In 2016, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will celebrate its 50th anniversary. UNDP came into being in 1966 as a merger of two predecessors: the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance, and the United Nations Special Fund. Today, fifty years later, UNDP is as relevant as ever: leading the UN development system in over 170 countries and territories and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. To mark the occasion, UNDP is hosting a Ministerial Meeting on 24 February 2016. Ministers from all UN Member States are invited.