The 65th General Assembly in session

From now on, the governing body will be known as the 'Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Office for Project Services’ reflecting the three UN bodies it supervises.

The General Assembly adopted the decision to include UNOPS in the Executive Board’s title at its 65th session in December 2010, in accordance with the recommendations of the Economic and Social Council and the wishes of 192 member states of the United Nations.

In resolution 2010/23 the Assembly also reaffirmed UNOPS mandate “as a central resource for the United Nations system in procurement and contracts management as well as in civil works and physical infrastructure development, including the related capacity development activities.”

The resolution recognized the “potential for value-adding contributions that the United Nations Office for Project Services can make in providing efficient, cost-effective services to partners in the areas of project management, human resources, financial management and common/shared services.”

The Assembly also endorsed earlier decisions of the Executive Board concerning the new governance structure of UNOPS. The Executive Director now reports directly to the UN Secretary-General and the Executive Board, and has the authority to sign host country agreements and appoint UNOPS representatives in the field.

The range of partners to which UNOPS may provide services was also endorsed, including the United Nations, its agencies, funds and programmes, international financial institutions, governments, intergovernmental organizations,  non-governmental organizations, foundations and the private sector.

UNOPS Executive Director Jan Mattsson said: “Our governance structure is now clear and transparent, and our role firmly established in the UN family.”

He added: “The unqualified external audit opinion for the biennium 2008-2009 we received earlier this year is proof of the progress we have made and of our commitment to quality.”

The current Executive Board was formed by the General Assembly in 1993 to comprise the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UNOPS separated from UNDP in 1994 to become a separate independent entity. There is already a separate UNOPS segment during Board sessions.