Committee for Programme and Coordination
Frequently asked questions on the work of CPC
What are the terms of reference of the Committee for Programme and Coordination?
How and when are CPC Members elected?
How and when is the Bureau elected?
How does the Committee reach agreement?
What is the meaning of the phrase “The Committee takes action by consensus”?
What terms does CPC use when taking action on reports?
How are the Committee’s outcomes considered within the UN’s intergovernmental machinery?
Can the Committee discuss changes to its terms of references and working methods?
Does the Organization cover the travel and subsistence expenses of CPC Members?
Can my capital designate a representative for one part of the session, and another one for the remainder of the session?
What is the process from introduction of reports to adoption of a CPC report??
What is the difference between “formal”, “informal” and “informal informal” meetings?_
What is the meaning of “first and second reading” of a draft report?
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What are the terms of reference of the Committee for Programme and Coordination?
The Committee was established in 1962 by Economic and Social Council resolution 920 (XXXIV) (1962) under the name Special Committee on co-ordination with particular emphasis on the United Nations Development Decade. It was renamed to 'Committee for Programme and Co-ordination' by resolution .
In its resolution of 14 December 1976, the General Assembly decided “that the Committee for Programme and Coordination shall function as the main subsidiary organ of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly for planning, programming and coordination” and approved the consolidated terms of reference as set out in the annex to resolution of 14 May 1976 of the Council.
See terms of reference as set out in
While the Committee’s terms of reference, as a whole, have not been formally revised since 1976, the General Assembly has adopted resolutions in the context of reform initiatives that in effect impact the terms of reference. Therefore, the terms of reference need to be read together with the relevant General Assembly resolutions as illustrated outlined below.
For instance, by resolutions and the General Assembly replaced the “medium-term plan” with the “strategic framework, comprising in one document: (a) Part one: a plan outline, reflecting the longer-term objectives of the Organization; (b) Part two: a biennial programme plan, covering two years. This was further overtaken by the move to an annual budget cycle, as approved by the Assembly in its resolutions and , and the decision that the proposed programme budget should consist of: Part I: the plan outline, which endorses the long-term priorities and the objectives of the Organization; Part II: the programme plan for programmes and subprogrammes and programme performance information (in lieu of the “strategic framework); and Part III: the post and non-post resource requirements for the programmes and subprogrammes. ??
As regards the membership and composition, the General Assembly, in its decision 42/450, decided that the Committee should consist of 34 Member States nominated by the Council and elected by the Assembly on the basis of equitable geographical distribution, as follows:
- Nine seats for African States;
- Seven seats for Asian States;
- Seven seats for Latin American and Caribbean States;
- Seven seats for Western European and other States;
- Four seats for Eastern European States.
Similarly, the pattern of meetings evolved over the years. Most recently, the General Assembly, in its resolution of 30 December 2022, decided that the Committee meets for five weeks each year, ending no later than mid-June to ensure more time for substantial deliberation of the programmes and consultation with relevant United Nations bodies.
How and when are CPC Members elected?
The Committee is composed of 34 States Members of the United Nations.
In accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution and General Assembly decision 42/450, the Assembly, on the nomination of the Council, elects members of the Committee on the basis of equitable geographical distribution, as follows: ?
- Nine seats for African States;
- Seven seats for Asia-Pacific States;
- Seven seats for Latin American and Caribbean States;
- Seven seats for Western European and other States;
- Four seats for Eastern European States.
Committee members are elected for three-year terms and outgoing members are eligible for immediate re-election.
The Economic and Social Council will adopt a decision, nominating candidates for election by the General Assembly. Prior to the Council’s decision, a note by the Secretary-General is issued containing details of the new term, election pattern and the current membership. Prior to the election by the General Assembly, another note by the Secretary-General is issued containing the nominations by the Council.
How and when is the Bureau elected???? ?
In accordance with resolution of 22 December 2007, by which the Assembly endorsed the recommendations and conclusions of the Committee on improving the working methods and procedures of the Committee for Programme and Coordination within the framework of its mandate, the Committee elects its Bureau at its organizational session, which is to be held no later than six weeks before the beginning of each substantive session. It elects a Chairperson, three Vice-Chairpersons and a Rapporteur, from among the representatives of the 34 States that are Members of the Committee, for a term of one year.
The post of Chairperson and the post of Rapporteur rotate annually among the regional groups in accordance with a decision taken at the 55th meeting of the twenty-fifth session, held in 1985. At that meeting, the Committee reaffirmed its decision that the post of Chair, as well as the other posts on the Bureau, should rotate annually among the regional groups and adopted the following pattern of rotation for the post of Chair: (a) Group of African States, (b) Group of Eastern European States, (c) Group of Latin American States, (d) Group of Western European and other States, (e) Group of Asian States. The Committee also agreed that each year the post of Rapporteur should be occupied by a Member of the regional group that occupied the post of Chairman in the previous year.
The tables below provide the order or rotation of the Chairmanship as well as the Rapporteur for a ten-year period starting with the Committee’s 60th session.
Figure 1: Rotation of Chairmanship and Rapporteur
Order of rotation of Chairmanship of the Committee for Programme and Coordination |
Order of Rapporteur of the Committee for Programme and Coordination |
|||||
5 Regional Groups rotation |
Rotation of position for Rapporteur is typically held |
|||||
Session |
Year |
Regional Group |
Session |
Year |
Regional Group |
|
60 |
2020 |
EES |
60 |
2020 |
AFRICA |
|
61 |
2021 |
GRULAC (Actual WEOG*) |
61 |
2021 |
EES |
|
62 |
2022 |
WEOG |
62 |
2022 |
GRULAC |
|
63 |
2023 |
ASIA-PACIFIC |
63 |
2023 |
WEOG |
|
64 |
2024 |
AFRICA |
64 |
2024 |
ASIA-PACIFIC |
|
65 |
2025 |
EES |
65 |
2025 |
AFRICA |
|
66 |
2026 |
GRULAC |
66 |
2026 |
EES |
|
67 |
2027 |
WEOG |
67 |
2027 |
GRULAC |
|
68 |
2028 |
ASIA-PACIFIC |
68 |
2028 |
WEOG |
|
69 |
2029 |
AFRICA |
69 |
2029 |
ASIA-PACIFIC |
|
*Chair assumed by WEOG in the absence of a nomination from GRULAC.
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How does the Committee reach agreement? ?
The work of the Committee is guided by the relevant resolutions and decisions, the rules of procedure of ECOSOC (in particular its formal meetings) and the evolving practices of the Committee, including its working methods.
As reflected in document , the Committee takes action by consensus.
The report of the Committee consists of two parts: (a) an account of the discussion; and (b) conclusions and recommendations. The part of the report reflecting the discussion contains the views expressed by Members of the Committee that did not command agreement by all delegations. The conclusions and recommendations section of the report contains the agreements reached on issues raised under specific agenda items. In order to arrive at consensus, negotiations are held in informal-informal or informal-informal-informal format until agreement is reached.
What is the meaning of the phrase “The Committee takes action by consensus”? ??
In United Nations organs, “the term ‘consensus’ is used to describe a practice under which every effort is made to achieve unanimous agreement; but if that could not be done, those dissenting from the general trend were prepared simply to make their position or reservations known and placed on record.” Thus, in United Nations practice, “consensus is generally understood to mean adoption of a decision without formal objections and vote”. It is possible for delegations to disassociate, make reservations or declarations to a decision adopted by consensus.?
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What terms does CPC use when taking action on reports?
As the main subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and ECOSOC for planning, programming and coordination, CPC provides recommendations to the General Assembly (and ECOSOC where appropriate). The Committee does not have the authority to take decisions itself, for example, it cannot issue instructions to the Secretary?General or approve or revise programme plans.
While the Committee may, in its bolded “conclusions and recommendations”, highlight findings from its consideration of a matter, such as recognizing the important role of an office or emphasizing the need to adhere to legislative mandates, any action?oriented languageis normally formulated as recommendation, for example:?
- The Committee recommended that the General Assembly request the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to …
- The Committee recommended that the General Assembly approve the programme narrative of programme…
- Committee recommended that the General Assembly endorse the conclusions and recommendations contained in…
Over the years, the Committee used different formulations when recommending “approval”. At its 55th session, to ensure consistency, it decided to use the term “endorsed” when making recommendations to the Assembly on programme evaluation and recalled the use of the term “approved” when considering reports on the strategic framework (programme plans), in accordance with its established working practice (See paragraph 18 of ).
How are the Committee’s outcomes considered within the UN’s intergovernmental machinery?
As a subsidiary organ of both the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, the report of the Committee is submitted to and considered by both bodies.
The Council considers the report of the Committee during its Management Segment in July, shortly after CPC concludes its work in June. In practice, ECOSOC now generally takes note of the report of the Committee.
The General Assembly considers the report during the main part of its session under the agenda item entitled “Programme Planning”. On the recommendation of the Fifth Committee, the Assembly typically adopts a resolution endorsing the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations and requesting the Secretary General to ensure their timely implementation. Depending on the outcome reached by CPC, the resolution may include additional language, in particular in situations where CPC was not able to agree on conclusions and recommendations. ?
In that regard, it is recalled that, following recent management reform and the shift to an annual budget, the General Assembly decided that, whenever the Committee cannot provide conclusions and recommendations on a given subprogramme or programme of the proposed programme budget, the plenary or the relevant Main Committee or Main Committees of the General Assembly responsible for those mandates will consider the said subprogramme or programme at the very start of its session in order to provide any conclusions and recommendations to the Fifth Committee, at the earliest opportunity, and no later than four weeks after the start of the session, for timely consideration by the Fifth Committee. ?
Can the Committee discuss changes to its terms of references and working methods? ?
The terms of reference of the Committee were approved by the Economic and Social Council (resolution ) and by the General Assembly (resolution ). Accordingly, they can be updated only by those bodies. The General Assembly has modified certain elements of the terms of reference over time, including those related to Membership and the meeting pattern.
By contrast, the Committee’s working methods fall within its purview. The Committee has considered its working methods over the years, both formally and informally, as appropriate. From its 38th to its 49th session, its agenda included an item entitled “Improving the working methods and procedure of the Committee for Programme and Coordination within the framework of its mandate.” At the 49th session, it decided not to include the agenda item entitled in future sessions and to discuss related matters under the agenda item entitled “Adoption of the agenda and organization of work” as and when needed.
Some of these discussions resulted in formal conclusions, reflected under “Adoption of the agenda and organization of work” in the Committee’s report, most recently at its 55th session. Others led to adjustments in practice, for example, beginning at its 62nd session, the Committee decided to hold a joint “introduction and general discussion” for closely related reports, such as a programme plan and an OIOS evaluation on the same programme (or parts thereof).
A summary of the formal conclusions and recommendations of the Committee with regard to its working methods and procedures is available here: Conclusions and recommendations of the Committe with regard to its working methods and procedures
Does the Organization cover the travel and subsistence expenses of CPC Members? ?
In accordance with resolution 31/93 the Organization bears the travel and subsistence expenses of one representative of each Member State on the Committee for Programme and Coordination.?
Payment of travel and subsistence expenses of Members of the Committee for Programme (CPC)
The payment of travel and subsistence expenses for Members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) is governed by relevant General Assembly resolutions and decisions, as well as by the rules set out in the Secretary-General’s bulletin entitled “Rules governing payment of travel expenses and subsistence allowances in respect of Members of organs or subsidiary organs of the United Nations.” The most recent version of this bulletin is , issued in 1991.
Under these rules, the United Nations covers, for one representative of each Member State serving on the CPC:
- Subsistence expenses at the standard rates applicable to Secretariat officials plus 15 per cent; and
- Travel expenses, with maximum entitlements as follows:
- Economy class accommodation for journeys of less than nine hours;
- Accommodation in the class immediately below first class for journeys exceeding nine hours.
Chronology of key resolutions and decision related to CPC travel
1976: By paragraph 12 of its resolution , the General Assembly decided that, in order to encourage Member States to be represented at a high level of expertise and to ensure the continuity of their representation in the body whose central role and over-all responsibilities are recognized, the Organization shall bear from 1978 onwards, for an experimental period and subject to review by the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session, as a special exception to the basic principles set out in paragraph 2 of Assembly resolution concerning the payment out of United Nations funds of travel and subsistence expenses to Members of organs and subsidiary organs of the United Nations, the travel (on the basis of economy class) and subsistence expenses (at standard rates applicable to officials of the Secretariat plus 15 per cent) of one representative of each Member State on the Committee for Programme and Coordination.??
1983 and 1984: By its resolution B, the Assembly requested the Economic and Social Council to consider the question and application of paragraph 12 of resolution 31/93 in the context of its review of the Joint Meetings of CPC and ACC. In response, in paragraph 5 of its resolution (see page 7), the Council recommended to the Assembly "the continuation of the current application of paragraph 12 of General Assembly resolution 31/93".
1990: In paragraph 3 of section XIII of resolution , the Assembly requests the Secretary-General to review the existing arrangements in regard to payment of subsistence allowance and standards of air travel by representatives of Member States in their official capacity to attend meetings of various intergovernmental bodies and for other United Nations official work.
1991: Pursuant to paragraph 3 of section XIII of resolution , an updated travel rules bulletin was issued as . Specifically, the rules for representatives of CPC Members were changed from the entitlement of economy class accommodation to the following, generally applicable, maximum entitlements:
- The cost of economy class accommodation for journeys of less than nine hours' duration;
- The cost of accommodation in the class immediately below first class for journeys exceeding nine hours' duration.
All other provisions, including the 15% supplement on daily subsistence allowance, remained unchanged.
The Secretary-General reported the revision of the bulletin to the Assembly in his report on the standards of accommodation for air travel issued as document as well as subsequent reports to the Assembly.
The Assembly subsequently reaffirmed these standards in a series of resolutions, including most recently resolution , deciding to maintain the current travel standards for Members of organs and subsidiary organs of the United Nations.
Can my capital designate a representative for one part of the session, and another one for the remainder of the session?? ?
Many Members choose to maintain the same representative throughout the full five?week period, as this allows for their continuous participation in all stages of the work and facilitates smoother engagement with the Committee’s evolving discussions.
Nevertheless, some capitals do designate different representatives for different segments of the session, based on their availability and other commitments. In such instances, given that Organization bears the travel and subsistence expenses of for one representative of each Member on the Committee to attend the session (see ), travel (i.e. airfare and terminal expenses) will only be paid for one of the two representatives (chosen by the delegation), while the travel cost of the other representative is borne by the CPC Member. As regards the related subsistence allowance, for each calendar day of the Committee’s session, the Organization will provide daily subsistence allowance to a maximum of one travelling (i.e., non?local) representative, notwithstanding any overlapping calendar days between the two representatives’ respective periods of attendance.”
What is the process from introduction of reports to adoption of a CPC report??
The Committee, broadly speaking, structures its work into four different yet closely related steps for each report under consideration (to be reflected in the final CPC report as a section).?
In step 1, introduction and general discussion, in the context of a formal meeting, representatives of the Secretary-General will introduce reports with a brief and concise statement (no longer than 3 minutes), followed by statements from Members (and sometimes observers), and/or questions and answers. A summary of the views and questions raised by Members will be reflected in the “discussion part” of the relevant section of the CPC report. The Committee has recognized over the years that the discussion part is only a reflection of some of the views of individual Members and that it does not represent a consensus view. Accordingly, the discussion part is not negotiated in the Committee.
Step 2, submission of language and circulation of C-Version, happens in two phases:
- In step 2a, Members will submit language for inclusion in the “conclusions and recommendations part”. The specific deadlines (available on CPC Place on e-deleGATE) for each report are determined as a function of when the next meeting will take place. Timely submission of language is paramount in light of the Committee’s heavy agenda and full programme of work.?
- Language submissions are then compiled into a “C-version” (Committee version) by the CPC Secretariat and circulated at least 24 hours ahead of the informal consultations at which it will be taken up (step 2b). A “C-version” is prepared for each report under consideration.
Step 3, the consideration of language proposals, is undertaken in three parts:?
- Step 3a will take place in informal consultations, with the coordinator of a report calling upon all language proponents to introduce to their proposals (= first reading) and then guiding the Committee through the text proposal by proposal (= second reading).
- Step 3b commences once the second reading has concluded. Informal consultations are often suspended to allow for negotiations to take place in an “informal informal” or an “informal informal informal” (also called “offline discussions”) in which interested delegations engage on the proposals before them, either through the coordinator of the report under discussion or directly amongst themselves. ????
- Step 3c comes at the end of the process, once consensus is reached. The coordinator informs the CPC Secretariat of the final outcome so that it can prepare the “F-version” (Final version) for adoption. Only thereafter is a draft report issued as "L-document” (limited distribution).
Step 4, the formal adoption of the outcome document, usually takes place on the final day of the session at a formal meeting of the Committee. There, the Committee formally adopts the draft reports issued as L-documents.
The chart below provides a stylized overview of the process from introduction of reports to adoption of a draft report.
Figure 2: CPC Process overview
What is the difference between “formal”, “informal” and “informal informal” meetings?
Formal meetings and informal consultations of the Committee take place during regular working hours (10AM-1PM and 3-6PM). They benefit from interpretation into all official languages of the United Nations, receive full Secretariat support and are reflected in the UN Journal and Committee’s programme of work.
The proceedings of formal meetings are reflected in the report of the Committee. The report also provides a record of the discussions held under the “general discussion” of a report in formal meetings, summarizing the key points raised by Committee Members (these summaries are not intended to be verbatim).
In contrast, discussions in informal consultation are off the record, allowing delegations to engage more freely.
Informal informal consultations take place without interpretation and, depending on the Committee’s preference, with or without Secretariat presence. They may also be held outside regular working hours and may or may not be reflected in the programme of work (the coordinator will advise the Bureau accordingly).
Some also use the term “informal informal informal consultations” (or “going offline”) to refer to discussions held without the Secretariat and involving only negotiators directly engaged in a specific negotiation.
What is the general process of the “first and second reading” of a draft report?
Once the draft report has been prepared and circulated, containing both the discussion part drafted by the relevant substantive offices and the conclusions and recommendations part with all language submitted by the deadline, the Committee will meet in informal consultations (step 3a in the process overview) where a coordinator will conduct the first and second reading of the conclusions and recommendations part in the C-version.
In theory and previous Committee practice, the coordinator would initially invite language proponents to introduce their language in one single intervention, in the order in which the language was submitted. After that, they would guide the Committee through the first reading of the C-version, proposal by proposal (allowing clarification questions), followed by the second reading, proposal by proposal (allowing a discussion on the merit of proposals).
Over the years, owing to scarcity of time and the wish of delegations to dedicate more time to actual negotiations, the Committee has moved towards an “abbreviated” approach to the first reading. Specifically, it is the current practice of the Committee to consider the introduction of language as first reading and then move to the second reading, where the coordinator will open the floor both for questions and comments.
First reading: the goal is to give language proponents an opportunity to clarify their position and highlight the main elements of their submission.?
- Coordinators will give the floor to all language proponents (in the order in which language submissions have been received).
- Language proponents will introduce their submission in one intervention.
Second reading: the goal is to consider each proposal and, where possible, agree on a formulation.
- The coordinator will open the floor on each proposal (alternative proposals are normally considered together), one after the other, for “comments and questions”.
- During the second reading, delegations may
- express support for a proposal ?
- indicate their disagreement (and/or request to bracket a proposal)
- ask clarification questions (to proponents and/or the Secretariat)
- propose alternative formulations
- In case of disagreements, delegations may request to bracket a proposal. Alternatively, if the coordinator sees that further discussions are needed on a specific proposal, they can propose to move on and come back to the proposal at a later time.
- In the absence of any comments, the coordinator will ask if the proposal can be adopted.
- In recent practice, the Committee has in some cases agreed, at the start of the second reading, to put the entire draft in brackets, with a view to allowing a frank conversation on language without the pressure of needing to take final decisions immediately.?
14 May 1976
