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, from within available resources. Offices of United Nations Funds, Programmes and Agencies in or operating from Kenya in close cooperation with UNON are working towards the establishment and development of UN Common Services in Kenya. At present there are 62 offices of UN Funds, Programmes and Agencies in or operating from Kenya. Total number of UN staff working in Kenya is 2643 of which some 779 are at professional level. In addition some common services (e.g. Kenya Security Coordination) are provided to associated international organizations (e.g. IOM, ILRI, WAC etc.) bringing the total number of staff covered under this service to 3,320.  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 Inter-Agency Administrative Coordination Committee, which is the only 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 Inter-Agency Administrative Coordination Committee 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, Joint Legal Service 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 UNON 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 contracted out the services of a Staff Stress Management Counsellor (SSMC).  Finally, with an ever increasing number of subscribing UN Offices to the Information Technology Service (currently over 22), the services are being provided at ever lower cost to the subscribers.

The Inter Agency Administrative Coordination Committee at its meeting of 30 January 2003 determined that the next tranche of common services will be drawn from transport services, government liason services, library/information services, mail and pouch services, visa and laissez passer services, common premises agreement, and commercial operations agreement.  The Common Premises agreement is close to being finalized, that would immediately bring 27 UN offices under its authority, whilst the newly established SSMC common service now encompasses seven UN Offices covering over 1,300 staff members.