Global coordination

Globally, UN Women works through high-level UN interagency bodies to promote the integration of gender perspectives in system-wide policies, as well as those applying to specific issues and sectors. In intergovernmental forums, such as major world conferences, we help coordinate inputs from diverse UN entities to support expanded global commitments to gender equality.

UN Chief Executives Board

Leading global UN coordination bodies include the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, chaired by the Secretary-General, and its three pillars—the High-Level Committee on Programmes, the High-Level Committee on Management, and the United Nations Development Group. They set UN global policy on both strategic directions and specific operational and programmatic issues. UN Women works with them to ensure that these include gender equality perspectives, since firm corporate commitments can then be translated across the UN system at large.

UN Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality

Other forums that support global coordination of the UN’s gender equality work include the UN Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE). Chaired by UN Women, it helps orchestrate the gender equality efforts of 25 UN organizations, including through advocating and setting standards for gender mainstreaming. Each year, the network meets before the annual session of the Commission on the Status of Women to review activities of the previous year, provide feedback and propose improvements and follow-up actions. A series of task forces take up priority issues.

UNDG Task Team on Gender Equality

As part of ensuring that UN country-level development programmes incorporate gender equality standards and actions, the UN Development Group created the UNDG Task Team on Gender Equality. With UN Women as chair, it links senior gender equality advisors from major UN organizations such as the UN Development Programme, UN Children’s Fund and the UN Population Fund. By providing a variety of tools and forms of expertise, the Task Team assists UN country offices in integrating gender equality provisions across their programmes, as well as in monitoring results.

Executive Committees

Other relevant inter-agency groups important to UN Women’s coordination work address particular themes relevant to gender equality. They include the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs and the Executive Committee on Peace and Security.