Workshop on MTS

22-23 May 2013

Landmark Hotel - Amman, Jordan

Agenda

22 May

15:00 to 15:15 / Opening Remarks by the Facilitator/ Chair / Objective of the Session
15:15 to 17:00 / The MTS Planning Process
MTS Calendar
An explanation of the steps between May 2013 – 31 December 2015 to develop the MTS and to ensure that, by 1 January 2016, the Agency is operating in accordance with the new strategy.
Focus will be given to the opportunities in the process for stakeholder (including hosts and donors) engagement.
MTS process and relationship with other Strategic planning exercises.
Presentation by Department of Planning on the MTS process and how it relates to other strategic and long/medium term planning exercises underway
-  Post MDG’s
-  UNDAF exercises
-  UN Strategic Framework
Presentation on the MTS process focusing on key milestones between now and 1 January 2016.
Presentations would be followed by an opportunity to ask questions for clarification.
The Scope of the MTS
What the MTS is and what the MTS is not. The presentation would set out a number of principles about what is included and what is not included. The presentation would be followed by an opportunity for participants to question/challenge the proposal. / Develop a common understanding of the overall process and how the MTS relates to other strategic / long-term planning exercises.
Obtain an endorsement of certain principles about what the MTS includes and excludes.
17:00 to 17:45 / Situational Analysis
Introductory Statement: The Operating Environment
A presentation will be made providing a high-level overview of the current operating environment and what scenario is foreseen for the strategic period in each Area of operation. Participants will be asked to provide advice to the Agency on whether the scenarios are realistic and acceptable for the sole purpose of building a strategy for 2015 - 2021.
The Refugee Profile
A presentation will be made outlining some of the key trends concerning the profile of refugees and how this may change during the Strategic period ahead. / Achieve a consensus view on the scenario(s) around which to base the Agency’s Strategy. These discussions will play an important role in later determining the Agency’s strategic objectives and in forecasting the approximate cost of the MTS.

May 23

9:00 to 9:15 / Brief summary of the previous day
9:45 to 11:15 / The Agency’s cost drivers
Presentation by UNRWA on the Agency’s core cost drivers. Past trends and a discussion concerning possible future trends around three things:
-  Staffing numbers
-  Staff salaries in USD
-  Key non-staff expenditures. / Achieve a consensus view on the scenario(s) around which to base the Agency’s Strategy. These discussions will play an important role in later determining the Agency’s strategic objectives and in forecasting the approximate cost of the MTS.
11:15 to 11:45 / Coffee Break
11:45 to 12:45 / The Agency’s income scenarios
A presentation would be made describing the Agency’s income and opportunities to supplement income through the use of key partnerships. / While understanding that income is difficult to predict – especially in the absence of agreement over the Agency’s strategy - achieve a better understanding of the possibilities and how these are calculated.This will be placed in context of the funding gaps.
12:45 to 13:45 / Lunch
13:45 to 15:45 / Vision / Goals for 2016 – 2021
A Senior UNRWA staff would be invited to describe a set of Strategic Goals guided by a possible vision statement by the Commissioner-General for the period 2016 – 2021. Participants are invited, in advance of the session to submit suggestions during the session. Participants would be offered an opportunity to ask for further clarification during the session and to offer any proposals/comments on how the vision may impact upon the Agency’s programmes and current programmatic reforms and upon the Agency’s cross-cutting issues. This will be the start of a series of consultations with external stakeholders at different levels that will take place over the coming months to develop the Agency’s Goals and Strategic Objectives for the Strategic period. / To generate a common understanding of the Agency’s vision/goals for 2016 – 2021, providing sufficient clarity to allow work to proceed in developing the Strategy.
15:45 to 16:15 / Coffee Break
16:15 to 17:15 / Next steps
The Parametres of “Costing the MTS”
In light of the demands from donor governments for the Agency to provide an estimated “cost” of the MTS, a discussion would be held about what this concept means. A proposal would be made about how and when such a financial estimate would be provided and how it would reflect the best, most-likely and worst case scenarios.
Donors would be asked to provide a description of their needs and whether those needs would be met by the proposal.
Agency representatives (in particular, the Directors of Finance, HR and ERP) would then be asked for their reactions to the donors’ requests with a description of whether such requirements could be satisfied with current systems and tools and, if not, what would be required in order to do so.
Other participants (Hosts) would be offered the opportunity to comment on the proposal.
Other Next steps
The Department of Planning would present a series of next steps to be carried out over the coming year. Examples of such steps are:
-  In consultation with external stakeholders:
- Develop High Level Logical Framework (Objectives, Indicators, Baselines, Targets)
- Programmatic response and reform (how operations would be adjusted to a new set of objectives)
-  Organizational structures/systems and reform
-  Partnerships
-  Risk Analysis
-  A preliminary costing/valuation of the MTS / To agree upon the next steps for the coming year and upon a deadline for each activity