Team: Sarah Douglas, Lana Bozic 2026/06 Not Initiated
2. Incorporate more flexibility in the annual planning process through an Agile approach to adapt to volatile national environments. This includes updating situational analyses more frequently than the full Strategic Note cycle. Ernesto Trevino/ Planning specialist 2026/03 Not Initiated
3. Strengthen strategic prioritization to focus resources on areas where UN Women has a clear comparative advantage, while strategically integrating new emerging issues under the new SP and related funding opportunities (e.g., climate justice, digital inclusion) as cross-cutting themes. Bibiana Aido Supporting Team: Sarah Douglas , Lana Bozic 2026/03 Not Initiated
4. Ensure the new Strategic Note development process is participatory and bottom-up, beginning with extensive consultations with country offices and LAC partners Bibiana Aido Supporting Team: Cecilia Alemany, Ernesto Trevino 2025/09 Overdue-Initiated
Recommendation: STRENGTHEN MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING SYSTEMS Enhance accountability and demonstrate impact through improved planning and monitoring and evaluation functions, leveraging data-driven knowledge production and thematic expertise
Management Response:
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Knowledge management, Evidence, Data and statistics
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Invest in and strengthen regional Planning and Monitoring capacity, shifting the focus from activity-based tracking to measuring outcome-level results under PRISM Bibiana Aido Supporting Team: Ernesto Trevino, Engell Rosario, Violeta Leiva 2026/01 Overdue-Not Initiated
2. Continue facilitating formal and informal mechanisms for internal coordination and knowledge sharing to break down silos Responsible: Sarah Douglas (for programmes), Lana Bozic (for ops) Supporting Team: Andrea Llerena, Rodrigo Herrera 2027/03 Not Initiated
3. Develop and implement a clear, differentiated service model for oversight, delivery and support programmes’ strategic management and monitoring in ACRO, COs and NPPs in light of UN80 reform Engell Jaime Supporting Team: Lana Bozic, Planning specialist, Mariel González 2027/03 Not Initiated
4. Integrate oversight into budgeting and ACRO planning Sarah Douglas Supporting Team: Lana Bozic, Pilar García, Vinay, Planning specialist 2026/06 Initiated
5. Develop and implement a unified Knowledge Management and Learning strategy to ensure KM outputs inform learning, adaptation, and evidence-based decision-making. Sarah Douglas Supporting Team: Andrea Llerena, Rodrigo Herrera, Violeta Leiva 2026/12 Initiated
Recommendation: LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION Leverage technology and innovation, incorporating emerging AI tools, supported by innovative IT and communications approaches to increase strategic adaptation and efficiency.
Management Response:
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Innovation and technology
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Continue to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) in automation and innovative solutions across programmes and operations and invest in personnel access to AI Violeta Leiva Supporting Team: Lana Bozic, Rodrigo Herrera, Andrea Llerena 2026/03 Not Initiated
2. Identify personnel with key competencies as AI focal points and invest in internal virtual programs that can strengthen AI/innovation capabilities. Violeta Leiva Supporting Team: Lana Bozic, Rodrigo Herrera, Andrea llerena, Demian Marchi, Bárbara Ortiz 2026/09 Not Initiated
3. Streamline existing dashboards and develop new when needed that can provide real-time information and analysis on regional data trends Andrea Llerena Supporting Team: Lana Bozic, Engell Jaime, Violeta Leiva 2026/12 Not Initiated
Recommendation: DEFINE A REGIONAL HUMANITARIAN PLAN Define a regional humanitarian plan aligned with the humanitarian–development–peace nexus corporate direction.
Management Response:
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Humanitarian action
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Define a clear regional humanitarian strategy aligned with the HDP nexus, including roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms. Alma Perez Supporting team: Delfina Garcia Hamilton, Gina Bernal Osorio, Mar Companys, Lina Diaz 2026/06 Initiated
2. Mobilize funds for dedicated humanitarian expertise at the regional level to support country offices and engage in inter-agency platforms. Alma Perez Supporting team: Nuria Felipe, Delfina García Hamilton, Gina Bernal Osorio, Mar Companys, Lina Diaz 2027/03 Initiated
Recommendation: SYSTEMATIZE AND SCALE HIGH-IMPACT NORMATIVE PARTNERSHIPS: Develop an integrated approach to systematize and scale normative and political influence through enhanced cross-cutting programming, leveraging established multi-stakeholder partnerships and forums.
Management Response:
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Identify and prioritize thematic intersections (e.g., care and climate, digital inclusion and political participation) strengthening Thematic Integration and Cross-Cutting Programming Sarah Douglas Supporting Team: Laura Pérez, Lorena Lamas, Alma Perez, 2026/06 Initiated
2. Map talent and develop internal training and incentives for personnel to design and implement cross-cutting projects and strategic deliverables. Cecilia Alemany Supporting Team: Verónica Espinel, Leah Tandeter, Bárbara Ortiz 2026/12 Initiated
3. Continue piloting innovative cost-effective corporate solutions across the region (like regional networks, hubs, integrated multi-country initiatives or other) and document lessons learned for regional or global scale-up. Cecilia Alemany Supporting Team: Lana Bozic, Pilar García, Engell Jaime and all specialists. 2026/12 Initiated
Recommendation: INTEGRATE DISABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE CONSIDERATIONS Operationalize the Regional Strategy on Gender, Environment and Climate Justice, incorporating human rights considerations, with a focus on disability inclusion and environmental safeguards.
Management Response:
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Provide small grants and launch a capacity‑building programme for regional and country‑level staff on the nexus between climate change and disability Lorena Lamas 2026/12 Not Initiated