The Common Country Assessment (CCA) is a common instrument of the United Nations system to analyze the national development situation and identify key development issues with a focus on the Millennium Development Goals, and other internationally agreed treaty obligations and development goals.

The UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) is the strategic programme framework for the UN Country Team. It describes the collective response of the UNCT to the priorities in the national development framework - priorities that may have been influenced by the UN Country Team's analytical contribution. While specialized agencies and non-resident agencies do not use the "harmonized programme cycle" of the UNDG Executive Committee agencies, this should not be an impediment to their full engagement in the UNDAF. Their expected programme or project activities and budget contributions should be linked, as far as possible, to the UNDAF results matrix.

Executive Summary of the UNDAF for the period 2010-2015

The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) is the result of a consultative process to analyze how the United Nations can most effectively respond to Uzbekistan's national priorities and needs. It is guided by the goals and targets of the Millennium Declaration, which has been endorsed by the Government, as well as by the national Welfare Improvement Strategy (WIS) 2008-2010 and other key documents. The UNDAF translates these into a common operational framework for development activities upon which individual United Nations organizations will formulate their actions for the period 2010-2015. 

Complementing national aspirations for economic competitiveness with the urgency of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Uzbekistan, four inter-related priority areas have emerged as particularly critical. In all four, a capacity development paradigm will be at the centre of what the United Nations will do, anchored by human rights norms and values, and the principles of gender mainstreaming and inclusiveness. Likewise, the increased involvement of civil society with regard to policymaking processes will be paramount. The four priority areas are:

1. Economic Well-Being, with particular attention to vulnerable groups;
2. Social Services, emphasizing increased access to and use of quality services;
3. Environment, encompassing integration of the principles of sustainable development into national policies and programmes;
4. Governance, focused on enhanced effectiveness, inclusiveness and accountability at central and local levels alike.

A crosscutting issue that underpins the interventions in all priority areas is the explicit focus on vulnerable groups, defined as residents of economically underdeveloped, mainly rural, areas; women, particularly home-based workers; labour migrants and their families; children, particularly most-at-risk adolescents; the elderly; HIV-positive people; refugees and people with disabilities. Other crosscutting issues include gender, young people, human rights; the development of enhanced legal frameworks; data strengthening; conservation of national heritage; environment and climate change; and gender, age and diversity mainstreaming. Advocacy with regard to the MDGs also will be addressed under all UNDAF Outcomes.

United Nations Agencies offer particular comparative advantages with regard to achieving further tangible progress toward the MDGs, drawing on their values, successful global knowledge base, best practices and lessons learnt; their normative mandate and track record in Uzbekistan; their neutrality; and their ability to encourage efficient coordination and facilitate accountability among donors. In so doing, the United Nations can help Uzbekistan capitalize on unprecedented opportunities in democratization and development.