United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Millennium Development Goals

One of the most important tasks of UNDP is to help countries reach the Millennium Development Goals that world leaders pledged to achieve during the 1990s world summits. The goals entail improvement in democratic governance, poverty reduction, crisis prevention and recovery, environment and energy policies, and human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) issues by 2015. UNDP's respective aim is to link to and coordinate the national, regional, and global efforts to reach these goals, which is mainly achieved through building institutional capacity and establishing policies and programs that would improve countries' economic, social, and political systems. As one of the cornerstones of the United Nations (UN), protection of human rights and gender equality are similarly the focus of UNDP's programs and policies.

While UNDP's network provides resources and aid to countries in need, the organization likewise monitors the use of those resources and grants. The organization provides innovative measurement and analysis tools as well as policy proposals to enhance change and improvement in key developmental issues. The annual Human Development Report commissioned by UNDP, as well as respective country representatives, are the instruments that ensure the most effective use of resources, funding, and recommendations provided by the UN and other international organizations.

One of the essential aims of UNDP is crisis prevention and recovery, which involves restoring quality of life issues that have been devastated by natural disasters or violent conflicts. This function is performed by the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), which was established in 2001 by UNDP's Executive Board. As the main entity responsible for crisis situations under UNDP, the BCPR links humanitarian agencies and organizations responding during and after emergencies, as well as those acting in the long run during the recovery and development phase. Operating in about 100 countries, the Bureau seeks to restore stability, prevent further disasters and conflicts, and provide an environment and opportunities for secure business.

UNDP's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery works toward establishment of sustainable peace and basic living conditions through response and recovery phases in the immediate aftermath and long-term recovery period of disasters. This goal is achieved through provision of leadership and technical expertise, creation of crisis and disaster partnerships, establishment and implementation of crisis policies and programs, and advocacy for awareness and sensitivity of crises and disasters when dealing with long-term developmental initiatives. The specific issues handled by the bureau are as follows: armed violence prevention; mine action; small arms and light weapons control; disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration; conflict prevention; early recovery; economic recovery; gender equality; natural disasters; rule of law, justice and security; and state building.

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