A/RES/59/250 IV Transaction costs and efficiency 34. Invites the governing bodies of all organizations of the United Nations system actively involved in development cooperation activities and their respective management to adopt harmonization and simplification measures, with a view to achieving a significant reduction in the administrative and procedural burden on the organizations and their national partners that derives from the preparation and implementation of operational activities; 35. Notes the progress achieved in the area of simplification and harmonization as defined in section VI of resolution 56/201, with the assistance of the United Nations Development Group, and calls upon the funds, programmes and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system to continue to implement the simplification and harmonization agenda by taking further steps to enhance and ensure the sustainability of that process; 36. Requests the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system to examine ways to further simplify their rules and procedures and, in this context, to accord the issue of simplification and harmonization high priority and to take concrete steps in the following areas: rationalization of country presence through common premises and co-location of members of United Nations country teams; implementation of the joint office model; common shared support services, including security, information technology, telecommunications, travel, banking and administrative and financial procedures, including for procurement; harmonization of the principles of cost recovery policies, including that of full cost recovery; alignment of the regional technical support structures and regional bureaux at headquarters level, including their regional coverage; as well as further simplification and harmonization measures; 37. Requests the Secretary-General, in full consultation with all members of the United Nations Development Group, through the Executive Committee of the Development Group, to submit to the Economic and Social Council, at its substantive session in 2005, a programme of work for the full implementation of the above-mentioned actions, to be completed before the end of 2007, including benchmarks, responsibilities and provisions to phase out redundant rules and procedures, as well as a timetable to monitor the progress made towards meeting these targets; 38. Invites the executive boards and governing bodies of the funds, programmes and specialized agencies to assess regularly the progress achieved in the area of simplification and harmonization of rules and procedures; 39. Requests the funds and programmes to provide, in their annual reports to the Economic and Social Council, specific information on the progress achieved in implementing the above-mentioned agenda; 40. Requests the United Nations Development Group to consult regularly with the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination on all activities undertaken to implement the above; 7