ABSTRACT
This chapter describes where the UN development system (UNDS) came from, how it has evolved up to its contemporary status, and the main functions of its different parts. The circumstances surrounding the UN's foundation encouraged the creation of many separate specialized entities which have come to comprise the UN development system, its largest pillar in terms of both funding and personnel. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) was formed in 1965 as a technical assistance fund through the merger of the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA, 1950) and the Special Fund (1958). EPTA was formally under the authority of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which established the Technical Assistance Committee (TAC) to govern its activities. Under the authority of ECOSOC, there are also eight functional commissions for crime prevention and criminal justice, narcotic drugs, forests, status of women, population and development, science and technology, social development, and statistics.
