UN/ECE was set up in 1947 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as one of five regional commissions of the UN.

UN/ECE, through its Transport Division , plays a major role in a large number of transport areas within Europe. To date, over 50 international Transport Agreements and Conventions and over 100 Vehicle Regulations have been negotiated under the auspices of the UN/ECE Inland Transport Committee (ITC) and its subsidiary bodies.

Currently, the UN/ECE is the secretariat for the WP29 , which is pushing for the harmonization of global standards for vehicle regulations.

The UN WP29 was established in 1955 to harmonize European standards. In 1958, WP29 created procedures for establishing uniform regulations regarding motor vehicles, equipment and parts (commonly referred to as the 1958 agreement). The WP29 agreement is now being transformed into a global forum. Recent changes include a name change to World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations and establishment of a process for developing harmonized vehicle regulations through the new 1998 Global Agreement. Both the 1958 and the 1998 agreements can be found here.