Check out our new Virtual Reality Film that transports you to life in the hills of rural Nepal, where 14-year-old Sabita and her family struggle to return to the life they knew before the 2015 Nepal Earthquake.

Last week, Haoliang Xu, UNDP Director for Asia-Pacific, and Douglas Keh, UNDP Afghanistan Country Director, spoke with the Chinese Global TV Network (CGTN) about how UNDP can facilitate the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and create synergies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Afghanistan and the region.

More than 50 young parliamentarians from Asia-Pacific countries have gathered in Sri Lanka today and tomorrow to discuss their role in advancing inclusive and peaceful societies and preventing violent extremism in the region.

On the anniversary of the murder of two LGBTI activists by extremists in Bangladesh, participants at a global Conference on the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity reaffirmed that the Principles remain as relevant today as when they were released 10 years ago.

As little as a $20 donation will go a long way in making a difference.

Ground Beneath Her is a virtual reality film that showcases the struggle of 14-year-old Sabita. More than a year after the earthquake, Sabita must balance the pain of picking up the pieces after the devastating quake and fulfilling the everyday duties of a fractured home, all while trying to keep her dreams for her future alive.

Sabita did not notice anything unusual, until she heard her mother’s screams.

New York – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ofo, a Beijing-based start-up company that has become the world’s first and largest bike sharing platform, are joining forces to raise public awareness about climate change.

If finance ministries are able to track how strongly a particular budgetary proposal aligns with the nationally-adopted SDG targets, prioritising spending becomes easier. Countries can assign bigger weights to those SDGs that are more relevant to country’s national priorities.

Some 400 million people in Asia and the Pacific still confront poverty as part of their daily lives due to widening income inequality, despite the region’s impressive gains in reducing income poverty in recent decades, according to a new report launched today by UN ESCAP, ADB and UNDP in a forum in Bangkok, Thailand.

Do you know someone who deserves recognition for their work on peace or conflict-prevention in their community? Nominate him or her for the 2017 N-Peace Awards.

A special edition of top-up cards to promote the Sustainable Development Goals in Papua New Guinea is being released next month as part of a new partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and bmobile-vodafone.

Disparate progress in South and East Asia and the Pacific due to discrimination towards women, ethnic minorities and populations in remote areas, says the Human Development Report 2016 launched on March 21.

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.

Human development is all about human freedoms: freedom to realize the full potential of every human life, not just of a few, nor of most, but of all lives in every corner of the world—now and in the future. Such universalism gives the human development approach its uniqueness.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Embassy of Sweden today signed a 90 million Krona (approx. US$10 million) partnership to strengthen the governance of climate change finance and budgeting in Asia and the Pacific.

Three-way partnership set to contribute to disaster risk reduction around the world by building a new infrastructure for data storage, sharing and analysis

The #Case4Space photo competition is aimed at raising awareness and advocating for civic space in Asia-Pacific through photography.

The objective of the meeting is to shape UNDP’s strategy as a sustainable development advisor and service provider in Asia and the Pacific. The meeting will hold a series of sessions focused on formulating our contribution to SDGs implementation, and covering topics such as social, economic and political megatrends in the region (in cooperation with the Economist Intelligence Unit), innovation, and the future of development finance. The meeting is attended by senior managers of the 24 UNDP Country Offices in Asia-Pacific, the Regional Hub in Bangkok and Headquarters, and high-level government and business representatives. The web page will feature key documents, video interviews and podcasts from the 2017 Regional Management Meeting. You can follow the meeting on social media from 6-10 March under #RBAPfuture.

The Maldives, one of the most stunning yet fragile nations on earth, faces the growing threat from rising sea levels and coastal storms. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and DJI are using drones to help island communities prepare for and respond to disasters.

As the global development architecture continues to change, UNDP is evolving from a donor into an advisor and development service provider;

To mark International Women’s Day and the 61st Commission on the Status of Women 2017, the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub launched an online campaign, #Champions4Equality, to galvanize support and momentum around Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Reducing harmful alcohol use, and improving diet and nutrition in Bhutan were among key areas focused on by the first joint mission to the country by the United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

As a girl in school or as a woman at work, we face not only glass ceilings, but glass walls that try to box us in. We are confined within a box of traditional and societal norms, which is more difficult to change than introducing a new equal opportunity law.

On 8 February 2017 the UNDP’s Global Centre for Public Service Excellence (GCPSE) hosted one Head of State (the President of Nauru, Baron Waqa), three Heads of Government (the Prime Ministers of Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga), Foreign Ministers from the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu), Minister of Natural Resources from Niue, Minister of Home Affairs from Tuvalu, Minister of State for Timor-Leste, Minister of Finance of Palau.

Public health responses that are inclusive of all segments of society, particularly the most vulnerable populations, are crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This was one of the key messages coming out of the 2017 Prince Mahidol Award Conference, a global public health gathering held from 29 January - 3 February 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand.

I love drones. I have one that I fly when I want to de-stress. Little did I know when I bought it that I could actually ‘’play with it’’ at work! It all started about a year ago. As the senior advisor on disaster risk management at UNDP, I was intrigued to explore how new technology and innovation could support my work. My agency’s strong focus on innovation in the Asia-Pacific region, has resulted in some really interesting and out of the box initiatives. Some of them include, mobile apps on anti-corruption in Papua New Guinea, recovery and rebuilding in earthquake affected Nepal, and electronic waste recycling in China. So I started thinking about how we could apply technology to our work in reducing risk from disasters. What are the problems we need to address in the next few years? My team and I worked with a foresight platform to design a survey where we asked these questions. We found that very few disaster practitioners actually knew what technologies were being used for disaster response. I saw this as a great opportunity. We brought together disaster management practitioners and innovation experts at a regional conference in Bangkok to ideate – brainstorm on problems we face and how innovation could potentially help solve them. And that resulted in our conversation with DJI, the leading drone company from China. Explaining what we were trying to do to enhance disaster preparedness in the Maldives – one of the most vulnerable to risks from climate change in the world – was an exercise in learning to better articulate our problems. Eighty per cent of the islands are at an elevation of one metre above sea level. Rising sea levels threaten large scale submersion of many of these islands. So risk maps are an important source of data as visual images of the same area taken over time, or before and after a disaster, can help identify changes to physical vulnerability thereby providing much needed evidence for decision making. Maps can help design actions that need to be taken to protect people and their livelihoods from the hazards of climate change.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today honoured 17 ‘Panda Champions for the Global Goals’ at a ceremony to appoint them as advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the world.

A recent study in Viet Nam shows that on average 30 percent of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) respondents reported being denied employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Indonesia has one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation. Efforts to slow down the loss of tree cover have included a moratorium on the clearing of certain primary forests and peatlands, but limited law enforcement capacity has hampered progress. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working with the Government of Indonesia under the UN’s Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) scheme, funded by the Norwegian government, to tackle deforestation by improving livelihoods around the forests. Communities in and around forest areas often have no choice but to cut the trees to sell the timber, or clear the forest to make way for plantations. But the livelihood programs give people alternative sources of income so they do not only refrain from clearing the forest, but also help in protecting the forest.

UNDP was awarded the Royal Order of Sahametrei, Tepidin Class (Commander of the Order) from the Royal Government of Cambodia for its major effort to the country’s environmental conservation and protection. The Order was founded by the late King Norodom Sihanouk in 1948. It is the highest ranking medal conferred to foreigners for their distinguished service to Cambodia.

UNDP Lao PDR has taken UXO Lao's 20th anniversary as an opportunity to produce UNDP's first Virtual Reality film and put the viewer right into the field, with a demining team. Through the power of virtual reality, we witness the extreme work of this team, and follow Saysamone, the team leader and her crew.

Jointly hosted by a number of leading UN agencies and civil society organisations, the forum, #Case4Space: Youth at the Heart of the SDGs, saw vibrant discussions on the trend of shrinking “civic space” both online and offline in the region, poor rates of parliamentary representation for youth, and the lack of voice in society that undermines the commonly voiced notion of young people as the “leaders of tomorrow.”

Over the past few years, with support from the UN-REDD Viet Nam Phase 2 Programme, the government of Viet Nam has been developing ideas on each of these elements. Careful analyses of the unique circumstances of Viet Nam have led to a number of very significant recent developments that promise to ensure that Viet Nam continues to be seen as a regional leader in implementing REDD+.

How we are supporting governments to better manage financial flows that can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the nation's own development plans.

At the fifth Responsible Business Forum, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today called on business leaders to take a greater role in the new development era in order to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This Forum, opened in Singapore by UNDP and Global Initiatives, aims to address a sea change in the nature of development funding by creating a new partnership for sustainable development.

While foreign funding (Official Development Assistance) is still essential for the development system, it now accounts for 0.7 percent of total financial flows in Asia-Pacific (down from 13.5 percent in 1990), while domestic public and private finance accounts for 89 percent, according to a UNDP report launched last month.

It is one year since every country in the world signed up to the Sustainable Development Goals. They form a blueprint for addressing the most significant challenges facing our planet and its people. Challenges like climate change. This is likely to be the hottest year on record and here in Asia, climate change is a cause of the natural disasters that have claimed half a million lives in the last decade. Challenges like inequality, which has been growing for four-fifths of Asia-Pacific’s population over the last 20 years. Challenges brought on by the accelerating process of ageing, which will make it harder for many Asian states to provide basic services to their people. The 17 SDGs will address these challenges and other interlinked issues, including education, hunger and security. But governments cannot implement this blueprint on their own. Nor can the UN and other development organizations.

Singapore – Michelle Yeoh, award winning actress and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador called upon Governments and businesses in Asia and the Pacific to strive for gender equality.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to end violence against women. One year after the world signed onto achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with gender equality being one of them, I hope violence against women and girls will be a phenomenon of the past.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Initiatives, Singapore will welcome over 600 business & sustainability leaders, senior government officials, UN agencies, NGOs from across the globe for the Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development (RBF) in Singapore on 22-24 November 2016.

The Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development is hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Initiatives. Over 600 international business, government and NGO leaders will deep-dive into UN Sustainable Development Goals on 22-24 November in Singapore

Findings from a new joint study by UNDP, the UNICEF and the University of New South Wales indicate an urgent need for reforms in Pacific island countries to adequately address HIV and STIs among vulnerable populations.

Shoko Noda, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the Maldives, takes the plunge for SDG 14 - Life Below Water.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asia-Pacific Development Effectiveness Facility (AP-DEF) opened a two-day meeting on aid ahead of the upcoming Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. More than 100 government delegates and development experts are exploring how to design integrated national financing frameworks for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Asia-Pacific. “Domestic sources of finance are emerging as a key driving force for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific,” said Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director for Asia and the Pacific. “These new sources of finance allow us to expand the existing development cooperation and partnership.”

In this blog series, UNDP experts share their perspectives in the lead-up to the next climate summit, COP22, taking place in November in Marrakech, Morocco.

The three-day forum led by the United Nations Development Programme, brings together corporate giants such as Citi, INTEL, SAP, and multilateral agencies such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) to act as session mentors and conference speakers.

We are delighted to announce that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will be working together with Global Initiatives, as co-organizers of the 5th annual Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development, held once again at Marina Bay Sands Singapore, 22 - 24 November 2016.

The Secretary-General expresses his deep condolences to the Royal family, Government and people of Thailand on the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Community advocates, artists, filmmakers, academics, government representatives and human rights experts from across the world gathered in Thailand last week to explore new narratives to counter discrimination and stereotypes of LGBTI people, and to promote greater visibility and inclusion.

Joseph D'Cruz, UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Team Leader for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development, gives us his take on the Goals and why they're vital for the world.

Participants at a side event during the UNGA, heard about the partnership between UNDP and the government in pioneering over 10,000 digital centres across the country that offer citizens over 100 public services, and has so far saved users an estimated half a million dollars in time and expenses in six years.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the China-based Baoshang Bank today announced a new partnership to fund and nurture entrepreneurship and innovation among youth in Asia and the Pacific. The partnership sees youth as a major driver for sustainable development in the region, and will seek to empower youth to overcome key barriers to participation in economic, civic and political life in their communities.

“Phones Against Corruption” initiative from Papua New Guinea received a global GovInsider Innovation Awards as the “best citizen engagement” project. The project was recognized as one of the most innovative public sector practices from across Asia. The award was presented at the Innovation Labs World, global event held in Singapore last week.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has leveraged low-cost innovations, knowledge exchanges between countries in the region, and emerging technologies, to provide new opportunities to some of the most marginalized communities in the Asia-Pacific region, says its 2015-16 Results Report.

Harnessing the power of communication technology, the main hub in Dili connected to three rural districts to ensure participation from youth in remote locations and was broadcast live on prime-time TV.

The competition to name the pandas saw thousands of people enter from 116 different countries. It was held in association with dozens of zoos around the world, many of which have their own pandas, including Toronto Zoo in Canada, Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand, Adventure World and Ueno Zoo in Japan, Zoo Atlanta in the US, Edinburgh Zoo in the UK, and Adelaide Zoo in Australia.

Speaking at a Global Migration Group event ahead of the 2016 United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants in New York next week, key UNDP leaders said that it is crucial that host communities receive all the support they need to cope with recent influxes of refugees and migrants.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the People’s Republic of China signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on the margins of the 71st United Nations General Assembly during Premier Li Keqiang’s visit.

Globally acclaimed Danish actor and star of HBO’s Game of Thrones Nikolaj Coster-Waldau kicked off his role as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme by refereeing the world’s first amateur women’s World Cup soccer tournament in New York.

Achieving the SDGs is a historic undertaking. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), between $3.3 trillion and $4.5 trillion a year in government spending, private investments and aid will be needed to meet the targets.

Despite a peace agreement signed last year, Libya remains embroiled in violent conflict. At the heart of the conflict is oil, which accounts for more than 90 percent of government revenue.

Nicholas Rosellini, UNDP’s Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific and Osnat Lubrani UNDP’s Resident Representative with the Pacific Office in Fiji give a bird’s eye view on development challenges in a region that is home to the world’s most populous nation and the smallest island territory.

In the run-up to the first anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN in Papua New Guinea urges Leaders to prioritize SDGs in a bid to ensure good implementation.

Nepal’s pioneering efforts to tackle climate change through the budget and enhanced public financial management (PFM) has moved a notch ahead thanks to new initiatives taken by government

Demographic change in Asia and the Pacific is happening at a rate the world has never seen say experts, with some countries in the region headed into an era of ageing even as others experience a peak in working age populations.


The fundamental principle of Olympism states that “Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind.”

When countries have a greater share of people who can work, they have the potential to transform their societies. Greater prosperity, far from being an end in itself, can ensure longer and healthier lives, access to education, human rights and dignity -- the cornerstones of human wellbeing.

As UNDP’s Asia Pacific Regional Human Development Report 2016 noted: An astonishing one-third of youth—around 220 million people—are neither in school nor the labour market.

The purpose of this Human Development Report entitled “Social Innovation for Inclusive Human Development” is to explore policy options to help address the upcoming challenges through innovations in social policies and public administration.

I am no stranger to war. Many times, I consider myself a product of it. I was born in Liberia, a country where 14 years of violent civil war pushed my family to relocate to the United States.

First batch of young women successfully completed a three-month training course on plastic engineering in Haryana, a state with one of the lowest female workforce participation rates in India.

What do schools, bridges, the police and wind farms have in common? See how UNDP ties all of its work together in 2 minutes of beautiful animation.

Layers of prey species – in this case sambar deer, spotted deer etc. – prompted by the fear factor, move and behave in a way that sustains the complex functioning and vital biodiversity of ecosystems.

Across the world, landfills or open dumps are brimming with microchips and circuit boards, which release toxic chemicals into the air, water and soil.

Earlier this summer, the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub and OGP launched a call for information on open government initiatives that are contributing to or have the potential to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Sister Village Initiative pairs villages located in the most hazardous areas close to the volcano’s crater with other villages with whom they traditionally have strong links.

Winners of the Big Ideas Competition are out and they include a diverse set of solutions all using Big Data for public service, from shorter queues for public transport to safer public spaces for women and girls.

In partnership with the PNG National Disaster Center, UN Development Programme (UNDP) is working on setting up country’s first integrated information system for disasters.

Water is critical for life. It is a cliché but in Palanggai village, the newly-installed solar-powered water well has transformed the lives of people living there. Palanggai is a small village set on arid, hilly land overlooking the sea, in East Sumba.

The meeting, organized in partnership with Department for International Development of the UK (DFID) and the National Disaster Reduction Center of China (NDRCC), brought together governments, pilot communities enterprises, academia, civil society organizations from China, Bangladesh, Nepal and the UK