UN System Documentation

The UN System is complicated: people from many organizations work together to accomplish challenging goals in complex environments. Coordination is a vital part of the work of the UN system.

The General Assembly adopts high-level policy goals for the UN system, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Security Council reviews any situation involving political or security questions.

Coordination between the UN and specialized agencies is assigned to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) by Chapter X of the UN Charter. 

At the level of the secretariats of the organizations, there are several coordination bodies, including:

• UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB)
  • Inter-agency coordination on shared priorities and initiatives
• UN Development Group (UNDG), now part of the CEB
  • Inter-agency coordination at the country level
• UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
  • Coordination of UN system and civil society response in crisis situations
• International Civil Service Commission (ICSC)
  • Coordination of conditions of services of UN common system staff

UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB or UNCEB)

• Chaired by UN Secretary-General
  • 1946-1948: Co-ordination Committee established by E/RES/13 (III) of 21 Sept. 1946
  • 1949-2000: Administrative Committee on Co-ordination (ACC)
    • See report of the ACC on its 6th session, December 1948, for name change (E/1076, p. 3)
  • 2001-present: UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination 
• Three pillars:
  • High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP)
  • High-Level Committee on Management (HLCM)
  • UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG)
    • Proposed in 1997, Renewing the United Nations: a Programme for Reform : Report of the Secretary-General (A/51/950)
    • Part of the CEB since 2008
    • Responsible for coordinating UN operational activities at the country level
    • Name changed from UN Development Group (UNDG) to UN Sustainable Development Group by A/RES/72/279 of 31 May 2018
• Working documents issued with series symbol
  • 1947-1979: Coordination/-- or CO-ORD/--
  • 1979-2000: ACC/--
  • 2001-present: CEB/--
  • Many documents restricted
• Annual report
  • Submitted to Economic and Social Council
  • No distinctive symbol pattern; some issued as Supplement to the Economic and Social Council Official Records (ESCOR)
  • Search results for Report of the UN System Chief Executives Board
• Statistics

There are several mechanisms in place for coordination of humanitarian assistance.

A/RES/46/182 of 19 Dec. 1991 established the following:

• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)
• Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)
• Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF)
  • ​Name changed to Central Emergency Response Fund by A/RES/60/124

Subsequently, the Secretary-General established:

• Department of Humanitarian Affairs by ST/SGB/248 of 16 Mar. 1992
• Became the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in 1998
• Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) is the Under-Secretary-General of OCHA
  • 2021-:  Martin Griffiths (United Kingdom)
    • Press release SG/A/2039 [2021]
  • 2017-2021 : Mark Lowcock (United Kingdom)
    • Press release SG/A/1731-BIO/4965-IHA/1430
  • 2015-2017: Stephen O’Brien (United Kingdom)
  • 2010-2015: Baroness Valerie Amos (United Kingdom)
    • Press release SG/A/1252-BIO/4213-IHA/1280
  • 2007- 2010: John Holmes (United Kingdom)
    • Press release SG/A/1037-BIO/3839
  • 2003-2007: Jan Egeland (Norway)
    • Press release SG/A/840/Rev.1-BIO/3497/Rev.1
  • 2001- 2003: Kenzo Oshima (Japan)
    • Press release SG/A/755
  • 1998-2000: Sergio Vieira de Mello (Brazil)
    • Press release SG/A/657-BIO/3120
  • 1996-1998: Yasushi Akashi (Japan)
    • Press release SG/A/619
  • 1994-1996: Peter Hansen (Denmark)
    • Press release SG/A/573-BIO/2839
  • 1992-1994: Jan K. Eliasson (Sweden)
    • ST/SGB/249, press release SG/A/484, SG/A/486-BIO/2640

Information Resources

• Humanitarian Data Exchange
• ReliefWeb
• Redhum: Red de Información Humanitaria para América Latina y el Caribe

International Civil Service Commission (ICSC)

• Established by A/RES/3042 (XXVII) of 19 Dec. 1972 to succeed the International Civil Service Advisory Board
• Statute found in A/RES/3357 (XXIX) of 18 Dec. 1974
• ICSC/1/Rev.2 (2018) includes:
  • Statute
  • Rules of Procedure
  • Provisions of agreements between the United Nations and other participating organizations concerning coordination in personnel matters
  • Tables with members of the UN Common System
• Report to the General Assembly
  • Supplement 30 of the General Assembly Official Records (GAOR)
  • Document symbol pattern: A/session/30
    • example: A/75/30
  • Search results for Report of the International Civil Service Commission
• Reports of the sessions of the Commission
  • Document series symbol: ICSC/--
  • Restricted documents, not available publicly
• ICSC Compendium