The United Nations Systems' High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) is one of the three larger committees that support the work of the Chief Executives Board. Founded in the year 2000, it is the main way to provide system-wide programme coordination throughout the UN system. The HLCP is responsible for keeping the strategic issues of the programmes coherent, cooperative and coordinated while advising the CEB on issues of planning, policy, development and implementation. They also seek to find which areas should receive priority in light of the challenges that face the UN system and the global community. The HLCP works within the support of the member organizations and the agreements between the UN and other specialized agencies as well as with the Bretton Woods Institutions.

Functions

The HLCP has two main functions. The first is that it conducts a system-wide follow-up of all decisions made by the UN governing bodies and the main UN summits and conferences so as to maximize their impact together with the strategic measures and objectives which are adopted by the CEB. The group helps to oversee that programmes are implemented effectively at the country level. They also foster group discussions on the reform process and its implications within the UN system and identify best practices.

Its second function is to look for and identify up and coming programme issues which require system-wide responses to common strategies, tools and policies, act as an assembly for inter-agency dialogue and to prepare for CEB sessions which discuss globally significant issues.

Recent Issues

Some of the system-wide policy issues that the HLCP has recently addressed include the CEB's Climate Change Initiative, Preparations for Rio+20, responses to the current financial and economic crisis, the Millennium Development Goals, 'moving towards a fairer, greener, sustainable globalization', the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, disaster risk reduction, Universal Access to Energy, Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Equality and Biodiversity.

The HLCP meets twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn and does consultations and coordinates efforts continually. The organization is comprised of senior level representatives of the CEB member organizations by their Executive Heads. As of January 2011 the Chair of the HLCP was Juan Somavía who is also Director-General of the ILO.

The content on this page is for research and educational purposes only. The information about the UN is provided freely as a public service and should not be construed as being in any way sanctioned or endorsed by the United Nations. The United Nations' official website can be found at http://www.un.org/en/.