Premises shared by the UN organizations are an important component of the Secretary-General's UN Reform Programme. The objective of common premises is to build closer ties among United Nations staff and promote a more unified presence at country level in a cost-effective manner.

For the Secretary-General to officially designate UN common premises a UN House, the following criteria must be fulfilled: The common premises must house the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the offices of all Resident Country Directors/Representatives of UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF and, as appropriate, WFP. The UN Country Team (UNCT) must demonstrate commitment to developing a framework for cost-effective, high quality and timely common services and where it makes sense. To date, there are 59 officially designated UN Houses worldwide.

In the context of the above, the Task Team on Common Premises (TTCP) is tasked with providing guidance and tools for UNCTs which intend to engage in UN House/UN Common Premises renovation, construction and/or relocation projects. In order to determine whether said projects are viable for (partial)funding, the TTCP requires the UNCT to finalize a formal proposal. The TTCP provides a framework for putting together these proposals and guidance as required. More information regarding the TTCP and the tools and guidance they provide, can be found on the Transaction Model website http://www.undp.org/unhouse/.