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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations organisation. The organisation aims to achieve three things:
Put an end to poverty
Help countries achieve sustainable economic growth
Ensure human development
Organisations like these are working day and night to make the world a better place to live. In this article, we will talk about UNDP in detail.
What is UNDP?
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is part of the United Nations which aims to help countries deal with poverty and wants to build democratic governance, rule of law and inclusive institutions. The organisation firmly believes in change and advocates to connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources. They are headquartered in New York City.
UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to put an end to poverty and inequality. It is the largest UN development aid agency. They help countries develop policies, leadership skills, and institutional capabilities. UNDP also makes the countries adaptable to change. They focus on these 3 areas:
Sustainable development
Democratic governance and peacebuilding
Climate and disaster resilience
UNDP gets its funds entirely from UN member states. The organisation is controlled by a 36-member executive board which is supervised by the administrator.
How was UNDP Founded?
This emerging organisation was founded on 22 November 1965. UNDP was to merge with the 2 organisations:
Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA)
Special Fund. `
The main purpose of EPTA was to focus on the economic and political characteristics of underdeveloped countries. On the other hand, the Special Fund was founded from the idea of a Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development (SUNFED).
Nordic countries were advocates of the controlled funds of the United Nations. Although many of the developed countries like the United States opposed this fund. At that time the United States was worried that the Third World would take the fund. They preferred the fund in the hands of the World Bank. Due to this SUNFED was dropped and the formation of the Special Fund started.
Although this Special Fund wasn’t able to provide capital investment. Simultaneously, the United States proposed the development of the International Development Association. Since both the EPTA and the Special Fund were doing similar work, in 1966 they were merged to form and UNDP was formed.
Functions of UNDP
Democratic Governance
In terms of democratic governance, UNDP provides policy advice and aims to improve the individual capacity within countries. They also try to educate the population on various problems and help them find solutions. To make them understand better UNDP shares the successful examples of other countries. The organisation advocates for democratic reforms, promotes negotiation and dialogue. They try to facilitate harmony on national governance programmes.
Poverty Reduction
To help countries fight poverty, UNDP helps the countries in growing their economy and resources. It encourages debt relief and foreign investment. The organisation makes sure that even the poorest people get the benefit from economic development. The organisation knows the importance of women in our society. They know that if women are not respected and not given equal opportunities, countries won’t develop even a bit. UNDP promotes the role of women in development and creates a healthy relationship between governments. The organisation also connects the countries with NGOs and outside donors. A 2013 report which evaluates the organisation’s efforts in reducing poverty states that the organisation has successfully helped countries develop policies that create a positive impact on the lives of the poor.
Crisis Prevention and Recovery
UNDP aims to reduce the chances of wars and disasters. They believe in helping the countries recover quickly after the crisis has occurred. The organisation works through its country offices and ensures that the government gets help when they need it.
Over the years, UNDP has made several risk reduction programmes. Some of the are as follows:
Constant efforts to control small arms proliferation and
Strategies to reduce the impact of natural disasters.
Many programmes have been launched to prevent violence.
When there was a suspension of most foreign aid to Afghanistan, UNDP took responsibility for providing health services to the country. This funding covered the salaries of over 25,00 professionals who were working hard in the healthcare field.
Environment and Energy
UNDP knows that poor people are affected by environmental degradation. The poor people are mainly affected by not getting essential services like clean water. The organisation seeks to address environmental issues. UNDP provides policy advice to the countries which help them achieve environmental balance. They focus on water supply and sanitation, providing services that ensure protection of the environment and sustainable land management. The organisation puts heavy emphasis on biodiversity. They have made several policies to control emissions of harmful pollutants and ozone-depleting substances.
UNDP’s Role in Coronavirus
During this unfortunate time of coronavirus, UNDP made several efforts to help the countries fight poverty, reduce inequalities and build resilience to crises and shocks. The next step that UNDP took was to make countries think beyond recovery, towards 2030. They encouraged the countries to focus on these 4 areas:
Governance
Social protection
Green economy
Digital disruption
UNDP provided social protection to the poor and made sure that the elderly get their pensions on time. The organisation recognised the importance of small businesses and people who depend on them. They are working with policymakers to establish business continuity insurance for uncertain times.
Conclusion
We hope that you now know what exactly UNDP is and how they function. At its core, the main aim of the organisation is to eliminate poverty and help countries achieve sustainable economic growth. In unfortunate times when countries need help, UNDP is always there to provide them with the necessary help. The organization is constantly recognising problems and finding effective solutions for them.
