Arrangements for the Future Management of the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women

A/RES/39/125View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, published in 1985.

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 subjects

Budget Contributions Funds Institutional Machinery Organizational Structure Technical Cooperation Women's Advancement

What’s in this document?

10 operative paragraphs

VI.

Decides that the activities of the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women shall be continued through establishment of a separate and identifiable entity in autonomous association with the United Nations Development Programme, which will play an innovative and catalytic role in relation to the United Nations overall system of development co-operation;

Endorses the modalities for the arrangements between the Fund and the United Nations Development Programme for the future management of the Fund. as contained in the annex to the present resolution, and decides that these arrangements shall enter into force at the latest on I January 1986;

Reaffirms the criteria laid down in its resolution 31 / 13 3 on the use of the resources of the Fund and the guidelines established on the advice of the Consultative Committee on the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women, emphasizing the use of these resources fix technical co-operation benefiting women;

Requests the Consultative Committee at its seventeenth session, to be held from 25 to 29 March 1985. to propose an appropriate future title for the Fund;

Stresses the need for close and continuous workmg relationships between the Fund and the bodies, organs and organizations of the United Nations system concerned with women's issues and development co-operation. in particular with the Department of International Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat and its Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs;

Expresses its appreciation for the contributions to the Fund made by Governments and non-governmental organizations, which have a vital role to play in maintaining and increasing the financial viability of the Fund and the effectiveness of its work;

Notes with concern that contributions to the Fund have not been sufficient to enable it to respond to all the deserving requests for technical assistance that it has received;

Urges, accordingly. Governments to continue and, where possible, to increase their contributions to the Fund, and calls upon those Governments that have not yet done so to consider contributing to the Fund;

Requests the Secretary-General, after consultation with the Consultative Committee at its seventeenth session, to report to the General Assembly at its fortieth session on the arrangements he has made with the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme for the future of the Fund;

Requests that the Consultative Committee monitor the process of implementing the arrangements for the management of the Fund contained in the annex to the present resolution and that the Committee's views on this matter be reflected fully in the annual report on the Fund to the General Assembly, particularly in its initial years.

ANNEX Arrangements for the management of the United Nations De•elopment Fund for Women I The United Nations Development Fund for Women (llNIFEM). hereinafter referred to as "the Fund". is hereby established as a separate and identifiable entity in autonomous association with the United Nations Development Programme. The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, hereinafter referred to as "the Administrator". shall be accountable for all aspects of the management and operations of the Fund. There shall be a Consultative Committee to advise the Administrator on all policy matters relating to the activities of the Fund 111 accordance with paragraph 13 below. The following arrangements for the management of the Fund shall appJ.

1 See A/39/569. sect. II.

147 A 14 146 and Corr I and .\Jd. I. A 39·569 and Add.I and A 39 ) 7 I 146 lh1d.. sect. Ill.

TRANSFER OF EXISTING RESOURCES, SOLICITATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PLEDGES AND COLLECTION OF CONTRIBUTIONS The Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women and its subsidiary Supplementary Trust Fund, which was established by a memorandum of understanding between the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Administrator on 25 June 1980, are hereby liquidated and their assets transferred to the Fund. 3.

Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and other donors may contribute to the Fund. 4.

The Fund shall be included among the programmes for which funds are pledged at the annual United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities. The Administrator shall assist with the mobilization of financial resources for the Fund. The contributions to the Fund and the bank accounts into which they are deposited shall be in accordance with the applicable Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Development Programme.

II.

OPERATIONS AND CONTROL 5.

All operations of the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women are hereby transferred to the Fund. 6.

The Administrator, in consultation with the Consultative Committee on the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women, shall appoint a Director of the Fund, hereinafter referred to as "the Director", bearing in mind the relevant qualifications and experience with technical co-operation, including those benefiting women. The Administrator shall appoint the staff of the Fund in consultation with the Director, pursuant to the Staff Regulations of the United Nations and the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

The Administrator shall delegate the management of the Fund and its administration, including responsibility for the mobilization of resources, to the Director, who shall have the authority to conduct all matters related to its mandate and who shall he accountable directly to the Administrator.

The operations of the Fund shall be conducted taking into account the innovative and catalytic nature of its development co-operation activities for women and its existing criteria and operational procedures. The present procedures of the Fund, including those governing the identification, formulation, approval, appraisal, execution and evaluation of projects established in accordance with the requirements set out in the criteria

adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 311133 and on the advice of the Consultative Committee, shall remain in force. Subiect to the arrangements for the management of the Fund, the regulations, rules and directives of the Umted Nations Development Programme shall be applied to the operations of the Fund.

The resources of the Fund shall be used mainly within two priont, areas: first, to serve as a catalyst, with the goal of ensuring the appropriate involvement of women in mainstream development activities, as often as possible at the pre-investment stages; secondly, to support innovative and experimental activities benefiting women in line with national and regional priorities. Fund resources should be a supplement to and not a substitute for the mandated responsibilities of other United Nations development cooperation organizations and agennes, including the Umted Nations Devel opment Programme.

I 0.

All the administrative and programme support costs of the Fund shall be met from its own resource,

The regional bureaux, other orgamzational urnts and field office, of the United Nations Development Programme shall continue to assist the operations of the Fund, inter alia, by Joint programming missions to ensure the involvement of women in technical co-operation activities financed b; the United Nations Development Programme and by supporting the project cycle activities of projects financed by the Fund. For its part, the Fund shall participate in existing machinenes for co-ordination of technical cooperation at headquarters and field levels.

The proposed bienrnal budget for the admirnstrative costs of the Fund shall be reviewed initially by the Consultative Committee prior to its submission by the Administrator for approval by the Governing Council of the United Nations Developmcn1 Programme

148 Reporr o( !he World ( , ,nfi-rl'IIU' of the [ ·n11ed Na/ions Dc,·adc /or Women: f,'a11ality. Devclopmc and /'race. ( ·openhai:en. 14-30 ]11/1· /980 (United Nations pubhcat1on,;. ,., N,, F.80.I\' 1 and corngendum) ,·hap 1. sect. A Ill fHf l'ONSULTAllVE COMMITTEE AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE FUND TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS The President of the General Assembly shall designate. with due regard for the financing of the Fund from voluntary contributions and to equitable geographical distribution, five Member States to serve on the ( ·onsultative Committee for a penod of three years. Each State member of the Consultative Commmee shall designate a person with relevant expertise and experience in de,·elopment co-operation activities, including those benefiting women, to serve on the Committee. The Committee shall advise the Admmistrator on all matters of policy affecting the activities of the Fund. including the application of the criteria set forth hy the General .\ssembl; in respect of the use of the Fund.

The Fund shall establish and maintain close and continuous workmg relationships with ,nher United Nations organs, m particular the Department of International Economic and Social Alfairs of the Secretariat and its Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs, the regional commissions, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities and the lnternat1onal Research and framing Institute for the Advancement of Women, as well as through the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination with the specialized agencies and other United Nations entitles concerned, in particular the lnternat10nal Fund for Agricultural Development. Co-operation shall also be established for the sharing of information with the Commission on the Status of Women and other relevant global and regional intergovernmental hod1es concerned with development and with women. As appropnatc, the activities of the Fund may be drawn to the attention of the Committee on the Elimination of Discnmination against Women.

IV.

f{ff'ORTING AND AUDITING I i. The Director shall prepare substantive and financial progress reports on the use of th<" Fund for the Administrator to submit to the Consultative Committee.

Taking into account the advice of the Consultative Committee, the Administrator shall submit to the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme an annual report on the operations, management and budget of the Fund. He shall submit a similar report to the General Assembly, to be referred to the Second Committee for rnnsiderat1on of its technical co-operation aspects and also to the Third (·ommittee_ I'. The Commiss10n on the Status of Women shall also be provided with the annual repo11, referred to in paragraph 16 above.

The Administrator shall be responsible for reporting all the financial transactions of the Fund and shall issue annual tinancial statements in accordance with the hnancial Regulations and Rules of the l lnited Nations Development Programme.

The Fund shall be subject to the internal and external auditing procedures provided for under the financial regulations, rules and directives of the Untied Nations Dl'velopment Programme.

149 Resolution 34 I Sil, annc,

1 'iO Resolution .15 5r, annex

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

VI.

Table of contents