Former Mechanisms

The origins of the CEB date back to 1946 when the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) was established, pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 13 (III), as a standing committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to:

• Supervise the implementation of the agreements between the United Nations and the specialized agencies;
• Ensure coordination of the programmes approved by the governing bodies of the various organizations of the United Nations system; and
• Promote cooperation within the system in the pursuit of the common goals of Member States.

The ACC met biannually to discuss programmes and proposals of a general or system-wide nature, which necessitated prior consultation with the agencies concerned and their subsequent cooperation in follow-up and implementation.  All members of the ACC undertook necessary consultations before launching any operations which required contributions by several members of the ACC.  The executive heads of the agencies also conveyed to their deliberative organs major initiatives with the United Nations system of particular relevance to their organizations or in which their organizations were expected to participate.