UNIFEM Governance
Note: UNIFEM has been dissolved and incorporated into the newly established UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Read about UN Women governance. (The following information is for historical reference.)
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) was first established as the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Decade for Women (UNVFDW) in the United Nations Secretariat by the UN General Assembly in 1976 (A/RES/31/133), immediately following the First World Conference on Women in Mexico City (1975). It was initially set up for the duration of the United Nations Decade for Women, 1975–85.
In 1984 the General Assembly re-established UNIFEM as a “separate and identifiable entity in autonomous association with the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], which will play an innovative and catalytic role in relation to the United Nations overall system of development co-operation” (A/RES/39/125).
“The [UNDP] Administrator shall delegate the management of the Fund and its administration, including responsibility for the mobilization of resources, to the [Executive] Director [of UNIFEM], who shall have the authority to conduct all matters related to its mandate and who shall be accountable directly to the Administrator” (A/RES/39/125: Annex 1). This delegation covers all the functions of UNIFEM.
Consultative Committee
UNIFEM has a five-member Consultative Committee (CC) that meets once a year to provide guidance to UNIFEM on programme and policy matters. The CC also advises the UNDP Administrator on all policy matters affecting UNIFEM. The President of the UN General Assembly designates, with due regard to equitable geographical distribution, five Member States to serve on the CC for a term of three years. The present members are Estonia (Chair), Chile, Republic of Korea, Norway and Sudan.
UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board
UNIFEM is governed by the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board, composed of representatives from 36 Member States around the world that serve on a rotating basis. Through its Bureau, consisting of representatives from five regional groups, the Executive Board oversees and supports the activities of UNDP and its associated funds, including UNIFEM, ensuring that the organization remains responsive to the evolving needs of programme countries. UNIFEM reports to the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board every year.
Related Documents
- UNIFEM Annual Report
- Activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women
- UNIFEM Strategic Plan, 2008–2011 (August 2007)
- UNIFEM’s Resource Mobilization Framework 2008–2011 (January 2008)
- UNIFEM’s Evaluation Strategy 2008–2011 (July 2008)
- Organizational Assessment: UNIFEM Past, Present and Future (December 2004)
- UN General Assembly Resolutions on UNIFEM
