Turbocharging UNCT Collaboration with a Digital Knowledge Sharing Platform

Background

The only multi-country SIDS office in Africa, the Mauritius and Seychelles United Nations Country Team (UNCT) comprises over 80 percent of UN agencies which are non-resident spread across continents, time zones, and operational contexts. Therefore, ensuring consistent and effective communication and collaboration becomes even more pivotal particularly as the two countries gear up to launch the implementation of the new UN Cooperation frameworks 2024-2028. Recognizing this imperative, the Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO) in Mauritius & Seychelles (MCO) successfully created and rolled out the UN Mauritius & Seychelles Knowledge Sharing Platform on SharePoint.

Six months after its official launch by our Resident Coordinator, Ms. Lisa Singh, the Platform today has more than 150 UN officers covering Mauritius and Seychelles from across the globe, as a mechanism for a robust interagency collaboration.

Key features:

• Document Collaboration and Sharing: Ensuring Consistency and Efficiency

Be it for Common Country Analysis (CCA), Cooperation Framework, UNCT Results Reports, Universal Periodic Review, document sharing, review, and approval form a substantial chunk of our collaborative efforts. For us, 2023 was a busy year with the evaluation of the previous Cooperation Frameworks, followed by the design of the new Cooperation Frameworks, and CCA updates.  These key steps required multiple rounds of input and feedback from the interagency working groups PMT, OMT, and UNCT - multiply by 2!  The Platform made this process much easier by allowing UNCT colleagues to access, comment, and edit shared documents stored at a single, centralized, and secure platform.  We witness a large decrease in back-and-forth of documents, and reduced oversight of vital inputs.  The time required for document review and approval processes has been considerably reduced as well.

• Thematic Document Repository: Shared knowledge on a shared platform

We made sure everyone in our UNCT, regardless of their location, could access needed resources through an easily accessible Thematic Document Repository as part of the Platform, which categorizes relevant documents per specific themes, such as environment, human rights, and health.  This was useful, particularly for our work on the CCA and its timely update. It houses all historical and recent data and reports, ensuring that UNCT can easily track developments, identify trends, and collectively recognize challenges and opportunities. The RCOteam and I receive the new files, quality assure, and upload them to the Platform in a structured manner. We are planning to further enhance the repository by introducing carefully crafted metadata so colleagues can access relevant resources across thematic areas more easily, which, we hope will increase opportunities for more integrated policy work across thematic areas. 

• Interagency Working Groups: Promoting Focused Collaborations

We introduced dedicated spaces for interagency working groups such as the Results Groups, PMT, OMT, MEL, Communications, PSEA and on Gender. These serve as hubs for focused discussions, streamlined document sharing, and efficient project management.  We have seen a huge increase in agency engagement as well as speedy and consistent communications within working groups through these dedicated spaces.

• A Consolidated Contact List: Bridging Communication Gaps

Our Platform also houses a comprehensive and unified contact list accessible to everyone in the UNCT to help colleagues identify and connect with appropriate individuals or teams, ensuring that there are no missed connections. As the lead of this Platform, I mainly manage this list, but anyone in the UNCT has editing access and is asked to keep it updated during meetings. Part of the information on the list also helps us keep UNINFO UNCT composition up to date.

• Elevating Collective Expertise: E-Courses and Webinar Repositories on the UNCT SharePoint Site

We realized that the different UN learning platforms contain a wealth of knowledge which staff are not always aware of. To address this, we dedicated a page to e-Courses from different UN entities fostering an environment of lifelong learning and self-paced upskilling. 

 

Other features of the Platform include the News, and webinar archives to keep our UNCT members abreast with the new guidance and each other’s initiatives and facilitate access to the learning resources related to the work of the UNCT. 

What we learnt:

• Plan First: Before diving into SharePoint, outline the specific needs and desired outcomes of your UNCT, and understand your users. This helps the site serve its intended purpose. Through consultation with our UNCTs, we understood that the demand for an internal “knowledge one-stop shop” is high, and they expect the RCO to bridge this gap.

• Keep it simple: While SharePoint offers robust customization, over-customization can make maintenance cumbersome. Determine early on what truly needs custom solutions and what can be managed with out-of-the-box features to save time.

• Leadership matters: Undeniably, leadership buy-in is paramount when establishing a Knowledge Sharing Platform. The commitment and endorsement of UNCT senior leaders serve as a driving force behind the successful implementation and adoption of this collaborative platform. In our case, the RC has been a strong advocate for the Platform, and our Head of Office played a crucial role in bringing UN entities on board.  

• Content is King: A Platform may be technically perfect, but if the content isn't relevant, regularly updated, or properly organized, it loses its true value. A content strategy, coupled with regular quality assurance, keeps a collaboration platform valuable.

• Training is Essential: Users need to know how to navigate the Platform. We developed a “Step-by-step” guide, tailored video tutorials and offer on-demand hands-on training.  Introducing or overhauling a Platform often requires a significant behavioural change in users. Proactively manage this change by communicating the benefits, offering support, and being receptive to feedback.

• Feedback is Gold: Create feedback loops, where users can report issues or suggest improvements to ensure the platform remains relevant.

• Test Thoroughly: Testing the Platform prior to the launch to detect bugs, performance issues, or user experience problems can save countless headaches down the line.  Our testing phase with PMT members enabled us to quickly amend a few access issues before the launch.

Conclusion

The introduction of the UNCT Knowledge Sharing Platform is a reflection of our pursuit of excellence and efficiency in interagency operations.  When equipped with the right tools and platforms, the collective strength and synergy of our diverse agencies can be optimized to further the overarching goals and missions of the UN. While the initial investment to set up the Platform is considerable, the gain in efficiency and effectiveness is totally worth it!