Rising inequalities across the world have become one of the defining challenges of our time, putting sustainable development at risk, stirring social unrest, undermining social process, threatening economic and political stability, and undercutting human rights. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - in large part an agenda for equality – seeks to counter this force.
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Pages tagged with High-Level Committee on Programmes
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New United Nations leadership qualities, skills and working methods are needed to meet the challenges of the ambitious and integrated 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The United Nations system Leadership Framework was consequently developed under the auspices of CEB to establish a common United Nations leadership culture aligned with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides an integrated framework for action aimed at markedly improving the lives of the world’s people, protecting the Earth’s natural resources, and fostering peaceful, just and inclusive societies. Given the critical interlinkages among peace, development and human rights and the importance of an integrated system-wide response to challenges that threaten to undermine sustainable development, an analytical framework on risk and resilience was developed to provide a more proactive, risk-informed and prevention-centered approach to United Nations system efforts in support of the 2030 Agenda.
The Working Group on Climate Change was established by HLCP in 2007 with the aim of of facilitating a coherent approach and joint action of the United Nations system on climate change. Until the conclusion of its mandate in 2016, the Working Group served as a platform to share climate-related information and knowledge among its members; initiate joint implementation of climate action; inform CEB members on climate change issues; coordinate the UN system’s engagement in the UNFCCC COPs and other relevant fora; and prepare joint outreach and communication tools.
Over 40 per cent of the world’s economically active youth are either unemployed or have a job but live in poverty. The youth employment crisis is a stubborn reality in most countries and in all regions.
The international community is gathering in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016 for the Third UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) to renew its global commitment to sustainable urbanization and a “New Urban Agenda.” As an input to the conference, CEB, in April 2016, adopted a Statement in with the Board’s members pledged their collective support to Member States in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
The 20th Conference of Parties (COP 20) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held from 1 – 12 December 2014 in Lima, Peru. In support of the negotiations, the UN system organized eleven joint side events and technical briefings at COP 20, coordinated through the the HLCP Working Group on Climate Change.
On the occasion of the UNFCCC COP21, more than 40 UN system entities have compiled a collection of their most relevant and most recent climate change publications. This virtual library of over 550 publications is hosted by UN CC:Learn and can be accessed here.
The publication "How the UN System Supports Ambitious Action on Climate Change - The United Nations System Delivering as One on Climate Change and Sustainable Development" was written and produced by the nearly 40 UN organizations and bodies that coordinated their climate-related activities through the HLCP Working Group on Climate Change. It is available in French and English.
International migration - the movement of people across international border – has important implications for growth and development. More than 215 million people, half of them women, live and work outside their countries of birth. Migration is a key enables for equitable, inclusive and sustainable social and economic development to the benefit of countries of origin and destination, as well as the human development of migrants and their families.
Children and youth are agents of change, with a critical role to play in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Moreover, youth development is critical to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and other development frameworks. In this context, the General Assembly requested United Nations entities most recently in its resolution 72/146 to continue their coordination towards a more coherent, comprehensive and integrated approach to youth development, and called upon them to support national, regional and international efforts in addressing challenges hindering youth development. In recent years two notable system-wide products pertaining to youth development have been endorsed by the United Nations Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB): in 2015, the strategy for the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, a UN system-wide effort to promote youth employment worldwide; and in 2013, a System-wide Action Plan on Youth (Youth-SWAP), guided by the World Programme of Action for Youth.
The CEB Climate Change Action Framework identified five focus areas (Adaptation; Technology transfer; Forestry and Agriculture; Financing mitigation and adaptation action; Capacity-building) and four cross-cutting areas (
HLCP continues to focus its attention on ensuring system-wide preparation and the follow-up of United Nations conferences and summits.
The mandate of the SCDEP is to ensure that the UN has one consistent and coordinated set of national and regional population and sectoral estimates and projections to be used by all elements of the system and to promote relations with both "data users" and "data producers".
Sub-Committee on Statistical Activities constituted a forum for consultations and coordination between entities with mandates in statistical activities on those aspects of their activities that were of mutual concern.
The Sub-Committee on Nutrition constituted a forum for consultations and coordination between entities with mandates in nutrition on those aspects of their activities that were of mutual concern.
The UN system has engaged collaboratively in the UNFCCC process since COP13 in Bali, Indonesia December 2007, where the first preliminary framework for UN system activities in climate change was presented by the Secretary-General to the Parties to UNFCCC.
At COP15/CMP5, the UN system presented its ongoing work and practical solutions and tools at side events, exhibits and by sharing a joint package with the following thematic information
At COP16/CMP6, the UN system presented its ongoing work and practical solutions and tools at side events, exhibits and by sharing a joint package with the following thematic information.
At COP 17 / CMP 7, the UN system presented its ongoing work and practical solutions and tools at side events, exhibits and by sharing a joint package with the following thematic information.
The Consultative Committee on Programme and Operational Questions (CCPOQ) carried out interagency coordination on substantive questions related to operational and programmatic issues.
Scaling up financing to contribute to demonstration, deployment, and transfer of low-carbon technologies with a significant potential for long-term greenhouse gas emission savings.
Handbooks and training on conducting Technology Needs Assessment for climate change, preparing technology transfer projects for financing, and conducting technology transfer negotiations
A new Climate Investment Funds portfolio with an expected capitalization of some US$ 6 billion, to build on progress made by many of the developing countries
Mobilizing funds for greater energy access and security, energy efficiency and clean energy development projects in over 100 countries.
As a unique international mechanism with universal membership that combines convening power, normative work, standard-setting, policy development and operational activities, the UN system in its entirety has embarked on an actionoriented and coordinated effort to support the international community to rise to this challenge.
World Conference of the International Women's Year: Mexico City (19 June to 2 July 1975)
The first world conference on the status of women was convened in Mexico City to coincide with the 1975 International Women's Year, observed to remind the international community that discrimination against women continued to be a persistent problem in much of the world.
World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace: Copenhagen (14 to 30 July 1980)
World Conference to review and appraise the achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace:Nairobi (15 to 26 July 1985)
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted unanimously at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women (4-15 September 1995) held in Beijing, China, by representatives from 189 countries.
Enormous progress has been made towards reaching the MDGs. After 2015, efforts to achieve a world of prosperity, equity, freedom, dignity and peace for all the world’s people will continue unabated.
The 2010 MDG Summit concluded with the adoption of a global action plan, "Keeping the Promise: United to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals " and the announcement of a number of initiatives against poverty, hunger and disease.
Governments, foundations, businesses and civil society groups rallied around the call to action to slash poverty, hunger and disease by 2015, by announcing new commitments to meet the Millennium Development Goals, at a high-level event at UN Headquarters on 25 September 2008.
At the Millennium Summit of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Member States of the United Nations (147 of them represented by their Head of State or Government), in a historic decision on 8 September 2000, adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration.
The 2010 MDG Summit concluded with the adoption of a global action plan -- Keeping the Promise: United to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals -- and the announcement of a number of initiatives against poverty, hunger and disease. The Secretary-General and CEB members welcomed the Outcome of the 2010 High-level Plenary Meeting on the MDGs.
Four world conferences on women convened by the United Nations in the past quarter of a century have been instrumental in elevating the cause of gender equality to the very centre of the global agenda. The conferences have united the international community behind a set of common objectives with an effective plan of action for the advancement of women everywhere, in all spheres of public and private life.
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In doing so, UN Member States took an historic step in accelerating the Organization’s goals on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The UN System supports countries to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework on the social dimensions of climate change, advocate a multidimensional approach to climate change policies and develop climate-related measures to ensure better living conditions.
The Secretary-General has made it a top priority to raise awareness at the highest level of the potential impacts of climate change and the necessity for taking urgent action.
The UN system plays a central role in this area, bringing together global resources for observation and analysis of climate change trends. It is committed to reinforcing its efforts to provide sound and unbiased scientific information and climate services to enable evidence-based policy and decision making at all levels.
The United Nations system works to strengthen national institutions and human capacity to better analyze the impacts of climate change, develop courses of action for greater resilience and implement relevant adaptation and mitigation activities.
The UN system, including the Bretton Woods Institutions, is assisting developing countries in better leveraging finance from a variety of sources to help them adapt to climate change impacts and undertake nationally appropriate mitigation actions in the context of sustainable development.
REDD-related activities of the UN system aspire to contribute towards achieving sustainable management of forests that enables the economic, environmental and social goods and services of forests to benefit countries, communities and forest users, while also contributing to global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Technology transfer and development activities by the UN system promote the diffusion and uptake of environmentallyfriendly and climate-friendly technologies and practices towards achieving objectives of mitigation and adaptation at the country level.
A follow-up Summit to take stock of the progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Declaration was held from 14-16 September 2005 bringing together more than 170 Heads of State and Government.
This breadth and unity of United Nations system activities was reflected in several side events at COP 15/CMP5. The side events brought together a number of agencies under thematic focus areas, all demonstrating how the United Nations system stands ready...
The United Nations system has an important supportive role to play for the achievement of the MDGs. Since 2000, CEB has worked to ensure a coordinated UN system approach to the Millennium Summit and its follow-up. The Millennium Declaration itself has served to intensify CEB’s focus on strategic issues for the UN system as a whole.
The Monitoring and Analysis aspect of the Joint Crisis Initiative is based on three pillars: Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System (GIVAS); Integrated Monitoring and Analytical System for Crisis Response; Monitoring Economic and Financial Policies – IMF Surveillance.
Information and communication networks are the new engine of the modern global economy, and need to be consistently strengthened and expanded. Technological innovation, investment incentives and strong legal frameworks are essential to sustainable post-crisis growth.
The initiative aims at drawing the attention of decision-makers to the short, medium and long-term impact of the ongoing crisis on the world’s humanitarian security and social stability through a holistic approach.
The aim of this initiative is to advocate for and advise on the provision of a social protection floor and public resource spending in ways that will both kick-start growth and support more inclusive and sustainable social and economic development.
The “Global Jobs Pact” initiative aims at focusing the attention of decision-makers on employment measures and decent work as the foundation for long-term recovery. The Initiative highlights that the multiplier effects of investments in employment-intensive areas are higher than those of alternate measures such as tax cuts. T
The Green Economy Initiative (GEI) responds to the development challenges and imbalances in growth strategies that underlie the global financial and economic crisis by motivating policymakers in all countries...
The event entitled "United Nations System: Together for the Future We Want" was held on Friday, 22 June 2012, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The Secretary‐General was joined by nearly 20 leaders of the UN system highlighting their joint efforts in support of all countries and their peoples in making sustainable development a reality.
The Trade Initiative monitors trade and investment developments to counter protectionism; regularly convene relevant stakeholders and prepare periodic reports on the situation of trade finance markets to foster transparency and best practices and ensure delivery of commitments.
The Food Security Initiative builds on the work of the Secretary-General’s High-level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, established by CEB in April 2008, and, specifically upon the Comprehensive Framework for Action.
The UN System brings together its funding and operational capacities in a coherent and concrete implementation approach to support the implementation of an ambitious and effective framework of action,
Since the unfolding of the global financial and economic crisis in 2008, CEB has taken special measures to promote a rapid United Nations system response. Starting in October 2008, the Board and the High-level Committee on Programmes initiated a review and analysis of the impact of the crisis and identified the major challenges facing the international community in meeting the needs of the world’s most vulnerable.
The Gender Community of Practice includes policies and practices of UN system organizations to raise the level of awareness of the gender issues.
Sustainable development is a key priority guiding the work of the United Nations. The organizations of the UN system are firmly committed to advance economic growth, social development and environmental sustainability in an integrated manner through greater coherence and coordination of action. Together, they have made significant contributions to the Rio+20 conference.
During the 17th Conference of Parties to UNFCCC at Durban, the UN system focused on modalities under the umbrella of the CEB Climate Change Action Framework. These activities brought together a number of agencies under thematic focus areas, and demonstrated how the UN system stands ready to support implementation at global, regional and national levels.
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Cancun in December 2010, the United Nations system highlighted its readiness to support Member States in implementing their commitments through side events and information material that presented the system’s ongoing work and practical tools.
The main side event on The UN system Delivering as One on Climate Change took place on 16 December , from 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm. Together with the UN Secretary-General it brought together on stage all Executive Heads present at the time in Copenhagen.
During the annual Conferences of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COPs), the UN system highlights actions in support of countries’ efforts to understand and manage the opportunities and challenges related to climate action, and maximize the development co-benefits that stem from low carbon and climate resilient growth. From 2007 until 2015, the UN system’s joint engagement in the COPs was coordinated by the HLCP Working Group on Climate Change. With the conclusion of its mandate in April 2016, the UNFCCC Secretariat has taken over this coordination role.
With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, world leaders agreed on a vision and an ambitious plan of action for change: freeing the world of poverty and hunger, protecting the planet from degradation; ensuring that that all people can live prosperous and fulfilling live in dignity and equality, and fostering peaceful, just and inclusive societies free of fear and violence. Universal in scope and application and integrated and indivisible in nature, the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has the potential to be truly transformative. Its implementation calls for coordinated actions across the peace and security, human rights, humanitarian affairs and sustainable development spectrum and requires a deeper collective engagement by all stakeholders – governments, parliaments, the scientific and academic community, civil society, the private sector, the international community and the United Nations system.
The UN System-Wide Policy on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women was endorsed by the Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) in October 2006, as a means of furthering the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment within the policies and programmes of the UN system, and implementing the ECOSOC agreed conclusions 1997/2.
The High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) fosters coherence, cooperation and coordination on policy and programme dimensions of strategic issues for the UN system.
The High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) will foster coherence, cooperation and coordination on programme dimensions of strategic issues for the UN system.
A list of Statements and Guidance Notes issued by ACC/CEB or by former CCPOQ on behalf of ACC/CEB
The mandate of the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality provided for coordination and follow-up to the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women and of gender-related recommendations emanating from other UN conferences and summits. The Committee also facilitated and monitored the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the work of the system.
Since January 2002, inter-agency coordination in the field of women and gender equality is carried out by the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality.
The Interagency Committee on Sustainable Development was established by the ACC following the Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio in 1992. The IACSD’s mandate is to identify major policy issues and follow-up to the Earth Summit to ensure effective co-operation and coordination of the UN system in the implementation of Agenda 21.
The following organs reporting through the IACSD were:
The UN system’s work in Africa has been a long-standing item on the HLCP and CEB agendas, reflecting the priority that all parts of the system assign to supporting African development. The efforts of the Committee and the Board have been aimed at promoting collaborative actions to bring about greater coherence in the work of the UN system in Africa.
Climate change is the defining issue of our time. It is the ultimate test for the global community to unite and meet a challenge that respects no borders. It exacerbates nearly every other development challenge. At the same time, taking climate action will help solve many other social, environmental and economic problems as well. In fact, by acting on climate change we can significantly advance the sustainable development agenda.
The High-Level Committee on Programmes convenes biannual sessions that are summarized in meeting reports. Each report contains the list of participants, summary of discussions and decisions taken. Annexes include presentations and draft proposals discussed during the meeting.