UN System

DECENTRALIZED SYSTEM WAS MEANT TO SURVIVE WAR

The United Nations System consists of the UN itself, a set of autonomous Specialized Agencies, and a number of funds and programs created by and reporting to the UN General Assembly. The decision to create a decentralized system of UN agencies was guided by the fact that specialized organizations for cooperation had survived periods of war. For instance, the International Telegraphic (now Telecommunications) Union (ITU), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Universal Postal Union (UPU), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), all continued to function while their member States were at war with each other. The ILO even survived the demise of its parent, the League of Nations. The validity of that lesson was proved during the Cold War, when the East-West political freeze did not block the work of the technical agencies.

However, the decentralized nature of the UN System has been problematic in terms of coordination and effectiveness. Its lack of coherent policy and practice has been a consistent reform issue from the UN's first decade. Several arrangements seek to promote functional efficiency within the UN System. One is coordination through the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to which the specialized agencies are required to submit annual reports under the terms of their relationship agreements with the United Nations. Another is operational coordination through the Chief Executives Board (CEB) — formerly known as the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), which was established in 1946, soon after the United Nations began to function. Its members are the top officials of UN Specialized Agencies, funds and programs, and it meets twice a year with the Secretary-General as Chairman. The third arrangement that supports coherence within the UN System is the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), which establishes uniform conditions of service for most UN entities.