New York – The President of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today welcomed the appointment of Achim Steiner as the Organization’s new Administrator. Mr Steiner’s nomination for UNDP Administrator was forwarded by Secretary-General António Guterres to the General...

New York – The following is a statement on behalf of President of the UNDP Executive Board, Ambassador Ib Petersen, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the UN, on the departure of Helen Clark as Administrator of UNDP: “Helen Clark today completes her time as head of the United Nations Development...

UNDP Farewell Party for Helen Clark Statement by M. Abdoulaye Mar DIEYE, UNDP Regional Director New York, 18 April 2017   I have been attending, lately, a series of Farewell parties for Helen Clark. I have heard a bouquet of testimonies on her leadership skills, her political acumen and her phenomenal human touch. No...

Approximately 2.1 million Liberians have registered to vote in the upcoming October 2017 presidential and legislative elections, according to provisional results. Almost half of those registered are women. Voter registration was conducted between 1 February and 14 March 2017. Incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has reached the two-term limit for presidential office, which means a new president will be elected, as well as members of the House of Representatives by the end of 2017.

It is my great pleasure and honor to present this keynote speech at this follow up event to the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on Africa’s development (TICAD VI) on the theme “Achieving the SDGs in Africa through Structural Transformation” that is co-hosted by the Government of Japan, JICA, United...

The Crown Prince is an advocate for UNDP’s efforts to assist Member States achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1- to end poverty in all its forms everywhere. His visit to Liberia is an opportunity to see first-hand the country’s progress in Ebola recovery, in consolidating peace, and plans for taking forward the SDGs.

Abidjan, 31 March 2017 — The second edition of the International Conference on the Emergence of Africa (ICEA) has concluded after three days of discussions on the theme of implementing plans for emergence in Africa. ICEA 2017 began its work on Tuesday, 28 March, after the opening ceremony chaired by H.E....

Abidjan, 29 March 2017 — Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), attended the opening ceremony of the Second Conference on the Emergence of Africa (ICEA) yesterday. The ICEA, the first edition of which was held in Abidjan in March 2015, is intended to be an exchange...

Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator Opening Speech at the Second International Conference on the Emergence of Africa Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire 28 March 2017  I am very pleased to join H.E. Alassane Ouattara, the President of Cote d’Ivoire, in welcoming you to this second International Conference on the Emergence of...

For the first time ever, Africa now has its own legally recognized umbrella grouping of organisations of persons with disabilities (DPOs) to ensure that decisions concerning disabled people are taken with and by persons with disabilities, their families and their organizations at pan- African, sub-regional, national and local levels. The African Disability Forum (ADF) was formally registered on 15 March 2017 by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Eighteenth session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa First Joint Meeting of RCM-Africa and UNDG UN system Support to Harnessing Demographic Dividend through investments in the Youth Dakar, Senegal, 25 March 2017   Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,   I am delighted to be part of this very first...

Millions of people are not benefiting from progress, with the gap set to widen unless deep-rooted development barriers, including discrimination and unequal political participation, are tackled. A quarter-century of impressive human development progress continues to leave many people behind, with systemic, often unmeasured, barriers to catching up. A stronger focus on those excluded and on actions to dismantle these barriers is urgently needed to ensure sustainable human development for all. These are the findings of the Human Development Report 2016, entitled ‘Human Development for Everyone’, released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The report finds that although average human development improved significantly across all regions from 1990 to 2015, one in three people worldwide continue to live in low levels of human development, as measured by the Human Development Index.

Women, girls, youth, the unemployed, people living in rural areas and those in conflict-affected areas are being left behind in myriad ways. Sub-Saharan Africa is losing around a third of human development outcomes - higher than any other developing region – to inequalities in health, education and economic opportunities.

Gambia has long been fraught with deep social and economic inequality. More than 60 percent of its people live in poverty. Data from Gambia Bureau of Statistics indicate that almost 30 percent of the active labor force is unemployed, with slightly higher unemployment rate in the rural areas (31.1 per cent) than the urban area (28.4 per cent). Moreover, unemployment is highest for the youth (39 per cent).

Since December 2016 more than 600 Burundian young women and men wearing t-shirts printed with the message “I commit to peace for my country” have been busy rehabilitating roads, and cleaning and constructing drainage systems in parts of the capital city Bujumbura to help build stronger community ties to reinforce peace.

Lake Tanganyika is one of the world’s natural wonders. Holding about 17 percent of the globe’s surface freshwater, it is also the oldest and the deepest lake in Africa. Bordering four countries (Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Zambia), it offers a source of livelihood for over 10 million people.

Brussels, 14 March 2017 – Persistent insecurity and fragility in the Central African sub-region can only be addressed if national and regional actors, as well as international partners, prioritize peacebuilding and development of border areas, boost citizen’s engagement and participation, and improve governance...

Mr. President of the Republic, Mr. Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Government, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ministers of the Countries represented here, Ladies and Gentlemen, Representatives of the Institutions of the Republic, Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and Heads of Diplomatic Missions, Dear...

United Nations Headquarters, UN Peacebuilding Commission Monday 6 March 2017 United Nations Development Programme Statement by Mr. Abdoulaye Mar DIEYE Regional Director for Africa Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me first thank the PBC Chair for convening this discussion on the heel of the Security Council discussion on...

A new Care2 petition from Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, actor on the HBO series Game of Thrones and goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme, is calling on fathers to unite and empower women and girls by promoting literacy and education around the world. More than 18,000 people have taken the pledge.

Last May, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (USCFR) organized a briefing session on the situation in the Sahel. Among the invited participants, UNDP stressed the need for broad and concerted action to confront the surge in violent extremism and bring development-based solutions to the region affected...

With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) having significantly raised the bar regarding ambition and universality, there is agreement that we have to go well beyond business as usual. Achieving breakthrough progress in these rapidly-changing times requires a new mind-set and different behavior from all of us.

By 2021, 76,651 MWh of electrical energy will be produced through biomass gasification, avoiding 67,070 tons of CO2. Some 500 green jobs will be created in biomass gasifiers, sustainable forest and land management with at least 50% of the jobs created for women. In the meantime, over 5,000 rural households and small commercial/industrial enterprises will be connected to electricity services by the project end.

Johannesburg, South Africa - IBM is investing $70 million in building much-needed digital, cloud, and cognitive IT skills to help support a 21st century workforce in Africa. The initiative, “IBM Digital - Nation Africa”, provides a cloud-based learning platform designed to provide free skills development programs for up to...

Combating illicit financial flows, building up capacities in public administrations and encouraging partnerships with the private sector are some of the initiatives that could be implemented in the fight against corruption. These were some of the solutions offered by panelists who participated in the seventh Maendeleo Policy Forum held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the theme “Corruption as an impediment towards SDGs achievement: What must Africa do?”.

As part of the preparations for the 2nd International Conference on the Emergence of Africa (ICEA) to be held from 28 to 30 March 2017 in Abidjan, the Minister of Planning and Development, Mrs. Kaba Nialé, and the United Nations Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Babacar Cissé, met with...

Efficient conversion technologies and sustainable land management practices save forests and livelihoods.

There are strong arguments for reducing resource-dependence − from declining terms of trade for commodity exports and volatility in their prices to potential weak governance and poor environmental and social safeguards associated with extraction.

Central to the 28th African Union Summit that takes place in Ethiopia this week and to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, to be held on 30-31 January 2017, is this question: How do we harness the dividend from the continent’s current youthful population?

To help address the threat of violent extremism in their regions, 65 Muslim scholars from West and Central Africa have committed to actions that include more transparent mosque management, the participation of women and youth in decision-making processes, and training of religious leaders and institutions to deliver content more effectively.

Mr. President, Members of the Executive Board, Colleagues and friends, I welcome you all to this first regular session of the UNDP Executive Board for 2017. Let me begin by congratulating H.E. Mr. Ib Petersen, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the UN, on his election as President of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS...

Remarks by Ms. Ruby Sandhu-Rojon Deputy Regional Director for Africa at the Joint UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board Mr. President of the UNDP Executive Board, Distinguished Members of the Executive Board, Representatives of the Governments of Botswana and Chad, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,   I am pleased...

Journalist Nourou-Dhine Salouka was awarded with Zimeo Award for Excellence in Reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on 8 December, in Nairobi, Kenya. From Burkina Faso, Salouka won the SDGs Reporting category with his news article about Samandollé, a small village in Burkina Faso that is struggling with scarce water resources and sanitation services.

Since 2014, Cameroon’s security crisis, caused by Boko Haram, has exposed the vulnerabilities and obstacles that undermine integration of disadvantaged groups, especially women and youth. To prevent youth from being radicalised, UNDP trained religious leaders from the Far North Region of Cameroon on how to identify radicalisation and how to speak with radicalised youth.

Since August 2016, South Africans have had the chance to participate in public hearings about how laws passed since 1994, the first year of the African National Congress government, have affected their lives.

"It gives me great pleasure to participate in this important event on “Uganda’s Transformational Approach to Refugees and Host Communities: Dealing with Multiple Vulnerabilities. We are here today to mobilize support for Uganda’s forward-looking and innovative Theory of Change."

National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) have become an integral part of the structure for the human rights protection system in Africa, a report released on 21 October by the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) has shown.

As we mark the International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December, one just needs to peruse the newspaper headlines across Africa to see the continent’s struggle with corruption.

Uganda’s 2015 National Human Development Report has been announced as one of the four winners of the 2016 Awards for Excellence in Human Development Reporting. This was announced by the Human Development Report Office (HDRO) during the 2016 Awards for Excellence in Human Development Reporting for national...

The Governments of Sweden and the Netherlands have made financial contributions of USD 3.3 million and USD 800,000 respectively towards UNDP’s regional initiative on preventing and responding to the growth of violent extremism in Africa through a development lens.

It is a fair to assume agricultural productivity is higher in resource-rich countries. This is because revenues from the sale of oil, gas and minerals can finance the provision of equipment, fertilizer, irrigation, credit and seed to farmers. However, agricultural productivity continues to remain modest in many of...

Developing countries in Africa are among the most affected by climate change impacts, and yet remain among the least prepared to respond or cope when disaster strikes. One of the reasons is the lack of effective climate services, the collective term for collection, analysis, distribution and application of reliable weather, water and climate information used for early warning and to manage a disaster once it has occurred.

At present, in all countries throughout the African continent, "innovation hubs" are being set up with support from UNDP. Such hubs target young people who want to change the world by testing out new approaches and solutions. But how do we innovate?