The United Nations General Assembly and Secretary-General have stressed the importance of common services as a way to achieve further administrative and technical uniformity, ensure the most efficient use of personnel and resources and avoid establishment and operation of competitive or overlapping facilities and services.

UNON, in line with these considerations, established a Project on UN Common Services in Kenya and assigned a Coordinator, UN Common Services. Offices of United Nations Funds, Programmes and Agencies in or operating from Kenya in close cooperation with UNON have been working towards the establishment and development of UN Common Services in Kenya. At present there are over 80 offices of UN Funds, Programmes and Agencies in or operating from Kenya. Total number of UN staff working in Kenya over 3000. In addition some common services (e.g. Kenya Security Coordination) are provided to associated international organizations (e.g. IOM, ICRAF etc.).  50 percent of the staff members are located outside the UN Gigiri complex in Nairobi.

An important role in the process to develop common services in Kenya is reserved for the Common Services Grovernance and Infrastructure(formerly Inter-Agency Administrative Coordination Committee), which is the United Nations inter-agency body in Kenya that includes representatives of all offices of United Nations Funds, Programmes and Agencies (and associated international organizations) in or operating from Kenya.

The Common Services Governance and Structure has approved Guidelines on the Provision of Common Services to Offices of United Nations Funds, Programmes and Agencies in or operating from Kenya as well as Agreements on the Provision of Common Services to Offices of United Nations Funds, Programmes and Agencies in or operating from Kenya on Joint Medical Service, Kenya Security Coordination including Stress Counselling and HIV/AIDS and Information Technology Service. In addition UNON is working with its two major clients, UNEP and UN-HABITAT towards establishment of specific Service Level Agreements between the three organizations. These Agreements typically describe the common service, stipulate the budget procedure including a financial mechanism for cost sharing and define the oversight and client satisfaction procedures.

The response from UN offices is very positive. More Offices of UN entities and their staff are subscribing to Common services, resulting in savings while providing better, more efficient and effective services. Some examples: UNON has recruited a Medical Doctor to act as the Chief of the UN Joint Medical Service (previously there was no full time doctor available at the UN Gigiri complex).  UNON has also recently hired a Staff Stress Management Counsellor (SSMC).  Finally, with an ever increasing number of subscribing UN Offices to the Information Technology Service, the services are being provided at ever lower cost to the subscribers.

The Common Services Governance and Structure determined that the next tranche of common services will be drawn from transport services agreement, government liason services, library/information services, mail and pouch services, travel services, common premises agreement, and commercial operations agreement.