Climate change and violent extremism will be two of the major threats to the stability of states and societies in the next decades. In many countries in the continent (Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, etc.) climate change has significantly increased instability by over-stretching the already limited capacity of governments to respond.

UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa held the New York launch of its 2016 Africa Human Development Report (AfHDR) on “Accelerating Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa” on Tuesday 15 November 2016.

Taking place from 7-18 November in Marrakech, COP22 focuses on turning ambition into action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

UNDP Africa Regional Managers began their Annual Cluster Meeting in Malabo, following a two day retreat of the Regional Bureau's Senior Economists in the same city. The meeting will focus on UNDP’s strategic repositining in a context of dwindling development assistance and of economic slowdown.

Helen Clark, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Chair of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), will travel Equatorial Guinea from 1 to 4 November 2016.

14 African countries contributing 1.29 percent of total global emissions, and top emitters such as the United States of America, China and India were among the 75 states that helped secure the deal’s entry into force by covering 58.2 percent of total emissions. As of 25 October 2016, 16 African countries have ratified the Agreement, committing to take bold national actions to address climate change and its effects.

The progressive movement of populations to cities and towns represents a fundamental change in global development, requiring a similarly fundamental response.

More than 30 judges from 14 African countries convened in Johannesburg, South Africa 15–17 June this year for the third annual Regional Judges’ Forum to discuss HIV and tuberculosis (TB)-related jurisprudence as part of an ongoing initiative to sensitise senior judges and uphold the rights of people living with HIV in Africa.

One year after the July 2015 International Ebola Recovery Conference organized at the United Nations, Guinea signaled its willingness to turn the Ebola page by announcing the creation of a National Post-Ebola Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund (PERRTF).

African countries will need better data, statistics, and policy coordination to ensure successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and congruence with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

The newly released Africa Human Development Report 2016 finds that the gender gap is jeopardizing the continent's efforts for inclusive human development and economic growth.

The two-day sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) VI in Nairobi, Kenya ended Sunday 28 August with the adoption of the Nairobi Declaration, a three-year plan to promote structural economic transformation, resilient healthcare systems and social stability for shared prosperity.

Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), visited Cameroon on 29-30 August 2016. She arrived in the country in a context where the number of displaced persons and refugees in the region of the Far North continues to increase. The main cause of this growth is a resurgence of attacks by Boko Haram in this area of the country.

“Africa’s large youth population presents an enormous opportunity for development", said Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). “Harnessing the potential of Africa’s youth by investing in education, skills development, and other social initiatives can reap enormous dividends and spur the continent’s development.”

International investment has helped Zambia, like many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, become more integrated into the global economy over recent years. Inward investment flows have doubled since 2008 and Zambia has even started to generate some modest foreign direct investment outflows.

Helen Clark visited Marsabit and spoke with the communities there and with people like Magge who hope there will be no return to the conflicts which had such an impact on the well-being of mothers, children, and young people.

There is a “Made in Africa” movement in the continent. The movement espouses growth in the manufacturing sector as the major driver of development. How is this movement doing so far?

In the last 12 years, UNDP in Africa has invested into innovative programmes that produced encouraging results, incentives, and insights on how the private sector can contribute to inclusive growth through inclusive businesses and markets. UNDP’s long term goal in this area is to foster Africa’s capacity to produce and grow in line with the African Union Agenda 2063 and the universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Social protection programmes are among the most successful development experiences the world has seen in recent years. They have proven to be key in developing countries' efforts to fight poverty and hunger, as demonstrated by the substantial progress made in poverty reduction through the adoption and expansion of social protection schemes in countries such as Brazil, Ethiopia and Senegal.

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on September 25, 2015, at the 70th United Nations General Assembly marked the beginning of the difficult task of translating the new global agenda into action.