The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was established in 1965 through a merger of the United Nations Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance and the United Nations Special Fund.

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. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.

In 2000, at the Millennium Summit, world leaders 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. Our focus is on helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of:

Democratic Governance. More countries than ever before are working to build democratic governance. Their challenge is to develop institutions and processes that are more responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens, including the poor. UNDP brings people together within nations and around the world, building partnerships and sharing ways to promote participation, accountability and effectiveness at all levels. We help countries strengthen their electoral and legislative systems, improve access to justice and public administration, and develop a greater capacity to deliver basic services to those most in need.

Poverty Reduction. Through the Millennium Development Goals, the world is addressing the many dimensions of human development, including the halving by 2015 of the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. Developing countries are working to create their own national poverty eradication strategies based on local needs and priorities. UNDP advocates for these nationally-owned solutions and helps ensure their effectiveness. We sponsor innovative pilot projects; connect countries to global best practices and resources; promote the role of women in development; and bring governments, civil society and outside funders together to coordinate their efforts.

Crisis Prevention and Recovery. Many countries are increasingly vulnerable to violent conflicts or natural disasters that can erase decades of development and further entrench poverty and inequality. Through its global network, UNDP seeks out and shares innovative approaches to crisis prevention, early warning and conflict resolution. And UNDP is on the ground in almost every developing country -- so wherever the next crisis occurs, we will be there to help bridge the gap between emergency relief and long-term development.

Energy and Environment. Energy and environment are essential for sustainable development. The poor are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and lack of access to clean affordable energy services. These issues are also global as climate change, loss of biodiversity and ozone layer depletion cannot be addressed by countries acting alone. UNDP helps countries strengthen their capacity to address these challenges at global, national and community levels, seeking out and sharing best practices, providing innovative policy advice and linking partners through pilot projects that help poor people build sustainable livelihoods.

Information and Communications Technology. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is an increasingly powerful tool for participating in global markets; promoting political accountability; improving the delivery of basic services; and enhancing local development opportunities. But without innovative ICT policies, many people in developing countries - especially the poor - will be left behind. UNDP helps countries draw on expertise and best practices from around the world to develop strategies that expand access to ICT and harness it for development. Working in 166 countries, UNDP also relies on ICT solutions to make the most effective use of its own global network.

Energy and Environment. Natural resources degradation - including water contamination, air pollution and desertification - hits the poor the hardest. Poor people, especially women, are also the ones in greatest need of access to clean affordable energy. UNDP is leading the United Nations effort to build national capacity for the sustainable management of energy and natural resources by promoting global best practices and supporting catalytic interventions.

HIV/AIDS. To prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and reduce its impact, developing countries need to mobilize all levels of government and civil society. As a trusted development partner, UNDP advocates for placing HIV/AIDS at the centre of national planning and budgets; helps build national capacity to manage initiatives that include people and institutions not usually involved with public heath; and promotes decentralized responses that support community-level action. Because HIV/AIDS is a world-wide problem, UNDP supports these national efforts by offering knowledge, resources and best practices from around the world.

UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women.

Capacity 21 was launched by UNDP at UNCED in 1992 to assist countries in building capacity to achieve sustainable development through their National Agendas 21. Ten years later, an independent evaluation of Capacity 21 recognized its success and recommended a second, broader phase to address local level economic needs. As a result, UNDP launched Capacity 2015 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. Capacity 2015 is a demand driven initiative which will work in partnership with donors, UN agencies, civil society, government and private sector to assist developing and transitional countries to achieve sustainable development and to meet and surpass the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by: 1) addressing capacity development needs at the community level; 2) facilitating local and national partnerships amongst the civil society, private and public sector; 3) ensure strong synergies among capacity development initiatives, particularly those related to multilateral environment agreements, poverty reduction strategies and sustainable development strategies; 4) provide support infrastructure to enable information exchange to facilitate efficient programme implementation and collective learning; and 5) develop capacities for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address issues of social, economic and environmental vulnerability. For further info go to www.undp.org/capacity2015

Our extensive advocacy work includes commissioning the annual Human Development Report and supporting hundreds of regional, national and local human development reports. These provide new measurement tools and in-depth analyses that spur policy debates on pressing issues, drawing political attention and prompting action on all levels. The HDRs advocate a shift in the development debate away from a sole concern with economic growth towards a balanced concern for equity, sustainability, empowerment and productivity. Since the first Report, four new composite indices for human development have been developed-the Human Development Index, the Gender-related Development Index, the Gender Empowerment Measure, the Human Poverty Index and in 2001, the Technology Achievement Index.

In addition to managing its core programmes, UNDP is charged with administering several special purpose funds.

The UNDP Drylands Development Centre, formerly the UN Office to Combat Desertification an Drought, is the central entity within UNDP responsible for spearheading and supporting UNDP's work in desertification control and dryland management in all affected programme countries.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), jointly managed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and the UN Environment Programme, promotes global environmental benefits in the context of sustainable development by funding projects in the areas of biodiversity, climate change, ozone layer depletion, international waters, land degradation and persistent organic pollutants. During its first decade, GEF allocated $4.5 billion in grants, supplemented by more than $13 billion in additional financing. UNDP's portfolio to date is over $1.4 billion, with $2 billion in additional financing, and contains nearly 1,000 projects encompassing enabling activities, medium-sized projects and full projects in over 140 countries. UNDP also manages the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), which has been allocated over $117.35 million in funding, and $65.66 million by other partners in cash and in-kind. The SGP supports community-based projects in the GEF thematic areas, and has reached more than 4,000 communities, funding almost 3,000 projects since its inception.

Through its Division for Business Partnerships in the Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships, UNDP is placing special emphasis on assisting developing countries in creating and strengthening opportunities for growth of their private sector.

UNDP also administers the following associated funds and programmes:

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)-formerly Voluntary Fund for the UN Decade for Women-works in autonomous association with UNDP. UNIFEM's efforts are geared towards promoting women's human rights as well as women's political, economic and social empowerment . UNIFEM has taken a global lead in combating violence against women, highlighting the special challenges HIV/AIDS poses for women, and supporting women's groups in their efforts to gain a full place in efforts to end conflict and promote peace. For more information go to www.unifem.org.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), was established in 1966 to provide small-scale investments, primarily in the least developed countries (LDCs). A member of the UNDP group, the Fund works on issues related to local governance and microfinance, helping countries reach the international commitments made in the Programme of Action for the LDCs, as well as the MDGs. In local governance, UNCDF pilots small-scale, decentralized public investments with elected local governments. These leverage international, national and local resources, helping pave the way for replication on a larger scale. In microfinance, while UNCDF's own investments are concentrated in the LDCs, the fund's Special Unit for Microfinance offers technical support throughout all countries where UNDP is active. For more information: www.uncdf.org.