Glossary | United Nations Development Programme

During transportation and storage, all cargo is vulnerable to a range of risks, such as damage, pilferage and theft, breakage, non-receipt of part or an entire consignment. Cargo insurance thus provides protection against potential financial losses resulting from such risks. Business Units should ensure the following: a. Protection for goods subject to risks, including war, strikes, riots and civil commotions.; b. The duration of insurance coverage is sufficient for the period of transportation from “warehouse to warehouse,” including a minimum of 30 days, estimated for storage at the destination site; c. Goods are insured for the cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value plus an agreed percentage, generally 10 percent, to reflect the indirect cost to the Business Unit incidental to cover, or replace goods.

Source: Shipping and Insurance

A cash flow forecast is a short term projection of cash movement and its implications for the liquidity position of an organization. Depending on the size of the organization and business purpose, the time horizon for the forecast can be daily, (also called daily cash positioning), monthly, quarterly, and annually, on a rolling basis.

Source: Management of Cash Planning/Forecasting of Cash Flows

Cash Operations is defined as currency notes physically held on a CO’s premises to meet operating needs in a country in which normal banking services are unavailable. COs are sometimes required to operate in a crisis environment where banking facilities are unavailable. In such instances, COs may find it necessary to conduct all financial transactions in cash. Cash Operations create significant financial risk for UNDP, as well as physical security risk for staff who handle the cash.

Source: Cash Operations

Any UNDP staff member governed by the UN Staff Regulations and Staff Rules who submits a request in writing when leaving the service of UNDP is provided a statement relating to the nature of his/her duties and length of service. Upon the staff member's written request, the statement can also refer to the quality of his/her work and official conduct. Such certificates are distinct from reference checks and responses to inquiries from prospective future employers or from other organizations of the United Nations common system. The respective senior manager of the unit/office in which the staff member was last assigned must sign the certificates. For international professionals, the certificate is issued by SAS/OHR Copenhagen.

Source: Certificate of Service

Change control defines how changes to ICT systems and infrastructure can be implemented and released into a live environment. This process exists in the context of ICT governance, as defined in the IM Strategy. A comprehensive Change Control and Release Management process minimizes risks involved in introducing changes and it becomes a method of communication between stakeholders – the person requesting a change, the Change Control Manager and the team building the change.

Source: Change Control and Release Management Standards

A project document may be revised at any time by agreement among the signatories to the document, the donor, UN pooled fund steering committee and/or vertical fund, as relevant, and following consultation with the project board. The purpose of the revision is to make substantive or financial adjustments and improvements to the project. Restrictions apply for GEF- and GCF-financed projects.

Source: Manage Change

Chartered Medical Evacuation Travel (CMET) consists of obtaining highly specialized medical air ambulance services together with, as necessary, professional medical services to evacuate a critically ill staff member or dependent. CMET is to be used for the most critical emergencies and when commercial air transportation by the most direct and economical route (the normal mode for MET) is not sufficient to safeguard the staff member’s life. All Heads of Office should be fully briefed on CMET procedures, have all relevant contact numbers of medical officers, approving officers, International SOS and HQ contacts and are expected to be capable of acting quickly and correctly outside normal working hours.

Source: Chartered Medical Evacuation Travel (CMET)

According to Rule 121.01 paragraph (a) of the UNDP Financial regulations and Rules (as amended on January 1, 2012), the Chief Procurement Officer of UNDP is accountable to the Administrator for all procurement functions of UNDP for all its locations, except for those procurement actions governed by paragraph (c). The Chief Procurement Officer may further delegate authority to staff at headquarters and other locations, as may be appropriate in fulfilling the purposes of these rules.

Source: UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules

Circumventing thresholds for undertaking formal solicitations and for review by procurement review committees occurs by splitting orders, establishing long-term agreements that have no total value, and estimating costs below real costs to bring in low-value contracts that are later adjusted. When extending or amending contracts, determine the contract history and current cumulative contract amount, and justify why the contract is being extended or amended.

Source: Procurement Ethics, Fraud and Corrupt Practices

Typically third party, contracted service that provides computing services along with the underlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage, networks) to enable convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. Cloud computing has five essential characteristics: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service.

Source: Information Classification and Handling

Collusion between UNDP staff members or between UNDP personnel and suppliers could involve kick-backs or bribes, resulting in UNDP personnel manipulating the process, such as by restricting the list of suppliers. It is critical not to allow personnel to operate alone in many steps of the procurement process, especially in evaluation of and negotiations with suppliers.

Source: Procurement Ethics, Fraud and Corrupt Practices

In the event of illness or injury attributable to the performance of official duties, a staff member is entitled to compensation as prescribed in Appendix D to the Staff Rules. In the event of the staff member's death in consequence of such illness or injury, his/her surviving spouse, child, or secondary dependant is entitled to compensation as prescribed in Appendix D to the Staff Rules. No benefit or compensation is payable in respect of illness, injury, or death resulting from serious and willful misconduct on the part of the staff member concerned.

Source: Compensation for Death, Injury or Illness – Appendix D

Confidential information means:(i) Information received from or sent to third parties, with an expectation of confidentiality;(ii) Information whose disclosure is likely to endanger the safety or security of any individual, violate his or her rights, or invade his or her privacy; (iii) Information whose disclosure is likely to endanger the security of Member States or prejudice the security or proper conduct of any operation or activity of the organization; (iv) Information covered by legal privilege or regulatory proceedings, or that subjects the organization to an undue risk of litigation, or is related to internal audit reports and investigations; (v) Internal inter-office or intra-office documents, including e-mails and draft documents; (vi) Commercial information, if disclosure would harm either the financial interests of the organization or those of other parties involved; (vii) Information which the organization believes would, if disclosed, seriously undermine the policy dialogue with Member States or implementing partners; and (viii) Other kinds of information which, because of its content or the circumstances of its creation or communication, must be deemed confidential.

Source: Accountability System Policy

A consultant is an individual who is a recognized authority or specialist in a specific field, engaged by the United Nations under a temporary contract in an advisory or consultative capacity to the Secretariat. A consultant must have special skills or knowledge not normally possessed by the regular staff of the Organization and for which there is no continuing need in the Secretariat. The functions of a consultant are results-oriented and normally involve analysing problems, facilitating seminars or training courses, preparing documents for conferences and meetings or writing reports on the matters within their area of expertise on which their advice or assistance is sought.

Source: UN Consultants and Individual Contractors (ST/AI/2013/4)

Cash or in-kind resources (the latter being in the form of goods, services, or real property) provided to UNDP. Contributions are used to cover UNDP programme activities as well as programme support, management and administration, and support to operational activities of the United Nations, including costs associated with the administration of contributions received for special purposes; costsharing - a co-financing modality under which contributions from Other resources can be received as a supplement to Regular resources for specific UNDP programme activities, under the relevant cooperation framework.

Source: UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules

UNDP has an agreement with CITIBANK N.A to issue UNDP Corporate Purchasing Master Cards to UNDP Operations staff (usually the individual who maintains the purchasing card account and responsible for approving low value purchases within the office. While each card is issued in the cardholder’s name the Card remains the property of UNDP and is only to be used for official purchases. Even though the Cardholder’s name appears on the card, this does not affect the cardholder’s credit history nor is there a requirement for the cardholder to use any personal information in activating the card.

Source: Corporate Purchasing Card

Cost recovery refers to the requirement for the organization to recover costs from other resources that are not directly linked to providing the required organizational structures for projects and programmes. The fundamental aim of cost recovery is to achieve a proportional funding of organizational costs between regular and other resources. This demands that UNDP must avoid using regular resources to subsidize activities funded from other resources, including the use of regular resources to cover costs related to the management and support of programme activities funded by other resources. The fundamental principle and benefits of the application of the cost recovery methodology contribute to a more equitable sharing of costs of management activities between regular and other resources. By funding qualified development effectiveness activities, where appropriate,

Source: Harmonized Conceptual Funding Framework and Cost Recovery Methodology

Cost-sharing agreements are financing instruments from donor partners that stipulate conditions for receipt, administration, use and reporting of resources for specific UNDP activities. UNDP has standard agreement templates for governments, United Nations entities, the private sector, non-governmental and civil society organizations and foundations. UNDP has also concluded specific templates with major funding partners.

Source: Managing Partnerships

Allows donors to earmark their contribution to a project whose terms of reference falls within the broader trust fund terms of reference. From a donor’s perspective, the advantages of “cost sharing within a trust fund” include separate reporting of their contribution and the possibility of refunding resource balances to the donor rather than to the general resources of the trust fund. Replaced sub-trust funds.

Source: Trust Fund Management

Immediately following the onset of any crisis, the RR will appoint the members of the COCRT based on the needs of the situation at hand. Generally, the COCRT will be comprised of UNDP CO staff members from key operations and programme units. The COCRT is responsible for day-to-day support to the Resident Representative and CO senior managers in all implementation aspects of UNDP’s crisis response.

Source: Standard Operating Procedure for Crisis Response and Recovery

In the absence of a UNDSS Security Adviser, the DO, in consultation with UNDSS and the staff member’s employing organization, will appoint an international staff member to act as Country Security Focal Point (CSFP) for the SMT. CSFPs are accountable to the DO, through their head of agency, for the security-related responsibilities, in accordance with their respective letters of appointment. UNDP security professionals cannot, due to their dedicated responsibilities to UNDP, be appointed as Country Security Focal Points. The CSFP is a separate and distinct multi-agency role, as compared to the Agency Country Security Focal Point, which has dedicated UNDP security responsibilities. UNDP International staff members may be appointed to act as CSFPs.

Source: Framework of Accountability for Security

Resources are primarily used in response to sudden crises but can also support, if justified, responses to escalating situations in protracted crises. They are to be used in conducting or participating in needs assessments (e.g. Multi-Sector Initial Rapid Assessment, Post Disaster Needs Assessment, Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment), coordinating the response, and establishing early recovery frameworks and other tools for recovery planning.

Source: Allocation of TRAC 3 Resources for Crisis Engagements

The Crisis Board is a temporary senior-level decision-making body that provides strategic direction to UNDP support for crisis response and recovery programming for all Level 2 and 3 crises and, exceptionally, for Level 1 crises. The Crisis Board executes temporary authority in all aspects of UNDP corporate response to crisis, including response objectives and key messages, response level, funding allocation decisions,5 deployments, SURGE plan endorsement, recovery programme endorsement and gender considerations.

Source: Standard Operating Procedure for Crisis Response and Recovery

The Crisis Management Support Team (CMST) is a temporary, working-level forum that implements the Crisis Board decisions and provides dedicated programme, operations and advocacy support to COs responding to Level 2 and 3 crises and, exceptionally, for Level 1 crises. The CMST engages Central and Regional Bureaux personnel in HQ and the Regional Hubs, with a standing membership from each Bureau. The CMST is led by a CMST Coordinator, who is named by the Crisis Board. The CMST Coordinator manages the technical inputs of the team while coordinating cross-cutting issues.

Source: Standard Operating Procedure for Crisis Response and Recovery

Crisis response is broadly defined by UNDP as a response to sudden-onset and escalating protracted crises, conflict and disasters. The purpose of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Immediate Crisis Response is to provide a robust institutional and operational framework so that critical decisions and actions can be taken quickly in response to crisis situations.

Source: Standard Operating Procedure for Crisis Response and Recovery

A critical record is a document that, regardless of the storage media, must be protected from damage or destruction to ensure auditability and continuity of critical business functions and information flows. If a critical electronic record has an electronic signature, the critical record must be retained along with its electronic signature and any other associated records necessary to prove the authenticity of the signature (e.g. digital certificate of a digital signature). Records should be retained in accordance with the Record Retention, Data Security and Contingency Policy and with the Record Management Guidelines.

Source: Electronic Signatures Policy

Policy Areas

Programme and Project Management

Crisis Response

Financial Resources Management

Human Resources Management

Procurement

Partnerships

Administrative Services

Accountability

Information and Communications Technology

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