Introduction
On the ground in about 170 countries and territories, UNDP works to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet. We help countries develop strong policies, skills, partnerships and institutions so they can sustain a multidimensional level of progress that extends beyond economic gains. UNDP has worked in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development, from systems and institutional strengthening to inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods, as well as sustainable energy, environment and resilience. From supporting the very first Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur to the setting up of the Film and Television Institute of India; from supporting milk production in ‘Operation Flood’ to modern cartography at the Survey of India; from national and sub-national Human Development Reports to advocate for a ‘third gender’ status for transgender persons – UNDP’s programmes have and continue to fully integrate a global vision for catalytic change with India’s national priorities. Today, UNDP India works to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by transforming traditional models to do development differently.
The Three action areas
- Institutional and systems strengthening for service delivery
Build strong institutions through innovative participatory mechanisms to progressively deliver universal access to basic services for last-mile impact, leaving no one behind UNDP’s real-time vaccine logistics, cold chain and mobile-based management information system, eVIN, was successfully introduced and scaled up to cover 21 states and Union Territories, achieving inclusive and accountable immunization coverage, especially for women and other marginalized groups.
- Inclusive growth
Address structural aspects of education, training and economic sectors for access to sustainable skills, jobs and livelihoods, especially for women and the poor, through research, partnerships and policy The Disha project, a UNDP and India Development Foundation partnership supported by the IKEA Foundation, is forging a new path in skills development and sustainable job creation for women, enabling them to become active agents in India’s growth.
- Energy, Environment And Resilience
Build integrated development solutions involving climate action, access to clean energy, natural resource management and sustainable livelihoods, to enable scaling up of comprehensive economic, social, environmental and institutional initiatives The East Godavari project links biodiversity conservation to livelihoods, building strong connections between the fragile ecosystem and the communities that interact with them, by making them the custodians of the vast natural wealth they share.
Solutions and services
- Signature solutions
- Strengthening effective, inclusive and accountable governance mechanisms
- Promoting nature-based solutions for a sustainable planet
- Enabling access to clean energy
- Connecting women with work
- Enhancing livelihood opportunities
- Service areas
- Policy and advocacy
- Research and Development
- Technical Assistance
- Co-designing innovation solutions to development challenges
- Implementation support
- Capacity building;
- Outreach/Advocacy/Communication
- SDG localization
How UNDP works
Through partnerships:
UNDP works with diverse partners including governments, think tanks, funds, private sector, international financial institutions, civil society, and the UN family. UNDP leverages innovative partnerships to explore financing solutions, to enable a strategic shift from funding to financing.
- As an integrator: The breadth of expertise and country-wide presence of UNDP enable it to “connect the dots” on the most complex sustainable development issues. Through SDG platforms, UNDP is helping states design and deliver integrated solutions to complex problems that require “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” responses.
- Through innovation: Innovation and technology provide unprecedented opportunities to reach those most likely to be left behind. UNDP is harnessing advances in technology, financing and operations to do development differently.
- As an operational backbone: UNDP works with the private and public sectors to strengthen international procurement policies and procedures and provides facilitation assistance.
- Through knowledge sharing: UNDP leverages its global presence to actively promote South-South and global cooperation and bring the best development practices to India, as well as to demonstrate India’s leadership in tackling development challenges.
- Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable: More than half of the world’s population now live in urban areas. By 2050, that figure will have risen to 6.5 billion people – two-thirds of humanity. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces. The rapid growth of cities in the developing world, coupled with increasing rural to urban migration, has led to a boom in mega-cities. In 1990, there were ten mega-cities with 10 million inhabitants or more. In 2014, there are 28 mega-cities, home to a total 453 million people.
Extreme poverty is often concentrated in urban spaces, and national and city governments struggle to accommodate the rising population in these areas. Making cities safe and sustainable means ensuring access to safe and affordable housing, and upgrading slum settlements. It also involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban planning and management in a way that is both participatory and inclusive.
