Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 193 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter.

It also plays a significant role in the process of standard-setting and the codification of international law. The General Assembly meets in regular session from September to December each year and thereafter as required.

The Special Unit for South-South Cooperation prepares the biennial report of the Secretary-General on the state of South-South cooperation that informs the deliberations and key decisions of the General Assembly on SSC and related issues (see link for major UN decisions on South-South cooperation).

General Assembly website: http://www.un.org/en/ga/

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was established under the United Nations Charter as the principal organ to coordinate economic, social and related work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions. It also receives reports from 11 UN funds and programmes. ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations system.

The report of the biennial session of the HLC is submitted to the General Assembly through ECOSOC.

ECOSOC website: http://www.un.org/ecosoc/

The Executive Board of UNDP and UNFPA, comprised of 36 members, was created by UN General Assembly resolution 48/162 of 20 December 1993. The Executive Board superseded the 48-member Governing Council on 1 January 1994.

The Executive Board is responsible for providing intergovernmental support to and supervision of the activities of UNDP and UNFPA in accordance with the overall policy guidance of the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council and the responsibilities set out in the United Nations Charter. It must also be responsive to the needs of programme countries. The Executive Board is under the authority of the Economic and Social Council.

Since 1975, various UN General Assembly resolutions have called on the HLC and the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board to consider measures to further strengthen the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation within UNDP. Positioning the Special Unit as a separate entity and a focal point for South-South cooperation in the UN system was intended to enable it to carry out its full responsibilities, in particular through mobilization of resources for the advancement of South-South cooperation.

As stated in its decision 2004/32, the UNDP Executive Board decided that SSC should be considered a driver of development effectiveness and be incorporated in the UNDP multi-year funding framework (MYFF).

The Executive Board, in its decision 2007/32, reiterated that UNDP should promote SSC by stepping up efforts to seek South-South solutions in all its focus areas as a way to enhance exchanges of best practices and support among developing countries regardless of their levels of development. It also required the UNDP Administrator, in consultation with the Executive Board, to establish measurable targets for the Special Unit for SSC. Accordingly, the 2008-2011 UNDP Strategic Plan emphasized SSC as a key element contributing to enhanced national and local capacities for human development and the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

The Special Unit prepares reports of the Administrator on South-South cooperation for submission to the Executive Board of UNDP and provides inputs to various other reports submitted to the HLC and ECOSOC.

UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board website: http://www.undp.org/execbrd/