A/RES/53/192 Page 5 D. Resident coordinator system 23. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to make the resident coordinator system more participatory in its functioning at the field level by, inter alia, making greater use of thematic groups and adopting a more consultative approach within the United Nations system; 24. Notes the improvements in the functioning of the resident coordinator system, and encourages further progress in close consultation with national Governments; 25. Encourages further efforts, including through the United Nations Development Group, to further improve the resident coordinator system, and welcomes the efforts to continue to broaden the base of recruitment of resident coordinators, increasing the number of women resident coordinators and improving its selection criteria and procedures, including through the use of competency assessment and training and by ensuring that the resident coordinators take fully into account the mandates of all organizations of the resident coordinator system; 26. Reaffirms that resident coordinators, in full consultation with national Governments, should facilitate a coherent and coordinated United Nations follow-up to major international conferences at the field level; 27. Requests the United Nations system, including the funds and programmes, specialized agencies and the Secretariat, to provide support to the resident coordinator system; E. United Nations Development Group 28. Urges the United Nations Development Group to work in a fully transparent and accountable manner towards a more coherent United Nations performance in the development field, while respecting the specific mandates and identity of its members; II A. Planning, programming and implementation 29. Stresses that the needs and priorities of recipient countries require flexibility and decentralization of operational activities to the country level, as well as the continued application of those measures, to enhance further programme responsiveness and impact; 30. Decides that, with the agreement of the host country, the United Nations development system should assist national Governments in creating an enabling environment in which the links between national Governments, the United Nations development system, civil society, national non-governmental organizations and the private sector that are involved in the development process are strengthened, with a view to seeking new and innovative solutions to development problems in accordance with national policies and priorities; 31. Calls for the further simplification, harmonization and rationalization of procedures for operational activities of the United Nations development system at the field level, where possible, and developing common databases, in consultation with national Governments; /...