The United Nations Country team in Sri Lanka is composed of representatives of operational UN agencies on the ground and other UN affiliated agencies active in the country.

In Sri Lanka, the UNDP Resident Representative is also the United Nations Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator, representing the UN system in the country. It is the responsibility of the RC to convene regular meetings of the Country Team to provide overall leadership to the UN system and bring together the other UN agencies in a strategic coalition. Meetings of the UNCT are held every two weeks to discuss urgent humanitarian and development issues related to Sri Lanka. The meetings help the agencies formulate strategies for cooperation and promote partnerships.
In addition, the office of the Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka provides operational and management coordination for the entire UN system. It also engages in advocacy for the UN system.

UNDP took the lead in conducting the Common Country Assessment (CCA) for Sri Lanka in 2006. The CCA was formulated by UNCT and analyses the key development challenges and opportunities facing Sri Lanka at the present time. An important focus of the CCA is to encourage UN reform. It also seeks to harmonize the contribution of the different UN agencies in the common interest of the people of the country.

The CCA lays the foundation for the United Nations Development Framework (UNDAF). UNDP has led the UN Country team in developing the UNDAF in keeping with national priorities. UNDAF signifies the UN’s common response to Sri Lanka’s development challenges for the 2008-2012 period. UNDAF lays stress on Peace and Governance while promoting equitable and sustainable pro-poor growth. The process also identified three areas for joint-programming under UNDAF, namely gender-based violence, human rights and the plantation sector. UNDP has taken the lead on the design for the latter two and is currently working with partner UN agencies to mobilize resources.  

In fact, the UNDP Country Programme (2008-2012), which is fully aligned with UNDAF, focuses on supporting the estate sector and plantation community and further develops the idea of the joint-programme. Programme-based approaches have been adopted to support the multi-sectoral National Plan of Action for the Social Development of the Plantation Community.  Partnering agencies include: UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNHABITAT, WHO, UNOPS, WFP.  More specifically, UNDP will partner with ILO to increase employment and livelihood opportunities, especially for youth, disadvantaged communities and vulnerable populations, through the facilitation of SME development and of access to vocational training facilities.

UNDP plays a pivotal role in coordinating the joint-programme on Human Rights as well. The joint-programme will focus on developing the capacity of target groups- key national institutions including the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights (MDMHR), the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRC), civil society organizations and the police forces — in order to provide trusted and sustainable solutions to the human rights challenges facing Sri Lanka. The programme will also interface closely with the work of the UN Joint Programme on Gender Based Violence and the UNICEF/UNHCR Programme supporting the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1612 (on children and armed conflict) and the UNFPA Programme supporting the implementation of UNSCR1325.

UNDP has introduced the Recovery Coordination Initiative (RCI) in selected districts in the East of the country. This project marks an innovative approach in early recovery initiatives. Coordination at the project initiation stage ensures that each agency brings to the project its comparative strengths thereby increasing the effectiveness of the intervention. The UNDP-led coordinated UN project is the first of its kind and brings together other agencies to share UNDP resources to achieve long-term recovery for affected communities.  As part of this project, UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF continue to provide emergency humanitarian assistance including food, water and sanitation and protection. FAO and ILO provide technical assistance in agriculture, livestock and vocational training respectively. In addition to coordination and management, UNDP implements agriculture, community infrastructure and cash-for-work activities. The success of the coordinated intervention has created the likelihood of developing similar initiatives in other districts in the region.

UNDP is responsible for coordinating operation-related functions for the entire UN system. This includes a wide array of activities some of which are:

• Co-chairs the meetings of the Operations Management Team (OMT). UNDP, thus, takes a lead role in several agency-wide coordination functions. UNDP conducts surveys for the entire UN system on behalf of the International Civil Service Commission on staff entitlements, benefits, and living conditions using the OMT as a means of gathering and disseminating relevant data and information for such surveys.
  
• UNDP provides administrative support to selected resident and non-resident agencies in the country based on its comprehensive operational services infrastructure.
• Other local initiatives include playing a key role in the coordination of staff safety and security.

Finally, as part of the larger initiative in coordination, UNDP has initiated efforts to introduce premises-sharing arrangements both in the Country Office and in Field Offices in the North and East.