In all countries, the United Nations System is headed by the UN Resident Coordinator (UNRC) is the designated representatives of the Secretary-General for development operations.

The UNRC system encompasses all organizations of the United Nations system dealing with operational activities for development, regardless of their formal presence in the country. It aims at bringing together the different UN agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities at the country level.

UN Resident Coordinators are funded and managed by UNDP and lead UN country teams in more than 130 countries. Working closely with national governments, Resident Coordinators and the UN Country Teams advocate the interests and mandates of the UN system while drawing on the support and guidance of the entire UN family.

Coordinating development operations promotes more strategic support for national plans and priorities, makes operations more efficient and reduces transaction costs for governments. This helps the UN to be a more relevant and reliable partner for governments

Technical support to the UNRC is provided by the  UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO) who are the technical support unit for the UN Development Group. DOCO provides the link between UNDG discussions at headquarters and the work of the UN development system at the country level, and helps the group prepare system-wide agreements, policies and guidelines for country offices.