Governance and Funding

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) was created in 1966 by the UN General Assembly. It is an autonomous, voluntarily funded UN organization, affiliated with the UN Development Programme.

While UNCDF is an autonomous organization, since 1967, the UNDP Administrator has also held the role of Managing Director of UNCDF, with the Executive Secretary taking primary responsibility for overseeing UNCDF’s day-to-day operations and programs.

Similar to UNDP, UNCDF receives contributions from member states and international development partners. The financial architecture of UNCDF is comprised of core voluntary contributions, flexible non-core funding, and earmarked funds. In the past decade, UNCDF's annual financing has more than doubled.

UN General Assembly Resolutions

These UN General Assembly resolutions establish the founding framework for UNCDF and the work it carries out

GA 2186 — 13/12/1966

The UN General Assembly decides to bring into operation the UN Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly, as an autonomous organization within the UN.

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GA 2321 — 15/12/1967

The UN Secretary-General is invited to ask the Administrator of UNDP to administer UNCDF by performing the functions of the Managing Director.

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GA 3122 — 13/12/1973

The UN General Assembly decides on the feasibility of using the United Nations Capital Development Fund first and foremost for the least developed among the developing countries.

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The UNDP Executive Board also functions as the UNCDF Executive Board. The Executive Board, officially the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board, consists of 36 member states from regional groupings that serve on a rotating basis and meet three times per year. About two-thirds of the Executive Board is comprised of programme countries, while the remaining third is made up of donor countries.

The Executive Board is subordinate to the Economic and Social Council and, ultimately, the United Nations General Assembly.

Similar to UNDP, UNCDF receives contributions from member states and international development partners. These resources enable UNCDF to deliver catalytic capital and deploy blended finance instruments in support of sustainable development across the Least Developed Countries and other frontier markets.

The financial architecture of UNCDF is comprised of core voluntary contributions, flexible non-core funding, and earmarked funds.