The UN Development Group (UNDG) unites the 32 UN funds, programmes, agencies, departments, and offices that play a role in development. The group’s common objective is to deliver more coherent, effective and efficient support to countries seeking to attain internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

Established by the Secretary-General in 1997, the UNDG designs system-wide guidance to coordinate, harmonize and align UN development activities. The group strengthens the UN development system at the country level, prepares it to meet future challenges and ensures that operations are conducted in accordance with mandates from UN governing bodies such as the General Assembly.

By strengthening the UN Resident Coordinator system and helping UN organizations work together in new and better ways, the UNDG generates synergies and efficiencies that increase the impact of UN programmes and policy advice. Coordinating development operations promotes more strategic support for national plans and priorities, makes operations more efficient and reduces transaction costs for governments. This helps the UN to be a more relevant and reliable partner for governments.

The UN Development Group in the UN system
The UNDG is one of the three pillars of the UN Chief Executives Board (CEB), which furthers coordination and cooperation on a wide range of substantive and management issues facing UN system organizations. The CEB brings the executive heads of UN organizations together on a regular basis under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General. Within the CEB structure, the High-Level Committee on Management works on system-wide administrative and management issues, the High-Level Committee on Programmes considers global policy issues, while the United Nations Development Group deals with operational activities for development with a focus on country-level work.

The UNDG Advisory Group provides the UNDG Chair with advice and guidance on managing the operational dimensions of the UNDG and the Resident Coordinator system.

The Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) chairs the UNDG. The UNDG Chair reports to the Secretary-General and the CEB on progress in implementing the group’s work plan, and on the management of the Resident Coordinator system. The Administrator of one of the specialized agencies functions as a vice chairman on a rotational basis.

The UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO) is the technical support unit for the UNDG. DOCO provides the link between UNDG discussions at headquarters and the work of the UN development system at the country level, and helps the group prepare system-wide agreements, policies and guidelines for country offices.

On 21 December 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution (67/226) on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR) of UN operational activities for development. The QCPR is the mechanism through which the General Assembly assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact of UN operational activities for development and establishes system-wide policy orientations for the development cooperation and country-level modalities of the UN system.

In response to the QCPR, the Secretary-General’s Five-Year Action Agenda and the evolving international development and cooperation environment, the UNDG has agreed on a set of common Strategic Priorities for 2013-2016. The UNDG Strategic Priorities give direction to UNDG efforts at the global, regional and country level to facilitate a step change in the quality and impact of UN support at the country level.