The Environment Management Group was established in 2001 pursuant to the General Assembly resolution 53/242, paragraph 5, which supported the proposal of the Secretary-General to establish an environmental management group for the purpose of enhancing United Nations system-wide inter-agency coordination related to specific issues in the field of environment and human settlements. The work of the EMG is determined by consensus of the 51 Member Agencies who gather at the annual Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) and its respective technical segment, in the margins of the UN General Assembly. Mid-term meetings are also held to update Members on progress made by the EMG.