Overview

In June 2014 UNDP adopted mandatory Social and Environmental Standards (SES) for all of UNDP’s projects and programmes effective 1 January 2015. The objectives of the Standards are to:

• Strengthen the social and environmental outcomes of UNDP projects;
• Avoid adverse impacts to people and the environment affected by projects;
  
• Minimize, mitigate, and manage adverse impacts where avoidance is not possible;
• Strengthen UNDP and partner capacities for managing social and environmental risks; and
  
• Ensure full and effective stakeholder engagement, including through a mechanism to respond to complaints from project-affected people.

The Standards will be underpinned by an Accountability Mechanism with two key components:

1) A Compliance Review to respond to claims that UNDP is not in compliance with applicable environmental and social policies; and

2) A Stakeholder Response Mechanism (SRM) that ensures individuals, peoples, and communities affected by projects have access to appropriate grievance resolution procedures for hearing and addressing project-related complaints and disputes.

The Social and Environmental Compliance Unit (SECU) investigates alleged non-compliance with UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards and Screening Procedure from project-affected stakeholders and recommends measures to address findings of non-compliance.

The Stakeholder Response Mechanism helps project-affected stakeholders, UNDP’s partners (governments, NGOs, businesses) and others jointly address grievances or disputes related to the social and/or environmental impacts of UNDP-supported projects.

Affected people have a choice: They can ask SECU to pursue a compliance review examining UNDP’s compliance with UNDP social and environmental commitments, they can attempt to resolve complaints and disputes through the Stakeholder Response Mechanism or they can ask both for compliance review and for an effort to resolve their concerns­­.

Where to File a Request

Efforts are currently underway to establish an online request form as well as a toll-free telephone hotline for both SECU and the SRM.

In the meantime, please submit all SECU and SRM requests, and general inquiries to project.concerns@undp.org. For assistance in submitting your request, you may download and attach to your request email this form.

SRM requests may also be made through the UNDP Country Office in the country where the requestor lives. Please find information about UNDP Country Offices on the UNDP Homepage.