The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

Working on the ground in some 170 countries and territories, supporting their own solutions to development challenges and developing national and local capacities that will help them achieve human development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNDP helps countries attract and use aid effectively. In all their activities, UNDP promote gender equality and the protection of human rights.

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UNDP’s Strategic Plan (2018-2021) has been designed to be responsive to the wide diversity of the countries. The diversity is reflected in three broad development contexts:  

1 Eradicating poverty

2 Structural transformations

3 Building resilience.

To respond to these issues, and better focus its resources and expertise to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, UNDP has identified a set of approaches that is called Signature Solutions.

Signature Solutions are integrated responses to development against which is aligned with resources and expertise, to make real impact.

1. Keeping people out of POVERTY
2. GOVERNANCE for peaceful, just, and inclusive societies
3. Crisis prevention and increased RESILIENCE
4. ENVIRONMENT: nature-based solutions for development
5. Clean, affordable ENERGY
6. Women’s empowerment and GENDER equality

Each Solution includes a mix of policy advice, technical assistance, finance, and programmes. Each solution has the potential to unlock the path to sustainable development. But no one solution will succeed on its own. All of them are needed to achieve the SDGs.

Programmes of UNDP:

To achieve  Sustainable development  goals : The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an ambitious, universal and holistic agenda. UNDP promotes an integrated approach that tackles the connected issues of multidimensional poverty, inequality and exclusion, and sustainability, while enhancing knowledge, skills and production technologies to enlarge peoples’ choices, reduce risks and sustain development gains.

1. a) Equator Initiative: The Equator Initiative provides opportunities for indigenous peoples and local communities around the world to address the challenges of land degradation, biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement in a socially equitable manner
2. b) Ocean action Hub: The Ocean Action Hub is an open, interactive website providing information and promoting action globally to implement and achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life below Water before 2020.

c)Business Call to action: Aims to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by challenging companies to develop inclusive business models that engage people at the base of the economic pyramid (BoP) – people with less than US$10 per day in purchasing power in 2015 US dollars – as consumers, producers, suppliers, distributors of goods and services and employees.

d)Green Commodities Program: Launched in 2009, today expanded to  eleven countries to help address the sustainability problems of vital commodities such as palm oil, cocoa, coffee, pineapple, fisheries, soy and beef, focusing specifically on:

• Multi-stakeholder Dialogue
• Enabling Environment
• Farmer Support

1. e) BioFin: The biodiversity finance initiative: BIOFIN was initiated in response to the urgent global need to divert more finance from all possible sources towards global and national biodiversity goals, as highlighted during the 2010 CBD COP 10 in Nagoya.
2. f) UN REDD Programme: The UN-REDD Programme supports nationally led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation.
3. g) UNDP-UNEP Poverty  initiative : a global programme that supports country-led efforts to put pro-poor, pro-environment objectives into the heart of government by mainstreaming poverty-environment objectives into national development and sub-national development planning, from policymaking to budgeting, implementation and monitoring.

f)PAGE: The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) was launched in 2013 as a response to the call at Rio+20 to support those countries wishing to embark on greener and more inclusive growth trajectories.Brings together 5 UN  agencies UN Environment,ILO,UNDP,UN Industrial development organisation and UN institute of training and research whose mandate , expertise and network can offer integrated solutions,

1. i) Tax Inspector  without borders: The objective of the TIWB Initiative is to enable sharing of tax audit knowledge and skills with tax administrations in developing countries through a targeted, real time “learning by doing” approach. Selected experts will work with local tax officials directly on current audits and audit-related issues concerning international tax matters and general audit practices relevant for specific cases. This is a specialized area of tax audit assistance, given its focus on providing assistance on real, current cases.

2)Democratic governance  and peace initiative : support the peaceful resolution of conflicts, promote the rule of law and access to justice, citizen security and human rights

1.   a) Youth  for Peace  : The Youth4Peace Global Knowledge Portal, launched in October 2016, supports the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and Security and serves the needs of young peace builders, decision-makers, researchers, development practitioners and other stakeholders, by providing a one-stop-shop for generating, accessing and sharing knowledge to promote and support young people’s participation in peace building.
2. b) EC-UNDP Joint task  force for electoral assistance : Provides  assistance

3)  Climate resilience  and disaster initiatives

        a)UNDP Climate change adaptation : UNDP promotes climate resilient infrastructure and energy by making energy more environmentally sustainable, affordable and accessible, and by promoting climate-smart infrastructure.

1.    b)  Preparing  Airports for disaster
2. c) Capacity  for disaster reduction initiative : The Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI) is a global partnership composed of 15 UN and non-UN organizations that works towards strengthening countries’ capacities to prevent, manage and recover from the impact of disasters. The CADRI Partnership draws upon the diversity of expertise of its members to offers a unique combination of knowledge, experience and resources to support countries implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

4)  Gender  Equality  :

1. a) Gender Equality Seal for Public and Private Organizations  : To close persistent gender gaps in the workplace, UNDP is supporting public and private organizations to implement a Gender Equality Seal Programme. Through the Seal Programme, UNDP provides government partners with tools, guidance and specific assessment criteria to ensure successful implementation and certification.
2.  b) Barefoot College  Women Solar Engineers: Women Solar Engineer” initiative is to build local capacity and electrify poor, “off-the-grid” communities with clean, low-cost solar energy. As such, the project is uniquely positioned to address multiple development goals at once

Programmes in India  :

1)Inclusive  development :

1.     a)  DISHA :  Creating employment   and entrepreneurship opportunities for  women in India
2. b) Strengthening  National capacities in tribal areas
3. c) Strengthening  NYKSS and NSS

2) Strengthening  access to system and institutions :

1. a) Improving Efficiency of Vaccination Systems in Multiple States: In partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, UNDP aims to support the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) through designing and implementing an Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN), and strengthening the evidence base for improved policy-making in vaccine delivery, procurement and planning for new antigens. Integrating innovation with health care, eVIN aims to strengthen the vaccine supply chain to ensure equity in vaccine availability.

b)Increasing  access to Justice :

Access of justice to poor  women , SC/ST and minorities  through developing strategies and initiatives  that address the barriers they face while accessing justice.

3 ) Environment  and energy

• Access to clean energy :  To develop market for renewable energy , technology packages  for rural livelihoods in Assam , Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.

1. Secure  Himalaya: to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan ecosystem, while enhancing the lives and livelihoods of local communities. Implemented by  GoI along with GEF and UNDP.

Note : This is exhaustive list of programmes  to help you in revision also to nudge you to  read more about these initiatives

Conclusion

UNDP thus  is few years  since its start has  helped countries across world to   build sustainable communities and achieve  targets.