The UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) brings together the executive heads of 29 UN System programmes and specialized agencies, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to deliver as one at the global, regional and country levels. It is the prime instrument for coordination of UN inter-governmental bodies on social, economic and related matters.

The CEB supports and reinforces the coordinating role of intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations. Most importantly, the CEB facilitates the UN system's collective response to global challenges, such as climate change and the global financial crisis.

Under the chairmanship of the United Nations Secretary-General, the executive heads meet twice a year to consider policy and management issues impacting organizations of the United Nations system.

As the only UN agency with headquarters in Spain, UNWTO is the official host of the spring meeting of the CEB taking place in Madrid. The meeting coincides with the year of the tenth anniversary of the World Tourism Organization becoming a fully-fledged UN agency, and hence the UN lead agency in Spain.