UNDP_POPP_WHATSNEW_LIST

 

The Formulate Programmes and Project policy and procedures Appraise and Approve policy and procedures have been updated with the UNSDG-endorsed Guidance Note on a New Generation of Joint Programmes and its annexes. The guidance note defines joint programmes within the UN development system reform context and articulates governance and management arrangements at the country level. The link to the guidance note in the Formulate Programmes and Projects policy has been updated in the first row of the table on page 5 and in paragraph 27. Step 8 in the Formulate Programmes procedures and Step 3.0 ALT in the Formulate Development Projects procedures have been updated to include the guidance note linked under explanatory notes and the guidance note's annexes are linked under templates/guidelines. The link to the guidance note in the Appraise and Approve policy has been updated in paragraph 29. Step 3.0 in the Project Revisions procedures of the Manage Change policy have been updated to include the guidance note linked under explanatory notes.

​The Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) policy and procedures  have been updated to align with the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Policy. Appendix 2: ERM Risk Categories and Sub-Categories in the ERM policy has been updated with a new AML/CFT risk sub-category '5.6. Exposure to entities involved in money laundering and terrorism financing' under risk category '5. Reputational'. The Risk Appetite Statement Guidance has been updated with the new AML/CFT risk sub-category in Annex 1 (Risk Categories and Sub-Categories) and Annex 4 (Risk Appetite Summary) has been aligned with the risk categories sequencing in the ERM policy. The Project Risk Register template has been updated with the new AML/CFT risk sub-category in Annex 1 (ERM Risk Categories and Sub-categories) and in Annex 2 Offline Project Risk Register Template in the dropdown list. The updated Project Risk Register template is published in Managing Project-Level Risk (Country, Regional or Global Projects) procedures in the ERM policy (Appendix 4), in the procedures section in the ERM policy page and in the following procedures sections in the Programme and Project Management policy area: (a) in steps 1 and 2 of the Social and Environmental Standards procedures; (b) in step 3.3. of the Formulate Development Projects procedures; (c) in step 2.4 of the Monitor procedures.

​The Organizational Unit Restructuring Policy sets out UNDP’s human resources policy governing the restructuring of organizational units, including special placement of staff and selection measures. The Organizational Restructuring policy establishes one single policy to manage the restructuring which:

• Establishes clear roles, responsibilities and accountability for restructures of units organization-wide;
• Provides a clear and simple process easily understood by different stakeholders;
• Establishes a process agile enough to be effective in different organizational contexts (HQ and field);
• Streamlines and increases flexibility in the restructuring process;
• Ensures consistency, transparency, efficiency and fairness;
• Significantly increases the speed of restructuring;
• Provides safeguards for staff affected by restructuring and facilitates placement and selection of staff into new positions;
• Ensures the restructuring process is aligned with, and leverages the benefits of, other related new processes such as mobility, talent reviews, and rank-in-post plus

​The policy has been updated to align references to awards with the Innovation Challenges policy and with the Performance-Based Payments policy.

​The ICF policy and ICF Operational Guide have been updated to incorporate references to the new Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Policy (AML/CFT Policy). The AML/CFT Policy is referenced in the list of Supportive Tools in Annex 2, point 1 Integrity and Ethical Values on page 20 in the ICF policy and a new section 2.9 Mitigating risks associated with money laundering and terrorist financing has been added on page 12 of the ICF Operational Guide.

​The updated RMT reflects the approval of the two-tiered approach for the shielding of the development activities for the budget period 2018-2021 and extended it to the 2022-2025 budget period.

The RFQ, RFP (for services $200K and above) and ITB templates have been updated to align with the new Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Policy (AML/CFT Policy) and now includes ‘ultimate beneficial owners’ as follows: (i) In the procurement self-certification sections in the RFQ template in Section 2: RFQ Instructions and Data, Eligibility and in Annex 2: Quotation Submission Form, Bidder’s Declaration, Prohibition, Sanctions. (ii) In Section 2. Instructions to Bidders, A. General Provisions, 3. Eligibility in paragraph 3.2 in the RFP template (for services $200K and above) and in the ITB templates. For AML/CFT purposes (FATF Recommendation 24), the definition of ultimate beneficial owners focuses on the natural persons behind corporate entities. Ultimate beneficial owner means a natural person that exercises control over an entity through direct or indirect ownership, or has other means of influencing the Bidder such as through financing, close family relationships with the owners of the Bidder or through holding key positions within the Bidder. The updated templates are linked in paragraph 4 of the Solicitation policy.

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• Staff members are encouraged to take at least half of the annual leave they are entitled to in each year and to take it in a reasonable period of continuous annual leave;
• The policy has been updated to reflect that staff can now take seven uncertified sick leave days continuously; and
• The policy has been updated to reflect the fact that staff who are able to do so are expected to work remotely in the event of office closure, rather than having paid time off.
  

​The purpose of the Personal Data Protection and Privacy policy is to guide project/programme implementation when handling data, to be embedded throughout the data lifecycle to ensure UNDP implements the highest ethical standards for data protection and privacy. Protection of personal data is essential to upholding fundamental rights to privacy and the UN system-wide personal data protection and privacy principles. Strong policies on personal data protection and privacy, and on information handling and classification are critical for operating efficiently, considering opportunities and risks in the use of personal data, including in combination with evolving technologies.

​The UNDP Security Applicability Guideline is now available in French and Spanish. To access the French and Spanish versions click on the respective language tab. The guideline is located in step 2 of the Security Policy procedures.

​The Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) policy has been harmonized with the Social and Environmental Standards (SES) policy. The risk sub-categories in the Quantum + corporate planning system (capturing programme level risks) and in the Atlas project risk registers are now fully aligned with the project-level social and environmental standards. To align the risk entry systems, a slight rewording of ten risk sub-categories has been made and the risk sub-category on “Cultural Heritage” has been re-introduced in the relevant annexes of the ERM policy, Risk Appetite Statement and Risk Appetite Statement Guidance. 

​The project risk register template has been updated in Step 3.3 of the procedures to align with the updated Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) policy which has been harmonized with the Social and Environmental Standards (SES) policy. The risk sub-categories in the Quantum + corporate planning system (capturing programme level risks) and in the Atlas project risk registers are now fully aligned with the project-level social and environmental standards. The offline project risk register template (Annex 2) is aligned with the risk entry system in the Quantum + corporate planning system and with the risk appetite to risk significance in the risk matrix (Annex 3).

​The policy has been updated to add a new section on “Monitoring of Evaluation Plan implementation” (paragraphs 25-28). The updated guideline includes the process and content of annual and mid-year review of the evaluation plan; guidelines on the expected timeline for oversight; and monitoring roles and responsibilities of the country office, regional bureau, Bureau of policy and programme and independent evaluation office. 

​The policy has been updated to add a new section on “Evaluation Report” (paragraphs 11-15). This section provides guidance on objective and use of evaluation reports along with guidance on review and finalization of reports like Inception report, final report, Management Response to evaluation.

​Updates were made in the policy to reflect UNDP Evaluation Guidelines as follows: (1) Under new programme development, paragraph 20 has been added providing guidance to the submission of CPD-costed evaluation plans; (2) Planning for evaluation section is updated with the addition of three new paragraphs 39, 40, 41 to address UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 requirements on the need of strategic evaluations; to inform on Independent country programme evaluations and reflect accountability for the development of CPD evaluation plan.

​The policy has been updated related to Programme Assessment and Appraisal to add references (1) a review of UNDP’s comparative strengths and mandate that effectively integrated into the Cooperation framework Theory of Change (paragraph 12); (2) to the importance of learning from any past evaluation results into the formulation of the new country programme design (paragraph 14).

​The GMS rate table and contents are updated to reflect (i) Executive Board Decision on 5% for Individuals, (ii) OPG approval on applying 7% for Government Cost Sharing where UNDP provides support services to the government in its capacity as a Global Fund grant recipient, (iii) abbreviation changed from GFATM to GF, (iv) approval authority from Chief Finance Officer to BMS Director and (v) the updated table for Direct costs vs. Indirect costs from PPM.

​The UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct has been updated to reflect the following changes: (1) Deleting the reference to Resident Coordinators; (2) Updating the name of BMS/OLS and BMS/OHR; (3) Expanding the existing requirement to inform victims of harassment to include victims of sexual exploitation and abuse; (4) Clarifying the general obligation to report allegations of misconduct; (5) Clarifying that where the subject has separated from service after being charged with misconduct but before the imposition of a disciplinary sanction, BMS/OLS may include the matter without the subject’s response to the charges if the subject fails to provide their response within the deadline. The updated UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance has also been published under Disciplinary Measures and Appeals.

​The “Oversight Readiness Capacity Assessment” (ORCA) tool (previously called the VF needs assessment tool) has been completed and fully digitized. The tool was developed by BPPS-NCE in consultation with the BMS and Regional Bureaus, as well as the BPPS - Effectiveness Group. The objective of the ORCA tool is to help UNDP effectively manage risks across its Vertical Fund portfolio and perform its Quality Assurance (QA) function (as Accredited Entity to specific Funds). Accordingly, the tool has been designed to assess adequacy of current resources and/or provisions needed at the CO to effectively perform its ‘oversight responsibilities’ when deciding to take on additional programming requests related to VF projects. The ORCA assessment tool can be accessed through the CO dashboard in PIMS+ and detailed instructions on how to use and access the tool is provided in the User Guide and FAQ documents uploaded to under “Formulate Development Projects” in POPP.

​The United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS) applicability policy sets out the framework for UNSMS organizations to identify the categories of persons within their respective administrative structure and rules to whom UNSMS policies should apply. As a result, the UNDP Security Applicability Guideline provides guidance as to the persons UNDP should take into account when implementing UNSMS policies and from whom UNDP expects compliance to security policies, procedures and practices. The guideline also clarifies those persons under UNDP’s security accountability and responsibility. The recent revision of the UNSMS policy emphasizes the notion that contractual relationship underpinned applicability and stipulated the varying modalities through which contractual relationship may be established. The policy also notes that persons providing services to a UNSMS organization on less than a full-time basis were only considered UNSMS personnel when actually providing services to the UNSMS organization. These changes were contextualized in the UNDP Security Applicability Guideline in alignment with the UNSMS policy.

​Minor editorial changes have been made to the policy and to the UNMSM Operational Guidelines redirecting links therein to the Security Office SharePoint page.

​A visual guide on cost recovery has been published in Resource Planning and Cost Recovery here and in Business Processes here. The guide provides an overview of the process flow steps of all procedures, as well as the tools and guidance for cost recovery in UNDP for delivery enabling services, general management support and UN agency services with links to the relevant cost recovery resources in the POPP for each process flow step.These are the direct links to the guides in pdf:

• Full guide
• Delivery Enabling Services
• General Management Support
• UN Agency Services
  

​Section 3.0 (procedures) has been updated to reflect the introduction of the UNall Service Portal. Changes were made to steps 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Application for UN Laissez-Passer (UNLP) and UN Family Certificates (UNFCs) procedure. Additionally, changes were made to steps 1 and 2 of the Application for UN Certificates (UNC) procedure.

​The Rank-in-Post policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

1. Country Co-Financing Cost Sharing (Fund 11888) and Non-Earmarked Programme Cost Sharing (Fund 30083)

2. Trust Fund Management

3. Certified Donor Reports

​The United Nations Travel Documents Programme (UNTDP) within the Travel and Transportation Section (TTS) of the Department of Operational Support (DOS) has issued an amendment to “Standard Operating Procedure for the Issuance of United Nations Travel Documents” (SOP). Updated guidance for the provision of ‘Red Laissez-Passers Without Insert’ (referred to as Exceptional Red Laissez-Passers or ERLPs) is outlined in the new SOP. A submission template for ERLP requests is provided. RRs at the D1 level or below will not receive a red UNLP unless the request is signed off by the UNDP Administrator and approved by the USG of DOS.

​Paragraphs 10, 45, 46, 60 and 55 of the policy have been updated in response to UNBOA audit recommendations to clarify the responsibilities of offices in creating their disaster recovery plans, including documenting any arrangements made with cloud providers.

​The Financial Accountability and Internal Controls policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​ The Refunds to Donors policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the Frenchh language tab.

​The UNDSS has updated several policies and guidance documents (i.e. Framework of Accountability, Road Safety, Local Cost Shared Security Budget, and Commercial Air Travel) and therefore links to these referenced documents have been updated in the policy in the following paragraphs: 7, 50, 77, 105, 111, 120, 123.

​The Financial Closure of Trust Funds policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab

​The Delegation of Authority Templates for GEF and GCF Programming have been updated to reflect minor revisions in page 1 to clarify the division of responsibilities and accountabilities as set out in the RACI. The updated templates are linked in Step 2.1 VERT of the Development Project procedures.

​The GMS rate table is updated to reflect a minimum 7% for UN Secretariat Offices, Funds and Departments identified in the UN System Chart (yellow section) under the section on UN to UN Agency Contribution Agreement.

​The Cash Operations policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The  Management of Cash in Crisis or Emergency Situations policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Petty Cash Fund for Management Project (PCF) policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Amortizations, Reconciliations, Reports and Centralized Functions policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Route, Mode of Transportation, and Standard of Accommodation policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The framework outlines the technical standards and processes that Country Offices and all UNDP Business Units should follow for application development. Furthermore, it provides a governance framework for application development in UNDP in accordance with industry standards while balancing the need of corporate standards with the need to innovate locally and across business units. This allows Business Units to access technical, advisory, and contractual corporate support resources throughout the application’s lifecycle. The framework also addresses and closes OAI audit recommendation 2277-1.

​An updated version of the Project Origination SOPs, which now includes additional specific elements for GCF projects/programmes, has been provided which applies to all vertical fund programming. Furthermore, new PISC submission and assessment templates for GEF Enabling Activities (EAs) and Capacity Building Initiatives for Transparency (CBIT) have been developed and uploaded in POPP.

​The framework outlines the technical standards and processes that Country Offices and all UNDP Business Units should follow for application development. Furthermore, it provides a governance framework for application development in UNDP in accordance with industry standards while balancing the need of corporate standards with the need to innovate locally and across business units. This allows Business Units to access technical, advisory, and contractual corporate support resources throughout the application’s lifecycle. The framework also addresses and closes OAI audit recommendation 2277-1.

​The Daily Subsistance Allowance (DSA) policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Post Travel policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Termination of Appointment policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Opening and Closing of Bank Accounts policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Handling of Cash and Receipts Treasury policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Service Contracts policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​ The Absence Management Guidelines policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The policy is amended for UNDSS Cash Arrangement by further clarifying the roles and responsibility for PPCF funded from UNDSS Core budget and CO Local Cost Shared Security Budget (LCSSB).

​The Clearing a Local Presence policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Plant and Property : Acquisition and Maintenance policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Equipment Leases policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Overtime Compensation policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Type of Leases and Treatment in UNDP Books policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​New PISC templates have been developed for vertical fund global/regional projects in line with the existing Project Origination SOPs and RACI. The new templates include: 1) a submission form for global or regional teams to use when preparing for the PISC; 2) an assessment template for global or regional projects that will be used to evaluate the project during the PISC meeting. In addition, to ensure consistency, the existing PISC CO submission form and the existing PISC CO assessment template have been updated to align with the new submission form and assessment template for global/regional projects. The One Stop Shop for Vertical Fund Projects has also been updated with the latest links to documents related to vertical fund programming.

​The Security Policy is now available in French and Spanish. To access the document in these languages, click on the Spanish or French language tab.

​Paragraph 15 (b) of the policy has been updated with the links in Step 3.2 of Formulate Development Projects procedures and in Step 1.1 of ‘Formulate Development and Institutional Effectiveness Project’ procedures of the Formulate Programmes & Projects policy. The links provide guidance on what are the direct costs and indirect costs that should be included as part of the project budget. This is ‘Prepare Fully Costed Budgets for Projects’ and ‘Annex 1’.

​The updated version of the Procurement Methods main policy is now available in Spanish. To access the document, click on the Spanish language tab.

​The regional programme document template in Step 6.0 ALT 1 of the Formulate Programmes procedure has been updated to its latest version of 2021.

​The Salary Advance policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Dependency Status and Allowances policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Contract Face Sheet on Behalf of a UN Entity has been updated. The new version includes changes in the terminology and changes to the template formatting. The updated template is linked in clause 2 of the Templates/Forms/Links section at the end of the General Considerations of Contracting Policy and also published in Libraries under Templates & Guidelines, POPP ID: POPP-11-2485.

 The Furniture and Equipment: Disposal and Write-Off policy has been updated to clarify that vehicle mileage is not a blank approval for vehicle disposal but is only a trigger to assess the vehicle for disposal and that full disclosure of the case and reasoning for vehicle disposal shall be provided in the RAD disposal form.

​The Electronic Funds Transfer Starndards policy has been updated with editorial changes on paragraphs 1, 9, 10 and 13.

​GEFand GCF project document templates have been updated in Step 3.0 of Formulate Development Projects procedures and new Guidance on Governance Arrangements for Vertical Fund Programming has been added. The updated Project Documents and Guidance responds to a number of recommendations made by OAI in its report of December 2020 related to UNDP’s management of GEF resources. The main changes relate to the following:

​The UNDP Service Level Agreement (SLA) template has been updated as follows:
• Clause 3 has been expanded to state legal services that are not included in the SLA template given its specific conditions, including cost-recovery.
• Clause 4 & 5 has been added to reflect the provision of Partner Personnel Services Agreement (PPSA) services. The PPSA service is developed for partners to benefit from UNDP service, and as part of our corporate strategy for taking on a central role in UN-wide solutions and back-office services.
• Clause 9 has been updated to reinstate the prior language to ensure consistency with the liability provision of the corporate Framework Agreement.
• Clause 10 has been added to clarify that with respect to all contracts, including non-staff personnel, but excluding staff members, the Services are on behalf of the client, i.e. a UN entity and any allegations of misconduct involving the Client and/or its personnel, or grievances shall be handled by the client.
• Clause 11 has been added to clarify the process for inquiries to the Ethics Office regarding staff members on a UNDP Letter of Appointment.

​The Business Continuity Management policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Multiple Funding Lines for Positions policy has been updated with the recently published Project Costing and Planning, and Paying for Delivery Enabling Services policies.

​The procedure tables (step 1) on the page have been modified to align with Prepare Fully Costed Budgets for Projects and Planning and Paying for Delivery Enabling Services content. A link to Stand-Alone DPC project is removed as it is now regulated as Annex 1 of "Planning and Paying for Delivery Enabling Services .

The Preliminary Examination Template – for RFPs and ITBs is now available in French (POPP-11-3584).

​The revised UNDP Security Policy and procedures outline UNDP’s Security Framework within the United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS) and provides UNDP managers and personnel with guidance and tools to manage day to day security related matters. The policy aligns with recent UNSMS policy updates and enables UNDP to achieve its goals as established in the UNDP Strategic Plan and is in line with the UNSMS mission statement of ensuring the security of UNDP, UNV and UNCDF personnel, premises, assets and operations.

Direct Contracting provision 73.vi. of the Procurement Methods policy was added to align with UNDP's Financial Rules and Regulations.

​Effective April 30, 2021, a new time tracking system has been developed to be applied by UNDP personnel designated to provide oversight services on the Vertical Fund (GEF Family of Funds, GCF, and AF) financed projects. The system is designed to track time spent on providing vertical fund-specific Project Cycle Management Services (PCMS) and vertical fund related Corporate Activities. These services are defined by the Council and Board of the GEF, GCF and AF, respectively and include oversight services to ensure that project execution (by the Implementing Partner) meets the standards and requirements of the respective vertical funds and UNDP Policies and Procedures. Details are further outlined in the Guidance Note, which is linked in step 1.1 ALT of the Formulate Development Projects procedures. 

​The National Personnel Services Agreement (NPSA) is a new policy intended to improve and align the conditions of national personnel globally. It provides for inclusion of NPSA holders through access to training, learning and career opportunities, and provides for a fair and consistent set of benefits equal to all NPSA holders globally in terms of annual leave, sick leave, lump sum towards pension schemes of choice, possibility for commutation of annual leave to cash, to mention a few. It also provides for a lighter administration of contracts, for example, by using existing salary-setting methodologies to minimize administration, but also to ensure consistent levels of classification across all modalities.

​An explanatory note was added to clause 1 of the Project Petty Cash Fund (PPCF) policy for the “Support to NIM” implementation.

The Vertical Funds Needs Assessment Tool (VF-NAT), as well as a VF NAT user guide and an FAQ file have been added under Procedure No. 1.1 ALT of the Formulate Development Projects procedures of the Formulate Programmes & Projects policy. The VF-NAT has been developed as a part of the OAI GEF audit management actions. The VF-NAT will be piloted between May-Dec 2021 when new VF programming requests are received. After the pilot phase, following a review and refinement, the tool will be rolled out in support of VF programming, in conjunction with the IWP process for 2022.

The updated P.210 Application for US G-5 Visas form, PT.63B Request for Change for G-5 Visa Status and P.210AA G-5 Employment Contract Template forms are now available in the Visas at Headquarters (New York) policy under the Templates and Forms section.

The policy has been updated to include a clause for projects where UNDP plans to engage with the non-UN security sector that the UN's Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP) applies which aims to ensure UNDP does not provide support to entities committing grave violations of international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law. The Formulate Development Projects procedures have been updated to include the UNDP HRDDP Implementation Framework Tool as a risk assessment tool if UNDP plans to engage with the non-UN security sector.

​​The Statement of Health template in Spanish (for Individual Contract) is now available in the POPP templates library.

The following partnerships documents are now available in the POPP templates library:

1. MOU with Government
   
2. MOU with UN Entities and International Organization

​The following templates are now available in the POPP library and linked in the Fellowship policy and procedures:  

• Fellowship Partnership Agreement Template (step 1; policy clause 9)
• Fellowship ToR (step 2; policy clause 19.a.)
• UNDP-Funded Fellowship Undertaking Letter (step 8; policy clause 11)

​Following the approval by the Administrator of the decision to implement two-year renewal cycles for Fixed-Term Appointments, BMS/OHR is introducing a supporting measure to ensure that all new staff on initial fixed term appointments of more than one year are subject to a probation period prior to being confirmed in their positions.

The probationary period will allow UNDP to manage the relationship more flexibly, so that managers can address problems, if any, before confirming a new staff member into a two-year appointment. Furthermore, it focuses managers’ attention on the first year of employment of a new staff member so that they provide the clear guidance which underpins a successful start in a new position in UNDP.

Under the proposed policy, the probation period will give managers the opportunity to assess new staff members on the job, over a period of 10 months before deciding to either confirm or terminate the appointment. In certain circumstances, the probationary period can also be extended for up to 6 months. The policy will take effect on 1 March 2021.

​The hyperlinks under clause 7 of the Service Clearance Account (SCA), Charging, Billing and Fee Collection policy, and in step 5 of the UN Agency Services procedure table have been replaced with the On Demand Jobaid for CRN Bill. The previous document, Atlas Ondemand site is no longer active.

​A new SLA between UNDP and UNDSS was signed in 2019, replacing the 2006 MoU. Clause 18 of the Furniture and Equipment: Acquisition and Maintenance policy has been updated to link to the new SLA.

​The Procurement Oversight and Procurement Review Committees policy was updated to reflect the streamlining of direct review for ACP/RACP Chairs that was approved in 2018 by BMS.

​The International Personnel Services Agreement (IPSA) is a new policy which fills a gap in existing contractual modalities related to project-based international personnel.

​The following templates are now available in Spanish and linked in clause 32 of the Spanish Vehicle Management policy version. To access the content, click on the Spanish language tab.

1. Memorandum of Acceptance of Temporary Custody of UNDP Property
2. Waiver of Liability for UNDP Vehicles

A one-stop-shop link to all environmental vertical fund (GEF & GCF) templates, procedures and policies in the POPP (POPP-11-3484) has been added as a guideline under Procedure No. 1.1 ALT of the Formulate Development Projects procedures of the Formulate Programmes & Projects policy. The link is in response to audit and provides a one-stop shop guidance map on GEF & GCF templates, procedures and policies in the POPP.

​Minor updates were made to the Purchase Orders (Commitments, Maintenance and Closure) policy to specify that duty travel expenses are not committed via PO.

The Vendor Management SOP for clustered COs has been thoroughly reviewed and revised in conjunction with the new SOP for Vendor Management - Non-Clustered Country Office announced by the BMS director on 18 July 2020. The SOP incorporates the requirements for adequate due diligence and documentation for new and modified vendor profiles, verification of the vendor sanctions lists in detail, and quarterly maintenance of vendor records. The SOP is effective as of 1 February 2021.

​In line with the UNSMS Commercial Air Travel Safety Policy requiring that each UNSMS entity establishes an internal mechanism in its decision-making process to determine whether an air operator should be used for the official travel of their personnel, the UNDP Commercial Air Travel Safety Guidelines have been revised in alignment to the revision of the UNSMS policy. The guidelines further define the role of UNDP Managers approving air travel of UNDP personnel, clarifies responsibilities, and introduces the ad-hoc approval process for the use of commercial air operators, in addition to time-limited blanket authorization approval process of a commercial air operator, not included in the UNDP global booking list.

​The Direct Payments policy and procedures have been further updated as follows: Guidance has been added to Para 2 on the ICE template. ICE template guidance has been added to procedure step 1. Fraud red-flags guidance have been added to procedure step 9.

​The new Software License and Services Agreement (POPP-11-3431) has been uploaded to the POPP templates library. Business Units should use this template when procuring a license to use commercially available software - both when the license is procured for UNDP’s internal use of the software, and when the license is procured by UNDP for a third party (such as a governmental entity or another UN entity).

​Additional guidance has been captured in the Safe Management policy for the Safe Deposit Lockbox for the purpose of off-site storage of IT devices.

​Updates to the ICF Operational Guide provide additional clarity on the responsibilities for monitoring budget overrides, and overseeing override match exception functions. Additional sentences have been added on override match exceptions to page 39 and on monitoring of budget overrides to pages 16, 22 and 23.

The GLOC from LIC and MIC (Low- and Middle-Income Countries) policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​Editorial changes were made to clause 5 of the Handling of Cash and Receipts Treasury policy.

​As part of People for 2030, OHR is introducing a mobility policy which enables UNDP to deploy the right people in the right place at the right time, thus ensuring that the organization can fulfil its crucial mission and achieve its objectives in fostering the attainment of sustainable development. More specifically, the policy aims to:

• Enable more effective and efficient staff mobility within UNDP;
• Ensure that staff moves are managed strategically and that each established position is continuously filled;
• Create opportunities for career development and continuous learning, as part of an integrated employee experience, through multi-directional moves driven both by business needs and staff aspirations;
• Strengthen UNDP's ability to attract and retain a diverse and dynamic world-class global workforce that will effectively meet the Organization's current and future operational needs.

UNDP's new mobility policy provides a clear framework for how mobility is implemented and managed in UNDP. It applies to all International Professional (IP) staff members holding a UNDP Letter of Appointment and hired on Fixed-Term Appointments (FTA) and Permanent Appointments (PA). The policy defines mobility as periodic moves of staff to new or re-classified positions within the same or different occupational group/functional area, laterally or to a different level, within the same or different duty station. The policy reintroduces a mobility requirement for most of IP positions as well as a duration of assignment (tour of duty) element. It further creates the categories of geographical, functional and inter-agency mobility.

The policy establishes that most of IP positions are mobile, and classifies these as either Rotational or Non-rotational.

The policy also outlines arrangements for:

• Moves of staff in rotational positions, which are proposed to be managed through a corporate centrally managed Annual Rotation Exercise (ARE). There will be two types of AREs – for positions sourced from the Candidate Pools and for all other rotational positions; and
• Moves of staff in non-rotational positions, which are proposed to be managed mainly through a regular recruitment process.

The policy will take effect on 1 January 2021 and will be implemented in phases, including an initial designation of rotational positions, planning of upcoming AREs and other activities in accordance with the implementation plan currently designed by OHR/BMS.

The Social and Environmental Standards policy and procedures have been updated to reflect the revised policy and procedures, which come into effect on 1 January 2021.The updated Social and Environmental Standards Toolkit was also updated to reflect changes from the revised policy and procedures, which come into effect on 1 January 2021.

​The following policies are now available in Spanish. To access the content, click on the Spanish language tab of the respective policy page:

1. Rank-in-Post
2. Non-Reimbursable Loan Agreements

​The Managing Partnerships policy is now available in Spanish. To access the document, click on the Spanish language tab.

​The GEF-DOA agreement template has been uploaded to POPP and linked in procedure step 2.1 VERT for Development Projects. For GEF-funded projects, a Delegation of Authority agreement must be signed by the Resident Representative and Regional Bureau Director before the Project Document can be signed.

​The revised guidance note for Country Office Workload Survey is now available in Spanish. The guidance note is linked in the procedure section of the Direct Project Costs policy page. 

Step 6 of the GMS Fee Set-up and Collection procedure table was updated with the most recent hyperlink to the actual average GMS PowerBI report, derived from actual GL expenses posted to projects. The hyperlink appears in the Explanatory Notes column of the Step 6.

​The Direct Cash Transfers and Reimbursements policy and procedures have been further updated as follows: Guidance has been added to Para 4 on the ICE template. Guidance has been added to Paras 22 and 23 on fraud red-flags. ICE template guidance has been added to procedure step 5.

​The Construction Works policy and Guidance Note (POPP-11-3373) are available in Spanish. To access the content, click on the Spanish language tab.

​The guidance note for Country Office Workload Survey has been revised and replaced. It provides general guidance on how to conduct and document workload surveys, and its usage for the office planning and costing of project services. The guidance note is linked in the procedure section of the Multiple Funding Lines for Positions policy page.

​The Construction Works policy and accompanying Guidance Note have been updated to reflect that Resident Representatives are authorized to approve project documents with works up to the standard delegation of procurement authority. Additionally, the template, Request for Approval or Delegation for Project Document that includes Construction Works (POPP-11-3360), has been linked in clause 23 of the policy. Business Units shall utilise this template to obtain the necessary approvals for works projects.

​The threshold of Request for Quotations (RFQs) has increased from US$150,000 to US$200,000 to align with the increase in the delegated authority to Heads of Business Units with the continued systemic use of eTendering. This measure is mainstreamed in the launch of the new harmonized RFQ template established in collaboration with other UN Agencies by the HLCM Procurement Network.

The RFQ is linked in clause 4.b. of the Solicitation policy and in clause 29 of the Procurement Methods policy.

​The Operational Guide to the ICF is now available in Spanish. To access the document, click on the Spanish language tab.

​The Financial Closure of Development Projects policy has been updated with links to the Operational Guidelines for Financial Closure of Projects; the Operating guidelines for MPTF projects; FAQ in Project Closure SharePoint, and the eChecklist in the Atlas Project Closure Workbench. These resources provide a wealth of information to guide offices in the closing of projects - an often undervalued, yet vital part of our work.

​The Fellowship policy establishes a framework which allows UNDP to implement its own fellowship initiatives (corporate fellowships) and partner with academic and other institutions, such as international organisations, international financial institutions, foundations, national scholarship programmes and the private sector (sponsoring entities). Furthermore, the responsibilities of both UNDP and a sponsoring entity are clarified. The policy also establishes the basic principles to be followed when UNDP decides to fund a fellowship initiative. Until further notice, all fellowships initiatives will be reviewed by TAPP/OHR prior to implementation.

​Paragraph 16 was added to the Government Contribution to Local Office Costs (GLOC) from LIC and MIC policy. The paragraph was added to reflect decisions adopted by the Executive Board during the second regular session in 2020.  GLOC contributions are a major funding source for country offices' core institutional budgets, and their utilization is subject to UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules. The Executive Board (EB decision 2020/14) recognizes the importance of host government contributions to UNDP local offices costs, and encourages UNDP to work with the respective governments to agree, where possible, to annual and multi-year contributions.

The Framework of Accountability for Security policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The UNMSM Operational Guidelines have been added as a related policy. The Guidelines outline budgetary, financial, and procurement procedures for the resources available centrally within UNDP to cover UN Mandated Security Measures (UNMSM). These requirements are undertaken in response to United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS) policy directives and recommendations made within the Security Risk management (SRM) process to ensure security compliance in duty stations.

The Designation and Responsibilities of Signatories policy is now available in French. To access the document, click on the French language tab.

​The Bank Account Signatory control has been updated in the policy and procedures to align with ICF.

Updated UN Certificate Application form and the templates for transmitting requests to and from the country offices. Removed the reference to the paper F-10 which has been replaced by online Travel Claim in Atlas T&E. 

Template POPP IDs:

1)Template for Application for UN Certificate (POPP-11-1272)
2)Template for transmitting to/acknowledging receipt of travel documents by staff in COs (POPP-11-1256)
3)Template for transmitting requests for travel documents to General Operations (POPP-11-1279) 

​The Framework of Accountability for Security policy was updated to align with recent UNSMS policy updates, clearly define accountability/role of the UNV and UNCDF Executive Heads, the most senior UNDP staff at the country level following the RC/RR delinking process, as well as the roles of the Agency Country Security Focal Points at the country level. Other editorial and straightforward changes have also been made to streamline content.

​Clause 4.1 and Appendix 2 of the ERM policy were modified to 1) add additional risks-sub categories and 2) remove BOA, JIU as part of the three lines of defence.

​The Innovation Challenges Agreement Template (Company) is now available in Spanish in the template library (POPP-11-3271). It is also linked in step 9 of the Innovation Challenges procedure table, section 3.0.

​The following policies are available in Spanish. To access the content, click on the Spanish language tab of the respective policy page:

1. General Considerations of Contracting
2. Handling of Procurement Complaints
3. Payment and Taxes
4. Shipping and Insurance
5. Engaging CSO/NGO as a Responsible Party
6. Security Charges to Individual Contracts (located under "Related Policies" on the Individual Contract policy page, section 2.0)

​On June 11, the EG approved BMS’ recommendation to change the policy on the application of the GMS rates for International Financial Institutions (IFIs). A GMS rate of 5% is now applicable for all IFIs with an annual volume that exceeds $50M for loan or credit guarantee implementation support. The current GMS rate of 8% will continue to apply for grant financing, and to financing from IFIs below the annual volume threshold.

A Guidance Note on GMS (Indirect Costs) for International Financial Institutions is available as a hyperlink in the table under clause 7 of the Cost Recovery from Other Resources - GMS policy and is available in the POPP library (document ID POPP-11-3262).

​The following policies are available in Spanish. To access the content, click on the Spanish language tab of the respective policy page:

1. Long Term Agreements (LTAs)
2. Pre-Award Negotiations
3. Requisition and Procurement of Goods, Civil Works and Services
4. Vendor Sanctions

Templates for on-granting clauses have been added to the policy, and operational guidance on low value grants has been linked in the procedures. (POPP-11-3253, POPP-11-3244, POPP-11-3258)

​The policy on Government Contributions from Net Contributing Countries (NCCs) and High Middle-Income Countries (High-MICs) is available for a better understanding of the respective board decisions and their implications on local office funding. This policy is applicable only to the countries classified as high-middle income countries (High MICs, countries with levels of GNI per capita over and above $6,660) and Net Contributing Countries (NCCs) and that are regulated as per the EB decision (2013/30) on Funding of differentiated physical presence (DP/2013/45) (DP/2013/45 French; DP/2013/45 Spanish).

​The CDR Bridge Navigation Guide has been linked in clause 4 of the Combined Delivery Report (CDR) policy, and in step 1 of the CDR procedure table. It is also linked in clause 17 of the Direct Implementation (DIM) Modality policy. The document offers guidance on how to use the CDR Bridge platform, including how to register implementing partners. The guide is also available in the POPP templates library (POPP-11-3234).

​Clauses 15 through 21 of the DIM policy have been updated to reflect the new CDR Bridge Platform, a digital platform that will be used for certification and as a central repository for CDRs going forward. CDRs will automatically be generated from Atlas after closure of each quarter by OFM and the CDRs delivered to the platform without any manual intervention from UNDP Offices. Offices will be required to review the CDRs in the new platform and have the option to send the reports electronically (via email), and have implementing partners certify the CDRs electronically in the platform. With the launch of the CDR Bridge, uploading of CDRs to the former SharePoint site is discontinued.

​The purpose of the Electronic Signatures policy and procedures is to guide UNDP units in their use of electronic signatures. The policy and procedures define the requirements for e-signatures and ask that UNDP Country Offices and business units review their business processes with the aim of eliminating handwritten signatures and replacing them with either their electronic counterparts, or with email or other system-embedded workflow approvals when possible or permitted. The policy and procedures cover e-signatures uses in UNDP’s internal operations, as well as transactions with external parties, where the use of electronic signatures has been agreed by the parties.

​The revised GLOC from LIC and MIC (Low and Middle Income Countries) policy provides a detailed explanation of GLOC formulation from host governments in low and middle income countries, along with a computation of annual cash targets, recent flexibilities in target setting, and tracking and reporting of annual cash targets and payments. The procedures section has also been updated with the most recent reporting tools and guidance notes.

OHR has published guidelines on the use of P-6 and P-7 level positions. The purpose of these guidelines is to detail the characteristics of P6 and P7 positions to guide the classification exercise. The new guidelines are linked under the main Recruitment and Selection policy, section 2.0. 

The Gifts Policy assists UNDP personnel in regulating their conduct when offered gifts or other items, irrespective of value and source in the course of their functions. The policy delineates and formalizes personnel reporting obligations, and distinguishes between obligations related to the receipt of gifts from governmental and non-governmental entities, including whether the gifts are valued below or above USD 30. The policy also provides the Organization with procedures to follow with regards to the recording and disposition of gifts.