Corporate body

UNESCO. Bureau of Strategic Planning

• UNESCO. Bureau de la planification stratégique

• BSP

2000-10-01 -

In 2000, as part of a larger organizational charge, the Bureau of Strategic Planning (BSP) was created. BSP inherited most of its responsibilities from the former Bureau of Studies, Programming and Evaluation (BPE). At this time, the responsibility for internal evaluation of programme implementation was moved to the new Office of Internal Oversight (IOS) which centralized all internal oversight functions. BSP’s role shifted to monitoring programme implementation as aligned with its primary role in the preparation of UNESCO’s programme and reports on the activities of the Organization submitted to the General Conference and Executive Board. BSP was also responsible for ensuring that the priorities set by the Governing Bodies were taken into account at all stages of programme elaboration and implementation. In 2000, the priorities were women, youth and the least developed countries.

Unlike its immediate predecessor BPE which had a relatively fixed internal structure, the structure of BSP was more fluid in response to the priorities identified by Member States. In 2003, beyond the Office of the Director, BSP was composed of the following units: the Division of Programme Planning, Implementation and Reporting (BSP/PMR), the Section for Women and Gender Equality (BSP/WGE), the Section for Youth (BSP/YTH) and the Focal Point for Knowledge Management, Networking and SISTER (BSP/KNS). SISTER, or the System of Information on Strategies, Tasks and the Evaluation of Results, is one of the Organization’s IT-based management tools. It can be consulted by Member States and encompasses the programming, management, monitoring and reporting of the Programme and Budget (C/5) and associated operational Workplans for regular programme activities and extrabudgetary projects (UNESCO. Bureau of Strategic Planning, undated). In 2004, the Culture of Peace Coordination Unit was created in BSP. The Division for Youth was moved to the Sector for Social and Human Sciences in 2006. The former Office for Foresight was moved into BSP in 2008, creating a Section for Foresight. In 2010, the Section for Central Analysis and Planning was moved from the Bureau of the Budget to BSP, but the Division for Gender Equality was moved to the Office of the Director-General.

In 2011, responsibility for coordination of cooperation with extra-budgetary funding sources was transferred to BSP and the Division of Cooperation with Extrabudgetary Funding Sources (CFS) was moved to the Bureau. At this time, BSP was also said to be responsible as focal point for priority projects: the global strategy for support to the least developed countries; the coordination of UNESCO’s contribution to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20); contributions to policy discussions by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); the servicing of the General Conference’s Leaders Forum and of various high-level panels and senior expert groups established by the Director-General, as well as the implementation of the UNESCO policy for Category 2 institutes and centres. Beyond the Office of the Assistant Director-General, BSP had the following units as of 2011: the Administrative Unit; the Unit for Intersectoral Platform on a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence; the Team for Knowledge and Programme Management Issues and Support; Team for UN Reform; the Division for Programme and Budget; the Division of Cooperation with Extra-budgetary Funding Sources; and the Section for Foresight.

In 2014, the Section for Foresight and the Unit for the Intersectoral Platform on a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence were dissolved, with responsibility for their activities moved to the new Division of Social Transformations and Intercultural Dialogue in the Social and Human Sciences Sector.

At the beginning of 2016, BSP was reorganized into five sections under the Office of the Director: the Section for Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Reporting; the Section for Budget and Risk Management; the Section for Mobilizing Government Partner Resources; the Section for Mobilizing Resources from Multilateral and Private Partners; and, the Section for Cooperation with UN System.

BSP was led by Hans D’Orville from its creation in 2000 to 2014. Ana Luiza Thompson-Flores led BSP from January to September 2015. Qian Tang, Assistant Director-General for Education, has been the Officer-in-Charge for BSP since that time.

UNESCO. Bureau of Studies, Programming and Evaluation (1990-02-28 - 2000-09-30)

Stub created, AWT, 31-03-2016. Completed after review of administrative history by Chief Archivist, AWT, 1-4-2016.

-UNESCO. (2015). New BSP Structure. 21 December 2015. DG/NOTE/15/35. Available internally in UNESDOC, accessed 8-3-2016: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002431/243157e.pdf
-UNESCO. (2015). Bureau of Strategic Planning. 15 September 2015. DG/NOTE/15/22. Available internally in UNESDOC, accessed 31-3-2016: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002345/234525e.pdf
-UNESCO. (2014). Assistant Director-General for Strategic Planning (BSP). 2 December 2014. DG/NOTE/14/50. Available internally in UNESDOC, accessed 8-3-2016: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002310/231063e.pdf
-UNESCO. (2011). New structure of the Bureau of Strategic Planning (BSP). 3 August 2011. DG/NOTE/11/26. Available internally in UNESDOC, accessed 8-3-2016: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002109/210937e.pdf
-UNESCO. (2010). Reforming management practices and organizational design: Bureau of Financial Management (BFM) and strengthening of BSP. 12 July 2010. DG/NOTE/10/31. Available internally in UNESDOC, accessed 8-3-2016: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001885/188583e.pdf
-UNESCO. (2008). Integration of the Office of Foresight (FOR) into the Bureau of Strategic Planning (BSP). 21 November 2008. DG/NOTE/08/43. Available internally in UNESDOC, accessed 7-3-2016: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0017/001780/178041e.pdf
-UNESCO. (2000). Restructuring of the Secretariat at Headquarters. 3 July 2000. DG/Note/00/15. Available internally in UNESDOC, accessed 13-03-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001516/151636e.pdf
-UNESCO. Bureau of Strategic Planning. (Undated). SISTER - System of Information on Strategies, Tasks and Evaluation of Results. Bureau of Strategic Planning webpage. Available online, accessed 31-3-2016: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/bureau-of-strategic-planning/themes/staff-training/sister/
-UNESCO Archives, Archive Group 4: General Conference documents, C/5 Programme and Budgets.
-UNESCO Archives, Archive Group 6: Secretariat Documents, Staff Lists.
-UNESCO Archives, Archives Group 8: Secretariat Records, Directory archives.