The United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), previously the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), is a group of 37

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

funds, programmes, specialized agencies, departments and offices that play a role in development. It was created by the

secretary-general of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

in order to improve the effectiveness of United Nations development activities at the country level. Its strategic priorities are to respond to the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review (TCPR) – which became in 2008 the Quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR) – and global development priorities, as well as to ensure the UN development system becomes more internally focused and coherent. The UNSDG strategic priorities give direction to UNSDG members' efforts at the global, regional and country level to facilitate a step change in the quality and impact of UN support at the country level. The UNSDG (at the time the UNDG) was one of the main UN actors involved in the development of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which led to the creation of the

Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

. The UNDG was renamed as the UNSDG around January 2018.

History

By 1997, there were calls within the United Nations to draw all UN agencies working on development issues together; for the many UN Development Programmes, Funds, and Specialised Agencies were encroaching upon each other's activities. This was especially so with the Delivering as One initiative. An initial proposal was to merge

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

, the

World Food Programme The World Food Programme (WFP) is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals. Founded in 1961 ...

and the

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, increasing access to birth control, and leadin ...

into the

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

. Finally, then-secretary-general

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...

worked to form the UNDG and won praise from then UNDP administrator James Speth. In May 2018 the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) was reorganized into the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) in order to accelerate progress toward the

Members

The following are all members of the UNSDG, as of January 2022: * Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) * International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) * International Labour Organization (ILO) * International Organization for Migration (IOM) * International Trade Centre (ITC) * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) * United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) * Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) * Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) * United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) * United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) * United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) / United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) / United Nations Volunteers (UNV) * United Nations Department of Political Affairs (UN DPA) * United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA) * United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) * United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN ECLAC) *

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

* United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) * United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) * United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN ESCWA) * United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) * United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) * United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) * United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) * United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) * United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) * United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) * United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) * United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office (UN PBSO) * United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) * United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) * United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) * World Food Programme (WFP) *

World Health Organization (WHO) The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

* World Meteorological Organization (WMO) The following organizations have membership confirmation pending at the UNSDG, as of March 2019: * International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) * International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) * International Maritime Organization (IMO) * Universal Postal Union (UPU) * World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Leadership and organization

Structure

The UNSDG is one of the three pillars of the UN system Chief Executives Board (CEB), which furthers coordination and cooperation on a wide range of substantive and management issues facing UN system organizations. The CEB brings the executive heads of UN organizations together on a regular basis under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General. Within the CEB structure, the High-Level Committee on Management works on system-wide administrative and management issues, the High-Level Committee on Programmes considers global policy issues, while the United Nations Development Group deals with operational activities for development with a focus on country-level work. The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) chairs the UNSDG. The UNSDG Chair reports to the Secretary-General and the CEB on progress in implementing the group's work plan, and on the management of the Resident Coordinator System.

Leadership

The

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

and the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

provide oversight and mandates for the UNSDG. The UNSDG is overseen by the Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) of the General Assembly. The UNSDG has provided reports such as th
Comprehensive statistical analysis of the financing of operational activities for the development of the UN system for 2006
and th
Comprehensive statistical analysis of the financing of operational activities for the development of the UN system for 2007
to the General Assembly. The UNSDG's chairperson is the UNDP's Administrator. Since its inception, the following has been the Chair of the UNSDG: * James Speth (1997–1999) * Mark Malloch Brown (1999–2005) * Kemal Derviş (2005–2009) *

Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...

(2009–2017) *

Achim Steiner Achim Steiner (born 17 May 1961) is a Brazilian-German environmentalist who currently serves as the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and vice-chair of United Nations Sustainable Development Group. Before joining UNDP, ...

(2017– )

UNSDG Advisory Group

Under Kemal Derviş' leadership, an "Advisory Group", which provides the UNSDG Chair with advice and guidance on managing the operational dimensions of the UNSDG and the Resident Coordinator System, was established. In 2009, the non-rotational members of the advisory group were: the FAO, ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, WHO and UNIDO. The rotational members (for a period of one year, as of 2016) are: UNCTAD (representing UNEP, UN-Habitat and UNODC) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Africa (representing all five Regional Commissions).

Development Coordination Office

The UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO) is a key component within the UNSDG, promoting social and economic progress by providing support. It was a key part of UNSDG's formation in 1997, uniting the UN system and improving the quality of its development assistance. Coordination leads to more strategic UN support for national plans and priorities, makes operations more efficient, reduces

transaction cost In economics, a transaction cost is a cost incurred when making an economic trade when participating in a market. The idea that transactions form the basis of economic thinking was introduced by the institutional economist John R. Commons in 1 ...

s for governments, and ultimately helps people attain the

Millennium Development Goals In the United Nations, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 created following the Millennium Summit, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. These w ...

and other internationally agreed development objectives. At present it is the Secretariat and technical and advisory support unit of the UNSDG. It brings together the UN development system to promote change and innovation to deliver together on sustainable development. DOCO works under the leadership of the UNSDG Chair and the guidance of the UNSDG. The team provides field evidence to inform policy, facilitates the achievement of shared results, and promotes excellence in UN leadership and coordination. The core objective is a relevant and impactful UN contribution to development.

References

External links

United Nations Sustainable Development Group
{{Authority control International development organizations United Nations Economic and Social Council United Nations reform United Nations Development Programme