A world of development experience
UNDP works in more than 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.
World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP's network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these Goals.
We focus on helping countries build and share solutions in three main areas:
In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women, minorities and the poorest and most vulnerable.
The annual Human Development Report, commissioned by UNDP, focuses the global debate on key development issues, providing new measurement tools, innovative analysis and often controversial policy proposals. The global Report's analytical framework and inclusive approach carry over into regional, national and local Human Development Reports, also supported by UNDP.
In each country office, the UNDP Resident Representative normally also serves as the Resident Coordinator of development activities for the United Nations system as a whole. Through such coordination, UNDP seeks to ensure the most effective use of UN and international aid resources.
UNDP also administers the UN Capital Development Fund, that helps developing countries grow their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants and loans; and UN Volunteers, which fields over 6,000 volunteers from 160 countries in support of peace and development through volunteerism worldwide.
Changing with the world:
UNDP Strategic Plan 2014-2017
With the changing world as the backdrop, and building on our core strengths, our vision is focused on making the next big breakthrough in development: to help countries achieve the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.
Download the document (PDF, 4Mb)Leadership
Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in 2009, and is the first woman to lead the organization. She is also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group.
Results at a glance
In 2013, our programmes helped:
Create 6.5 million jobs
Broaden access to justice in 117 countries
Build resilience in 14 crisis-affected regions
Conduct elections with 43 million newly registered voters
Make social protection inclusive for 15 million people
Balance natural resource use for 250 million hectares
UNDP brochure
We act on three fronts to achieve development that is sustainable, inclusive and resilient.
UNDP in action 2014
Our Annual Report spotlights results from actions across core dimensions of development, from jobs and food security, to well-run elections, to crisis recovery, to the management of finite natural resources.
