The first-ever joint session of the HLCM and the UNDG was co-chaired by the Chair of HLCM, the Executive Director of the World Food programme, Ms. Josette Sheeran, and by the Chair of UNDG, the UNDG Administrator, Ms. Helen Clark. HLCM representative were gathered in Washington D.C., at the IMF headquarters, while UNDG representatives were in video conference connection from New York and Geneva.

The high level HLCM-UNDG mission was the result of an agreement, early in 2010, between Ms. Clark and Ms. Sheeran, to organize a visit to some of the programme pilot countries with a view to gaining a more in-depth knowledge of the nature of the bottlenecks in business practices and of their consequences for the UN to perform more efficiently and effectively. It would also offer the opportunity to learn what solutions UN Country Teams had developed to address them at the country level, and what efforts would be required at the global level.

The joint mission visited four countries (Mozambique, Malawi, Vietnam, and Albania) and was undertaken between March and July. The mission was co-led by Mari Simonen, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA and Chair of the UNDG Advisory Group, and by Jan Beagle, Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS and Vice-Chair of HLCM. The mission comprised senior experts from different operational functions in UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, and WFP, in representation of HLCM and UNDG inter-agency technical bodies.