United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination

The Chief Executives Board (CEB) furthers coordination and cooperation on a whole range of substantive and management issues facing United Nations system organizations. CEB is the successor body to the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). CEB brings together on a regular basis the executive heads of the organizations of the United Nations system, under the chairmanship of the Secretary General of the United Nations.

In addition to its regular reviews of contemporary political issues and major concerns facing the UN system, on the basis of recommendations from bodies reporting to it, CEB approves policy statements on behalf of the UN system as a whole.

CEB is supported by three High Level Committees, HLCP, HLCM and UNDG. The division of responsibilities between the three bodies can be summarized as follows:

HLCP: Promotion of global policy coherence, including the development of common policy tools, including toolkits, in addition to its work on global policy and programme issues and global public goods.

The High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP), established by CEB in 2000, is the principal mechanism for system-wide coordination in the programme area. It is chaired by the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and is composed of senior-most programme managers of the organizations of the system.

In addition to providing the forum for inter-agency dialogue in the development and launching of new programme initiatives, HLCP advises CEB on issues of strategic planning, policy and programme development and implementation, and on other areas that require priority attention in response to the challenges facing the UN system and the global community. HLCP holds its regular sessions in the spring and fall of each year, and undertakes consultations on a continuing basis.

HLCM (High Level Committee on Management): Harmonization of business practices across the system, including general management issues, thus ensuring overall management coherence from global to country level.

UNDG (United Nations Development Group): Promotion of coherent and effective oversight, provision of guidance and capacity building with country level partners, coordination of UN development operations at country level, addressing policy guidance issues related to country level operations, including the implementation of the TCPR resolutions, and support to the Resident Coordinator (RC) system.

Role in disaster risk reduction
View 2011 CEB DRR profile

The United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), following the participation of the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction at its first regular session for 2011, committed to mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in the programmes and operations of the UN system through the development of a common agenda, and to assign disaster risk reduction the highest political support.

The High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) decided, at its 22nd session, to carry out a review on the state of mainstreaming disaster risk reduction, based on information provided by Committee members. The responses to the questionnaire, by 29 members, provided an initial overview of efforts by the UN system to integrate disaster risk reduction. At its 23rd session, HLCP requested the SRSG for Disaster Risk Reduction to convene a time-bound senior management group to prepare a UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience. HLCP also requested UNDRR to lead the preparation of a checklist for the UN system to mainstream disaster risk reduction, building on existing inter-agency mechanisms and thematic platforms.

The CEB endorsed the UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience, as recommended by the HLCP, at its regular Spring Session of 2013.