In July 1997, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan introduced a wide-ranging reform programme for the UN, calling for a new leadership culture and management structure. The Common Country Assessment (CCA) and the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) were introduced to strengthen the coherence and effectiveness of the UN system’s contribution to a country’s development efforts.

The CCA represents an independent assessment by the UN system of the development situation and critical issues facing a country, particularly in light of the declarations, goals and plans of action agreed upon at the series of global conferences convened by the UN in the 1990s. The process of preparing the CCA, led by the UN Country Team working with national authorities, now increasingly involves civil society, other development partners and the private sector.

Once the CCA is finalized, the UN Country Team, in close cooperation with the host government and other key partners, drafts the UNDAF. The UNDAF is the UN’s ‘business plan’ for its work at the country level. It identifies common objectives, strategies for development assistance and a timeframe for follow-up activities shared by all resident UN agencies.

UNFPA provides population data, technical assistance and policy guidance in the development of CCAs and UNDAFs, and works to ensure that population and reproductive health issues are integrated into both planning frameworks.

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	Progress with the Use of Common Country Assessment (CCA) Indicator Frameworks