UNITED NATIONS

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
1
 Did you know?
The sunflower is a world within a world.
Its head (pictured on the cover) is comprised of a thousand tiny flowers;
each petal is a flower in itself. Reaching between 1 and 5 metres in height, the
drought-tolerant sunflower will follow the sun from sunrise to sunset. And its
seed has been cultivated as a healthy food source for over 8,000 years, longer
than corn and beans. Native to North America, it is now harvested globally.
UNDP works in much the same way: connecting detail to scale.

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Contents
FOREWORD BY ACHIM STEINER 4
UNDP 2020 6
WHEN MICRO MEETS MACRO 8
THE YEAR WE FOUGHT A VIRUS 10
WE CANNOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE SDGs 12
UNDP’S LEADERSHIP TEAM 3
PEOPLE, PURPOSE, PROGRESS 14
#NextGenUNDP 16
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2020 19
OUR STRATEGIC PLANS 20
SIGNATURE SOLUTIONS 21
POVERTY 22
GOVERNANCE 24
RESILIENCE 26
ENVIRONMENT 28
ENERGY 30
GENDER 32
DELIVERING ON OUR CLIMATE PROMISE 34
FUTURE PARTNERSHIPS TODAY 36
UN FAMILY STAYS STRONG 38
PROACTIVE PRESENCE THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC 39
INVESTING IN DEVELOPMENT 40
CORE BRINGS MORE 42
HOW THE WORLD VIEWS US 44
GLOBAL, REGIONAL, LOCAL 46

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 Foreword
Development’s Biggest Challenge

In 2020, a tiny virus humbled the human better understand what action to take, de-
race and ignited a development emergen- ploying nearly US$1 billion to over 170 coun-
cy. Though its impacts were felt very differ- tries and territories, helping government
ently, the COVID-19 pandemic was – and and health systems to function, protecting
continues to be – a uniquely common ex- jobs and livelihoods and rapidly expanding
perience for our generation, with no space social protection.
for bystanders.
It takes a look at how we played this role,
For the first time in 30 years, global human pushing the boundaries of how UNDP
development declined. People everywhere thinks, delivers, invests and manages. It
struggled to stop the spread of the virus, illustrates how #NextGenUNDP institution-
save lives and respond to the unprecedent- al and financial investments – such as the
ed socio-economic trauma it created. The People for 2030 strategy, the UNDP Digital
climate crisis deepened, despite a tempo- Strategy, the Global Policy Network, the Ac-
rary dip in carbon emissions as the world celerator Labs Network and the creation of
hit the pause button. And as silent streets the Crisis Bureau – made it possible to offer
gave way to protests, inequality, racism and a more coherent, rapid response.
discrimination were laid bare as weapons of
The report features UNDP’s global ideas and
oppression that must be abandoned once
research on building forward better, which
and for all. It was in the eye of this perfect
we tabled in 2020 to lift the ambition of glob-
storm that the Decade of Action for the Sus-
al policy responses. These ideas range from
tainable Development Goals began.
introducing a temporary basic income for all
2020 was more than a year of tragedy. It people living in poverty to launching a new,
was also the moment when people every- planetary pressures-adjusted Human Devel-
where demonstrated what is possible when opment Index – part of UNDP’s 30th anni-
humanity strives to be the best version of it- versary look at The Next Frontier: Human
self, even in the face of complexity and deep Development and the Anthropocene.
uncertainty. And in the pages that follow, I
These pages also capture how, throughout
invite you to explore what I saw in 2020: a
2020, UNDP held the thread between the
UNDP, working hard as part of the UN family,
micro and the macro, addressing urgent lo-
to be the very best version of itself.
cal needs and advancing global systemic
This UNDP Annual Report takes a look at change: clearing over 400 football fields-
the results we achieved with countries and worth of land of explosives in war-hit Yemen
communities through 12 intense months. It to enable humanitarian aid to get to those
considers the role we played as the tech- in most need, for example, while expanding
nical lead of the UN’s socio-economic re- the Climate Promise – the world’s largest
sponse to the COVID-19 crisis, providing offer on enhancing Nationally Determined
in-country analysis to help 144 countries Contributions – to 115 countries.

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Behind the results achieved are the day-to-
day stories and determination of the millions
of people with whom UNDP works. People like
25-year-old Khowla in Somalia, who runs an Al-
ternative Dispute Resolution Centre and medi-
ates community disagreements on everything
from land theft to domestic violence. Or 13-year-
old Wajalad from Iraq, who attends a repaired
school that was shattered by war and dreams
of being a doctor like his father. And Juana from
Peru, who raises her voice in a male-dominated
mining sector to call for healthier, more sustain-
able gold mining.

Their stories intertwined with those of our

UNDP teams in a very personal way in 2020.
During what was a difficult year for nearly ev-
eryone, one in which our colleagues lost friends
and family members, people were separated,
schools closed and lives upended, our teams
proved something remarkable: that the United
Nations stays and serves when it matters most.

Finding a way forward from COVID-19 will be

Photo: UNDP/Michael Atwood

the journey of our generation. And it starts with

a choice: to make the pandemic the tipping
point that leads to transformation for people
and planet – or not. At UNDP (and at the UN),
we have made our choice. I am convinced that
if we commit to listening to and working with the
people closest to the big issues of our day –
from the climate crisis to inequality and conflict
– then we will find a way forward together.

Thank you for taking a look at our work, which Achim Steiner
was made possible by the support, generosity Administrator
and investment of our many partners. I encour- United Nations
age you to read on. Development Programme

5
 9 OF UNDP’S 10 3 MILLION
largest country programmes
are in crisis settings PEOPLE
43% women,
in 27 crisis-affected
countries got a job or a
better livelihood in 2020

115 COUNTRIES
covered by the UNDP
Accelerator Lab Network

6 DAYS
for UNDP to go digital
during the pandemic,
60+ countries supported
to do the same
RANKED NO.1
for transparency across the
United Nations

US$5.4 BILLION 50:50

in revenue gender parity across
UNDP’s leadership

20,000 PEOPLE
working together across

170 COUNTRIES
and territories

UNDP 2020 US$355 MILLION

more for development
With UNDP support, millions through efficiency and
of people improved their lives. institutional performance
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 82 COUNTRIES
supported to strengthen
social protection during the
COVID-19 pandemic

62 COUNTRIES US$1 BILLION

have Integrated National to help countries prepare,
Financing Frameworks in respond, and recover
place for the SDGs from COVID-19

118 COUNTRIES
are part of UNDP’s 16 MILLION
Climate Promise, delivered with people in 32 countries gained
35 PARTNERS access to justice

62 MILLION
people had access to basic
and financial services

74%
of 26 million new voters
registered in 24 countries
were women
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 A

When micro
meets macro
UNDP’s attention to detail at a global scale

8
Working with 170 countries and territories gives UNDP a vast perspective
on the world.

It allows us to understand the relationships between local and global,

between detail and scale, and how one impacts the other.

By collaborating with countries and local communities, we can find and cre-
ate development solutions that are magnified through our global network.

Think of UNDP as the dash in “micro-macro”. This approach could not be

more relevant, with COVID-19 – a disease caused by a microscopic virus –
impacting the global economy and threatening lives and livelihoods every-
where. Whereas in terms of the climate crisis, each one of us has the power
to push our planet to the brink – and also pull it back from it.

Through our development settings and Signature Solutions, UNDP is able

to tackle the most complex, integrated problem from different angles. And
always with the most macro-level objective in mind: the Sustainable Devel-
opment Goals.

Because no challenge is too big nor too small when we work together.

Photo: Martin Jjumba/UNCDF 2017

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 The year we fought a virus
Managing the COVID-19 crisis, building forward better
COVID-19 heightened awareness of connections between the pandemic and habitat loss, the
climate emergency, growing inequalities, contested democratic values and protracted conflicts
– and the need to act as one in response, taking a big-picture approach.

UNDP’s two COVID-19 response offers – Prepare, Respond, Recover, launched in March, and
Beyond Recovery, Towards 2030, which followed in June – along with their accompanying
rapid financing frameworks, kept the organization and its development investors focused on
the urgent and the important. This supported a fast, scaled and coherent corporate response
to the development emergency of the pandemic, as part of the overall UN system response.

When the virus hit, UNDP went digital in just 6 days so that it could stay and serve and help
others to do the same. Its efforts delivered concrete local results, helping governments and
health systems to keep functioning, protecting jobs and livelihoods and getting cash and basic
services to those in need. All while helping to create the local and global conditions for coun-
tries to build forward better in line with Agenda 2030.

5,300
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
received UNDP support to fight the pandemic and its
“shadows”, including gender-based violence, human
rights abuses and racism and discrimination

UNDP helped

6,700
GOVERNMENT ENTITIES
ACROSS 82 COUNTRIES
to keep working
(81% subnational entities)

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 UNDP leveraged its $1B Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria partnership to:

Deliver

$200M
Train nearly

IN PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
280,000
HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN
AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
DIAGNOSTICS TO 107 COUNTRIES

Support
Protect nearly
Support almost

1.2M 56,900
900,000 INFORMAL
PRIVATE SECTOR
COMPANIES the majority
JOBS
WORKERS small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs)

In addition:

1.8M 3M
PEOPLE
PEOPLE
got access to critical water
788,000
PEOPLE
directly benefited and sanitation services, benefited from
from cash transfer
HALF OF psychosocial support
programmes
THEM WOMEN

As the UN’s technical lead on its socio-economic response, UNDP worked with partners on
critical analysis to help guide decision-making:

144 119 HALF included

SOCIO-ECONOMIC SOCIO-ECONOMIC engagement and insight
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS RESPONSE PLANS from the WORLD BANK,
across 97 countries led by UNDP prepared with UN partners a THIRD from the IMF

Meanwhile, progress was made on UNDP, UN, United Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs (UNDESA), and European Union efforts to develop Integrated National Financing Frameworks
in 62 countries, 40% of which are now aligned with countries’ COVID-19 response plans as a result.

These macro-level interventions – made possible through multiple partnerships – are helping to guide
governments’ public policy decisions amid unprecedented complexity. UNDP’s ability to understand
the details and to connect the dots with and for others allows us to create impact at a global scale.

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 We cannot lose sight
of the SDGs
Time for a decisive, integrated push

The devastating effects of COVID-19, the climate crisis and rising inequality are not evenly distrib-
uted. But they are interconnected – and so must our response be. To that end, UNDP is commit-
ted to strengthening and broadening its partnerships. Only then can we be at our best in helping
to build more just societies that afford dignity to all people, ensure a healthy planet, and reach
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 through a determined Decade of Action.

The SDGs compel UNDP to solve big, systemic puzzles in new ways. We won’t achieve all
17 through incremental change and individual projects. Tabling new research in 2020, UNDP
recognized COVID-19 as a tipping point that poses a profound but predictable threat to SDG
progress yet creates opportunities for change. Ambitious but feasible SDG investments across
governance, social protection, the green recovery and digitalization – the four integrated ar-
eas of UNDP’s second COVID-19 response offer – could lift an additional 146 million people
out of extreme poverty by 2030. The majority of these people are in fragile, conflict-affected
states, reinforcing the importance of investing in integrated SDG action now and the implica-
tions of not doing so.

This and other primary research by UNDP in 2020 suggests that while the next frontier for hu-
man development is complex and uncertain, it can be navigated with agility, innovation and an
ambitious architecture of interconnected policy interventions and political choices.

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UNDP’s leadership team
For Administrator Achim Steiner and the executive management team, it was “business uninterrupted” in 2020.
With cameras and mics on, they ensured UNDP kept delivering across 170 countries and territories.

2* 3

4 5 6

8 9**

11 12

10

* As of April 2021, Usha Rao-Monari has taken on the role of Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator.
** As of February 2021, Khalida Bouzar has taken on the role of Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States.

1. Achim Steiner Administrator 2. Mourad Wahba UNDP Acting Associate Administrator and ASG for the Regional Bureau for Arab States
3. Angelique M. Crumbly Bureau for Management Services 4. Ahunna Eziakonwa Regional Bureau for Africa 5. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye Senior
Adviser to the Administrator 6. Asako Okai Crisis Bureau 7. Haoliang Xu Bureau for Policy and Programme Support 8. Kanni Wignaraja
Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific 9. Sarah Poole Officer-in-Charge of the Regional Bureau for Arab States 10. Luis Felipe López-Calva
Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean 11. Mirjana Spoljaric Egger Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of
Independent States 12. Ulrika Modéer Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy 13
 People, purpose, progress
Improving inside and out

From 2018, through UNDP’s People for 2030 Strategy, we significantly stepped up efforts to
attract, retain and develop top talent to help countries deliver on the SDGs. We introduced
a new, entry-level programme for recent graduates, the first African Young Women Leaders
Fellowship Programme, and a stipend for all interns.

$4.5B 83%
IN PROGRAMME OF GLOBAL
DELIVERY STAFF SURVEY
by UNDP teams RESPONDENTS
(the second-highest are “highly motivated”
global rate in 6 years) in their work
(up 3% since 2018)

84% 88%
OF PEOPLE see their work as
FOR 2030 closely aligned
STRATEGY with the
recommendations Strategic Plan
were implemented
(by end of 2020)

Our 2020 Global Staff Survey figures show that UNDP’s teams are pulling in the same direc-
tion – an important indicator for long-term success.

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At the heart of the People for 2030 In 2020, we also introduced an improved
Strategy lies UNDP’s commitment to a performance management system, a new
safe, inclusive working environment. mobility policy and a new career manage-
This includes tackling all forms of dis- ment framework.
crimination and harassment, including
all forms of sexual misconduct.

UNDP HAS A
80% 50:50
OF GLOBAL STAFF SURVEY
RESPONDENTS GENDER BALANCE
believe that all employees are across its Assistant Secretary-General,
treated with dignity and respect Resident Representative and Deputy
(23% above external benchmark) Resident Representative groups

33 60%
UN VOLUNTEERS HAVE OF COUNTRY OFFICES
BEEN DEPLOYED
have now completed the Gender Seal
through the UNDP-UNV Young
Professionals with Disabilities Programme
(2019-2020)

The Gender Seal recognizes and incentivizes good performance of UNDP teams in delivering
transformational gender equality results.

UNDP ranks in the top 5%

of all organizations
according to the 2020 Global Health 50/50 report and its
Gender and Health Index, “the world’s most comprehensive
index on gender in global health organizations”.

15
 #NextGenUNDP
Smarter, faster, bolder than before
Since 2018, UNDP management and teams have endeavoured to take an organization that was
built for a different generation and make it effective for this one and ready for the next, working
hard to reorient its mindsets, strategies and capabilities. This required pushing the boundaries
of how UNDP thinks, delivers, invests and manages.

The result is #NextGenUNDP. In 2020, our organization faced the ultimate stress test, but we
were ready, as a result of the investments made across this Strategic Plan period. UNDP con-
tinues to be a partner of choice as we move into the second year of our COVID-19 response.

Milestones and results, financial and institutional

UNDP is on track to meet our four-year management efficiency target of 7.3%. Throughout this
Strategic Plan, programme delivery has risen and related institutional expenditures have been
reduced. Our other achievements include:

Balanced budget
for the 4th year in a row

$4.5B
IN PROGRAMME DELIVERY
in 2020, our 2nd highest in 6 years

Nearly

60% $1.2B
OF $3.2B BUDGET IN AFRICA REGION
is in complex, fragile contexts programme delivery, our
highest ever

$355M
IN ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
for development in 2018-2020 through stronger,
more efficient performance

15th
CONSECUTIVE UNQUALIFIED
(CLEAN) AUDIT OPINION
from UNBOA for year ending 2019

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Accelerator Labs Network
UNDP’s Accelerator Labs Network taps into the power of wider, richer sources of innovations
by exploring the inventions of the women and men closest to poverty, the impacts of climate
change and, most recently, this global pandemic. Thanks to support from key partners like
Germany and Qatar, we have:

a total of
91 Accelerator Labs covering 115 countries
including 79% of Least Developed and Low-Income Countries
and 66% of Small Island Developing States.

60 ACCELERATOR LABS
(UP TO 2020) 31 NEW ACCELERATOR
LABS LAUNCHED IN 2020

The network has increased our institutional agility and is helping to trigger a cultural econ-
omy of scale – shifting mindsets from projects to portfolios, and from experimentation to
transformation and scale.

Our Labs teams worked in Nepal to help local government report quarantine data, with the
Palestinian people, connecting small-scale women farmers to customers through web plat-
forms, in Rwanda to support the roll-out of robots for COVID-19 treatment centres, and in
Tanzania to help a 3D community design, produce and distribute personal protective equip-
ment to health workers. Through initiatives like these, UNDP’s Accelerator Labs Network
epitomized just how central digital interventions were to our results in 2020 and will be to
the future of development.

17
 Helping the world go digital
“Digital by default” has become part of the UNDP family’s DNA, driven by government demand.
2020 saw a surge in e-everything – from accelerating the reach of telemedicine in Indonesia
and creating digital IDs for migrants in Turkey to expanding social protection platforms in Belize
and fighting fake news in Guinea-Bissau, India, Morocco and beyond.

During COVID-19, UNDP’s support has helped 82 countries to keep functioning remotely, mov-
ing essential public services and business continuity online. We obtained 12,900 Zoom licenc-
es for partners at 40% below cost and supported approximately 290 entities in their digital
transitions, including the offices of Heads of State, Parliaments and ministries.

To support evidence-based insights, we launched the Data Futures Platform. Drawing on data
sources from across the UN system and partners, the platform builds on UNDP’s long-standing
commitment to leveraging technology and innovation in responding to development challenges.

The pace at which UNDP went digital in 2020 was enabled by the organization’s new Digital
Strategy. Establishing the policies, norms and standards that guide and accompany an inclusive
digital transformation will be a central development challenge in the immediate years ahead.

Saving a planet load of paper

UNDP rolled out an electronic

signature platform in 2020, increasing
organizational efficiency, saving
the equivalent of 5 million sheets
of paper and reducing our CO2
emissions by 154 metric tonnes.

18
Human Development
Report 2020
The Next Frontier: Human Development and
the Anthropocene

UNDP’s 2020 HDR marked the second in a trilogy of reports looking at different aspects of
inequality and related crises facing the world, the latest being the COVID-19 pandemic. It took
COVID-19 very little time to expose and exploit overlapping inequalities as well as weaknesses in
social, economic and political systems, threatening to reverse human development by 30 years.

Though humanity has achieved incredible progress, we have taken Earth for granted, destabi-
lizing the very systems upon which we rely for survival. The 2020 HDR advocates that while no
country in the world has yet achieved very high human development without putting immense
strain on the planet, ours could be the first generation to manage this. That’s why UNDP is striv-
ing to rethink and reset the relationship between people and the planet in the Anthropocene,
or the Age of Humans.

Nothing short of a great transformation in how we live, work and cooperate is needed for hu-
man development to continue for everyone while we also ease planetary pressures. The HDR
explores ways of doing so, with one clear message: “humans, for your own survival, release
your grip on nature”.

19 19
 Our Strategic Plans
Delivering on today’s, investing for tomorrow’s
With the pandemic in focus, progress on UNDP’s Strategic Plan remained largely on track in
2020. Designed to be flexible, the Plan enables UNDP to respond to countries’ long-term goals
and urgent needs in times of crisis. It sets out the 3 macro-level development settings across
which UNDP works: eradicating poverty, supporting the growth of sustainable economies, and
strengthening resilience to shocks and crisis. Ever-determined to raise the results bar, UNDP
will put the “how” of development at the core of its next Strategic Plan.

Poverty
Keeping people
out of poverty

Governance
Strengthen effective,
inclusive and accountable
governance

Resilience
Enhance national
prevention and recovery
capacities for resilient
societies

20
Signature Solutions
All six working as one
Our six Signature Solutions (pictured below) represent integration in action. They connect in
multiple ways: between each other, up to our 3 development settings, and across all 17 SDGs.
This helps us to tackle the world’s most complex problems from every angle, creating impact
at a greater scale.

Environment
Promote nature-based
solutions for asustainable
planet

Energy
Close the energy gap

Gender
Strengthen gender equality
and the empowerment of
women and girls

21
 Safeguarding the most vulnerable first
With support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the
Bangladesh government, UNDP rolled out $1.5M in emergency support for 50,000 poor
urban families. The project recruited 1,200 community workers to install thousands of
handwashing facilities and also sensitized and built the capacities of health officials and
volunteers in 20 cities.
Photo: UNDP Bangladesh/Fahad Kaizer

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SIGNATURE SOLUTION: POVERTY

Because no one
should be left behind
As the pandemic laid bare the deep impacts of inequality, UNDP
prioritized those most left behind, with increased focus on informal,
35
self-employed, domestic and unpaid care workers, people with MILLION
disabilities as well as migrant and internally displaced populations. people around the
world got access
Extensive, rapid national and subnational analysis was a hallmark to basic services
(2018-2020)
of 2020, with UNDP as the technical lead of the UN’s socio-eco-
nomic response. UNDP’s COVID-19 Data Futures Platform was
launched to aid countries’ strategic decision-making. Its Tempo-
rary Basic Income simulator shows how much it would cost to lift
vulnerable people out of poverty in each of 132 countries.
27
UNDP significantly stepped up its research and advocacy on the MILLION
fight against poverty and inequality, bringing compelling data people gained access
and insight to global policymakers and the public, reinforcing the to financial services
case for multilateralism and investing in the SDGs. with UNDP support

UNDP supported 82 countries from India to Nigeria to top up or

expand social assistance programmes. Technical support from
UNDP, UNICEF and GIZ contributed to the Cambodian Govern-
ment’s first cash transfer for all Cambodians living below the
national poverty line, reaching over 670,000 households. The
144
multidimensional poverty index tool developed by UNDP and IMPACT
the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) ASSESSMENTS
helped to identify vulnerable homes in El Salvador. carried out with
97 COUNTRIES
UNDP’s systemic approach to livelihoods delivered on jobs, en-
trepreneurship and crisis-relief. In Turkey, nearly 3,000 Syrian
refugees and host community members found jobs as a result of
UNDP interventions. In Iraq, more than 1.2 million people bene-
fited from the rehabilitation of over 300 public infrastructures. To
date, 4.6 million people have returned to Iraqi towns and districts
with support from the UNDP-led Funding Facility for Stabilization.

We will keep delivering until “no one left behind” means no one.

UN partners with whom we worked most frequently on Poverty in 2020

23
 Justice for one of many
Josefa’s community and the municipality were profoundly affected by the internal armed
conflict in Guatemala over more than three decades. In a fundamental step towards
achieving recognition and justice for Maya-Ixil women survivors of sexual violence, she
has received legal and psychosocial assistance from specialists, working in coordination
with State institutions and organizations supported by UNDP´s Transitional Justice
Accompaniment Program (PAJUST, in Spanish).
Photo: UNDP Guatemala/Caroline Trutmann

24
SIGNATURE SOLUTION: GOVERNANCE

Because good
governance thinks big
In 2020, the largest share of UNDP’s Signature Solution in-
vestment focused on strengthening inclusive, effective and ac-
36% of UNDP’s
countable governance. Our work is anchored in SDG 16 and the PROGRAMME
fundamental role that governance and the rule of law play in EXPENDITURE
peaceful, just and inclusive societies, especially when crisis hits. was invested in
governance (in 2020)
UNDP responded rapidly to the need for national and local
e-governance systems to ensure the continuity of essential
public services. Working with its UN partners, we supported
Bangladesh, Cameroon, Kenya, Honduras, Malawi, Tajikistan,
Vanuatu and Zambia in strengthening national identity manage-
ment systems, supporting people’s rights to services and equi-
33% OF
PARLIAMENTS
table social protection roll-out through a legal identity lens.
throughout the world
We supported people across 46 countries from Bolivia to Van- received UNDP support
uatu in exercising their right to vote in spite of the pandemic. As
part of election preparations in Niger, 6 million people attained
civil status through mobile court hearings.

UNDP helped government systems to be more transparent, ac-

countable and responsive. We worked with countries including
Albania, Ethiopia and Kyrgyzstan to meet a growing demand
740,000+
for free legal aid, and with 40 countries in crisis contexts to PEOPLE
strengthen the rule of law. In the Republic of Congo, UNDP were registered to vote
through a new electoral
trained 100 journalists to enhance their capacity to work with
system in Niger, 55%
international human rights instruments. women (in 2020)

And as ‘information pollution’ spread in 2020, UNDP worked

with multiple countries to map disinformation and strengthen
national responses, including in Chile, Samoa and Ukraine. We
worked with over one third of all countries to tackle hate speech.

These examples are all evidence of UNDP’s full support of good

governance throughout the world.

UN partners with whom we worked most frequently on Governance in 2020

25
 Stabilization meets education
13-year-old Wajalal Bassem is from Sinuni, Iraq. His school – Beirut Mixed Secondary –
has been rehabilitated with the support of UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization.
He is now working towards a brighter future and has plans to become a famous doctor
like his father.
Photo: UNDP Iraq/Claire Thomas

26
SIGNATURE SOLUTION: RESILIENCE

Because resilience
goes beyond
toughness
UNDP believes in building resilience for today and tomorrow.
From 2018 to 2020, we worked closely with other develop-
3 MILLION
ment, humanitarian and peace partners to help societies tackle
PEOPLE
43% women, across
immediate development emergencies, prevent new problems
27 crisis-affected
from escalating and build resilience to navigate the challenges countries got a job or a
yet to come. better livelihood (in 2020)

In Yemen, 1.43 million people had better access to justice after

justice institutions, courts and police stations were rehabilitat-
ed. Over 400 football fields-worth of land was cleared of explo-
sives, enabling humanitarian aid to get to those in most need
and freeing the land for farming and other productive uses.
40
COUNTRIES
Meanwhile, 50,000 people affected by cyclones Idai and Ken- in crisis contexts had
neth in Mozambique were able to produce and buy sufficient stronger rule of law and
human rights systems
food with support from UNDP.

Our resilience work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

showed positive signs: following mediation efforts, young peo-
ple formerly involved in conflict were nearly 40% more likely to
want to pursue vocational training or employment.
34
UNDP joined with partners to build reconciliation and reinte- COUNTRIES
gration into peace agreements in countries such as Colombia were better positioned
and the Central African Republic. We also helped 79% of coun- to prevent violent
tries build social cohesion into their COVID-19 socio-economic extremism
response plans.

This all goes to show how the risks facing people and planet
– climate change, conflict, rupturing inequalities, disease – are
increasingly systemic, sustained and connected. So too, there-
fore, must be our response.

UN partners with whom we worked most frequently on Resilience in 2020

27
 Saving water with innovation
Around 14,000 farmers from provinces in east and west Azerbaijan are participating
in a joint initiative between the governments of Iran and Japan and UNDP to restore
Lake Urmia through the use of modern irrigation techniques. To date, water usage
has decreased by 35% in pilot sites as a result of this project.
Photo: UNDP Iran/Sadaf Nikzad

28
SIGNATURE SOLUTION: ENVIRONMENT

Because we owe our

planet everything
The pursuit of balance between people and planet is a thread
that runs through all of UNDP’s work. Our 2020 Human Devel-
$1.9B
opment Report included a new planetary pressures-adjusted BILLION
Human Development Index, which offers a future-focused way in climate finance
accessed by 150
to quickly assess a country’s progress that places the planet’s countries with UNDP
well-being at the heart of advancing human development. support (2018-2020)

From 2018 to 2020, UNDP partnered with environment and

climate vertical funds – including the Global Environment Fa-
cility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund
– and with sister UN agencies to promote an inclusive green
economy approach to building forward better from COVID-19.
56,000
FARMERS
UNEP, UNCDF, Germany, Morocco, Sweden and UNDP to- and family members
gether launched the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, an innova- adapted to climate
tive blended finance mechanism with the ambition to mobilize change in Bhutan
$500M for conservation and reef-dependent communities.

Work also continued on the ground, from ridge to reef, to tack-

le the climate-nature crisis with a growing number of partners.
UNDP’s Climate Promise is helping 118 countries to enhance 73
their national climate pledges under the Paris Agreement. MILLION ACRES
In Comoros, programmes co-managed with communities of protected areas in
57 countries were
nearly tripled fish catches, while support for the law on pro-
managed more
tected areas led to the creation of the National Parks Agen- sustainably (equivalent
cy, which is illustrative of UNDP’s integrated approach across to 60 Grand Canyon
Signature Solutions. National Parks)
in 2018-2020
We also worked with conflict-affected communities, including
in Lebanon, Libya and Sudan, to restore people’s access to crit-
ical environmental services, including water and solar energy.

Given how infinitely indebted we are towards our damaged

planet, ignoring our environmental responsibilities is no lon-
ger an option.

UN partners with whom we worked most frequently on Environment in 2020

29
 A lesson in energy efficiency
The huge energy retrofit at the University of Sarajevo was made possible through UNDP’s
Green Economic Development (GED) Project, funded by Sweden, with many local and
national partners involved. This kind of profitable investment provides short- and
long-term benefits for students and faculty, increases green jobs, and reduces energy
consumption, heat loss and air pollution.
Photo: UNDP BiH/Sulejman Omerbasic

30
SIGNATURE SOLUTION: ENERGY

Because sustainable
energy will fuel the
future
With more than half of humanity on lockdown during 2020, a de-
cline in energy demand was inevitable. But as economies get
290
back to work, the danger is that they will get back to normal, MILLION TONNES
stimulating fossil fuel industries. These non-renewable energies of CO2 emissions will be
are a short-term band-aid that will reinforce the collision course avoided (equivalent to
emissions from nearly
with nature. Instead, we should be investing in the future and pur-
4 million tanker trucks’
suing a more resilient recovery, powered by renewable energy. worth of gasoline)

UNDP recognizes that the age of fossil fuels has peaked and
the energy transition has begun, so it worked hard with govern-
ments throughout this strategic period to create better energy
options and choices and to de-risk the political, social and eco-
91
nomic paths to taking them. COUNTRIES
that are part of UNDP’s
We helped countries to identify and establish policies and reg- Climate Promise are
ulations for large-scale clean energy investments. In Tunisia, planning increased
energy action
UNDP modelling identified more than $500M worth of savings
over 20 years in solar and wind energy investments. From São
Tomé and Príncipe to Turkmenistan, UNDP supported countries
in preparing national energy policies. For example, in Armenia,
UNDP and the European Investment Bank supported regulatory 5 MILLION
changes to increase the energy efficiency of buildings.
HOUSEHOLDS
UNDP is also focused on closing the energy gap, having gained access to clean,
helped over 5 million rural households to get access to clean, affordable energy
(2018-2020)
affordable energy since 2018. In communities affected by con-
flict, including in Somalia and Yemen, almost 350,000 people
in crisis-affected countries had energy access re-established.

To fuel the energy response further, UNDP’s Peoples’ Climate

Vote (PCV) affirmed the public appetite for change: most re-
spondents want governments to invest in sustainable energy.

UN partners with whom we worked most frequently on Energy in 2020

31
 Accelerating career prospects for all
Through our Accelerator Lab in Kaya, Burkina Faso, UNDP sought solutions to increase
the employability of young women and men. With UNDP intervention, this initiative
is also developing the leadership and advocacy capacities of entrepreneurial young
women through training and work experience.
Photo: UNDP Africa/Aurélia Rusek

32
SIGNATURE SOLUTION: GENDER

Because gender
equality is irrefutable
UNDP is committed to shattering the glass ceiling of gender
inequality.
80
COUNTRIES
In 2020, we launched the COVID-19 Global Gender Re- supported by UNDP to
sponse Tracker with UN Women, tracking over 3,100 so- tackle gender-based
cio-economic, leadership and political participation mea- violence
sures across 219 countries and territories. Its findings reveal
systemic inequalities, such as the fact that only 8 countries
in the world have a 50-50 gender balance in their COVID-19
task forces, despite women making up over 70% of health
and social workers globally. 50% OF
As the technical lead for the UN’s socio-economic response ALL VOTERS
framework, UNDP helped to integrate gender across all its key registered through
areas and worked with 41 countries on gender-responsive social UNDP electoral support
were women (2020)
protection – twice the number supported in 2019. UNDP also
doubled the number of countries we worked with to fight gen-
der-based violence in 2020, including with the European Union
and UN partners through the Spotlight Initiative, and applied
its gender marker in selecting initiatives to support through its
COVID-19 Rapid Finance Facility. UN Women was our primary 3,100
partner, with collaboration across 101 country offices in 2020. POLICIES
In Kyrgyzstan, UNDP helped to establish the Council on Women’s on COVID-19 tracked
across 200+ countries
Rights and Countering Violence, the country’s first institutional- and territories for
ized body to monitor and inform policymaking on gender-based gender impact
violence. Meanwhile in Bangladesh, UNDP supported 1.2 million
women – 1 in 43 – to gain access to financial services.

We also worked with 114 of our Climate Promise countries to

integrate gender into their workplans, and with 81 countries to
advance women’s leadership in natural resource management.

Despite this progress, the remaining gaps are clear, and the
need for universal gender equality and women and girls’ em-
powerment remains without question.

UN partners with whom we worked most frequently on Gender in 2020

33
 Delivering on our
Climate Promise
The consensus on climate has gone from crisis to emergency. UNDP’s Climate Promise now
stands as the world’s largest offer of support for countries to revise and enhance their national
climate pledges (Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

Working with over 35 partners, UNDP is currently supporting:

25 7
from Latin from Arab States
America and the
Caribbean 17
from Europe and
Central Asia

42
from Africa
27
from Asia and

118
the Pacific

COUNTRIES

Energy response
Energy continues to be the most common sector in countries’ national climate pledges. Within
the Climate Promise, 91 countries (79%) are updating or adding energy-related actions and/or
targets to their updated NDCs. These targets provide the blueprint for making economies clean-
er and safer and ensuring energy access for all.

Greater integration

COVID-19: Gender: Youth:

Over
97% 75% OF
80 OF ALL COUNTRIES
COUNTRIES COUNTRIES are including or increasing
are leveraging our support child and youth-related
(114 out of 118) participating in priorities in their revised
to guide government efforts UNDP’s Climate Promise are
to build back better from the NDCs, compared to 40% of
working to integrate gender first-generation NDCs.
pandemic. into their NDC revisions.
34
Deeper understanding
After the launch of the Mission 1.5 on-
line game, which collected players’
votes on the climate policies they
wanted their country to enact, UNDP
worked with UN agencies and NGOs
to develop a learning module to ele-
vate people’s understanding of solu-
tions to the climate crisis.

Peoples’ Climate Vote

In 2020, UNDP and the University of Oxford conducted
the world’s biggest poll on climate change: the Peoples’
Climate Vote (PCV). Survey data was collected through
the Mission 1.5 online game. This new, unconventional
approach to polling prompted a loud and clear response
from the global public.

The majority of people – 64% of respondents – agreed

that climate change is a global emergency.

The most popular climate policies were: conserve forests

and land; use solar, wind and renewable power; climate
friendly farming techniques; and invest more money in
green business and jobs.

This research puts the public at odds with government

spending. For example, according to UNEP and Oxford
University research, only 18% of COVID-19 recovery
spending is going towards green investment.

With the support of UNDP, its Climate Promise and its part-
ners, it’s time to close the gap between ambition and action.

Ambition into action

Based on the immense impact of its Climate Promise, UNDP
is helping countries turn their ambitious pledges into action at
speed and scale. This includes a bigger focus on net-zero and
climate-resilient pathways, while mobilizing people to ensure
they remain included in the development process.

35
 Future partnerships today
Working with the private sector
2020 saw significant strategic private-sector engagement in pursuing the SDGs, including
through UNDP partnerships. We continued to develop new partnerships for existing initiatives,
such as The Lion’s Share, the Connecting Business Initiative, and Youth Co: Lab, and also built
new ones, including the COVID-19 Private Sector Global Facility, partnering with the United Na-
tions Global Compact and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to develop innovative
public partnerships for COVID-19 recovery.

With support from private-sector actors like Boston Consulting Group and UPS, the joint UN Of-
fice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNDP Connecting Business Initia-
tive have been assisting business networks with over 50,000 member companies in a worldwide
COVID-19 response, including guidance for the private sector in 4 continents. Meanwhile, the
Connecting Business Initiative (CBi) and its partner business groups raised over $30M to fund
the distribution of grocery vouchers to over 1 million urban residents in the Metro Manila Area.

Since 2018, UNDP supported governments and the private sector to finance the SDGs, includ-
ing through its Finance Sector Hub. The Tax Inspectors Without Borders programme, a joint
effort by UNDP and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
helped 45 countries to collect $775M in revenue in 5 years.

Completed Maps
Ongoing Maps
SDG Impact Planned Maps

Opening new frontiers on investment

In 2020, SDG Impact helped investors, bond issuers and enterprises make significant, measur-
able contributions towards the SDGs. Standards have been set to codify and confirm the best
practices for these groups to contribute to the goals.

The SDG Investor Platform, co-created by UNDP’s flagship SDG Impact initiative and the Sec-
retary-General’s Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance, makes the mar-
ket intelligence generated through the SDG Investor Maps available to investors interested
in SDG-enabling investment opportunities. The platform currently provides insights into 207
investment opportunity areas in 15 countries, with each country involved expected to mobilize
approximately $50M towards the Goals.

3636
SAMSUNG
The Samsung Global Goals app, jointly developed with UNDP, is now installed on over 100 million devices
worldwide. This partnership has generated $1.5M and engaged new audiences with the SDGs. With the
#Generation17 initiative, visionary young leaders from around the world are raising awareness about how
they are helping to solve some of the world’s most urgent problems.

THE LION’S SHARE

The Lion’s Share Fund added Gucci and Cartier to its partnership roster in 2020. The fund also
launched the COVID-19 Response: Resilience in Wildlife Community Grants to support communities
dependent on wildlife-based tourism that have been severely impacted by the pandemic.

HEART 17
In 2020, HEART 17 built its digital platform and began testing its functionality with youth
drawn from UNDP’s networks. The purpose of HEART 17 was deepened to focus
on amplifying the voices of youth leaders on topics related to the environment and
inequality. Brands supporting the initiative include H&M, Spotify and Mojang (Minecraft).

MICROSOFT
UNDP advanced its digital transformation partnerships for environmental sustainability
and innovative data management solutions for the COVID-19 response. We are working
with Microsoft to facilitate access to sustainable energy, biodiversity and ecosystem
benefits in countries challenged by climate change. As part of the partnership, the
GEF Small Grants Programme is collaborating with Project 15 at Microsoft to create
opportunities for community-based initiatives to accelerate innovation and scale up
impacts on species conservation, sustainable fisheries and agriculture.

CITI FOUNDATION

Co-led by UNDP and Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab establishes a common agenda to
empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the SDGs through leadership,
social innovation and entrepreneurship. Since 2017, the programme has been
implemented in 25 countries across Asia-Pacific, reached over 75,000 participants,
benefited over 7,120 young social entrepreneurs, helped launch or improve over 1,000
youth-led social enterprises, and collaborated with over 192 ecosystem partners.

COVID-19 PRIVATE SECTOR GLOBAL FACILITY

The aim of UNDP’s new facility is to foster and enhance public–private partnerships and solutions
at both the global and national levels. UNDP joined forces with the ICC, UN Global Compact, PwC,
Microsoft and DHL to develop the facility, which is tailored to countries’ specific needs and supports
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to advance green and digital technologies. Its work
directly supports the progress of SDG 8, SDG 13, SDG 17 and the COVID-19 response.

DIGITAL GIVING
UNDP has also revitalized opportunities for individuals to mobilize resources through
crowdfunding campaigns that provide tangible support to the most vulnerable. Over 15
campaigns were launched in 2020 alone.
37
37
 UN family stays strong
Delivering as one in a one-off year
Throughout 2020, UNDP invested in deepening its UN partnerships. These included joining
forces with UNICEF on innovation, youth and entrepreneurship; the International Labour Organi-
zation (ILO) on work, both present and future; the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on livelihoods and digital solu-
tions for people on the move; the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on finding a balance between people
and planet; the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Broadband Commission
to advance inclusive digital nations; and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) to advance a
human rights-based approach in COVID-19 response plans.

Our unified efforts to help countries tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts are another
example of UN Reform in action. UN country teams serving 162 countries and territories came
together in an unprecedented way in 2020, supporting authorities to address the multiple im-
pacts of the pandemic. As the UN’s socio-economic technical lead, UNDP was part of a critical
triad with OCHA and WHO and worked more closely than ever with its development system
counterparts. We co-led the development and implementation of socio-economic assessments
and contributed to developing and costing response plans.

Looking ahead, UNDP will work alongside WHO and other UN entities to support equity, resil-
ience and sustainability in COVID-19 vaccination programmes.

UNDP also delivered services to the wider UN and administered funding on its behalf:

$131.3M 4.19 out of $1.5B

5 stars capitalization of the UN
$10.3M
administered by UNDP for client satisfaction, Multi-Partner Trust Fund
on behalf of the UN invested in RC
recorded by new UN RC portfolios in 2020 (highest System by UNDP
Resident Coordinator System Service Portal ever; 20% increase
System in 2020 for 2020
compared to 2019)

Our top 10 UN partners working together across our Signature Solutions and beyond were:

38
 Proactive presence
throughout the pandemic
UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors and celebrity advocates

A “remote” UNGA week saw the

appointment of Afropop artist Yemi
Alade (top left) as UNDP Goodwill
Ambassador, building on her work
as an advocate for equality, women’s
empowerment and a sustainable planet.

When life went virtual in March 2020,

our influencers we able to spread
Photo: Emmanuel Oyeleke

awareness in new ways, first by

helping to clarify misinformation around
COVID-19. UNDP’s #HalfTheWorld
celebrity campaign exposed the
growing inequalities caused by the
pandemic and climate change for those
many millions lacking social protection.
Led by Goodwill Ambassador Padma
Lakshmi (pictured centre, left of actor
David Oyelowo), it attracted 237 media
outlets with an audience of over 152
million, plus 21 million on social media.
Photos: Justin Wu

2020 also featured the star-studded

launch of the Eyes on the Goals event
to kick off the Decade of Action.
Organized in collaboration with
Sustainable Partners, it included digital
videos by celebrities and influencers
from the world of film, music and sport
that helped boost global support for the
SDGs. (Left: comedic actor, writer and
producer Rainn Wilson)

39
 Investing in development
Our invaluable partners
We rely on the support of our partners more than ever as we help lift the world out of the pandemic
and build forward better to the future of development.

Top partners
We wish to thank all our partners, beginning with the top 15:

European Germany Global The Global Japan United Dominican Green

Union Environment Fund States Republic Climate
Facility Fund

Sweden Argentina United Norway Switzerland Netherlands Denmark

Kingdom

50% of core backed by multi-year pledges

$346M in contributions to UNDP’s core resources
came from multi-year pledges

43% increase in government financing

Contributions from government financing
increased by 43% ­(to $1.1B from $790M in 2019)
Highlights
in 2020 21% increase in Funding Windows
Contributions to Funding Windows increased by
21% (to $125M from $103M in 2019)

77% increase in pooled UN funds

Contributions received as a Participating UN
Organization (PUNO) increased by 77% since 2019

All financial figures are provisional as of April 2021 and subject to change until the completion of audited financial statements.
40
 Top 2020 UNDP partners
European Union 483M
Germany 482M
UN Pooled Funds 438M
Global Environment Facility 370M
The Global Fund 323M
Japan 306M
United States 262M
Dominican Republic 238M
Green Climate Fund 236M
Sweden 197M
Argentina 176M
United Kingdom 162M
Norway 116M
Switzerland 112M
UN Agencies 105M
Netherlands 95M
Denmark 86M
Italy 75M
Canada 72M
Ukraine 70M
Egypt 59M
Republic of Korea 59M
World Bank Group 52M
Honduras 49M
India 41M
Colombia 39M Regular Resources Other Resources
Saudi Arabia 36M
Cameroon 34M
Australia 32M (Millions of US$)
Montreal Protocol 32M
100M 200M 300M 400M 500M

Funding Windows
UNDP’s Funding Windows are a pooled funding mechanism for partners to provide thematic support for the
SDGs. Special thanks go to our top 2020 Funding Windows Contributors:
70.9M

60M
Flexible to window, sub-window, region or country

Earmarked to projects
40M

22.2M
20M
11.7M
7.1M 5.1M
3.3M 2.6M 2M (Millions of US$)
y

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41
Re
 Core brings more
Short-term flexibility, long-term results
Regular or core resources are funds provided to UNDP that are not earmarked for a specific
project or theme.

In the best of times, development requires a clear, strategic long-term focus as well as the ability
to tackle emerging challenges and opportunities, COVID-19 being an extreme example. Core
funding makes both possible.

Core resources underpin UNDP’s operational capacity,

networks and presence at the global, regional and country
ccc
levels, across 170 countries and territories

This allows us to provide on-demand support for governments as part of the broader UN
System support.

Being the most flexible funding modality, core enables UNDP to lay the foundational work
in programme design that will help attract more resources from other sources. Core’s flex-
ibility allowed us to quickly repurpose existing core funds to provide direct support for the
needs of countries, including those in crisis settings.

Our core strength is growing

Core funding has declined since the last global financial crisis, and some countries have an-
nounced deep cuts in their funding for development, also known as Official Development
Assistance. But UNDP’s trusted partners are bucking that trend.

In 2020, we received

$696 MILLION in core contributions

(a 13% increase of $79M from 2019)

This included a record 126% increase from Germany, with increases also from Denmark, Ja-
pan, US, Finland, Czech Republic and Israel. Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Iran and Latvia
returned as contributors or began contributing to UNDP’s core resources.

42
Top core contributions

Thank you to our top 10 core contributors of 2020:

Germany United States Japan United Sweden Norway

Kingdom

Switzerland Canada Denmark Netherlands

Core, COVID-19 and beyond

Responding to a development crisis
Core funding is central to UNDP’s long-standing relationship and trust with governments be-
fore, during and after a crisis hits. Across regions, UNDP worked with donors and partners in
2020 to reprogramme core resources to jump-start COVID-19 response actions on the ground
and catalyse more, much-needed resources.

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The introduction of a COVID-19 Project Marker enabled UNDP
to report on the contribution of core resources and its impact on
our integrated response.

WHERE THE NEED IS GREATEST

UNDP continues to ensure that the majority (at least 85%, as man-
dated by its Executive Board) of core is spent on programmes in
the poorest countries, while also addressing pockets of poverty
and vulnerability in middle-income countries, particularly when
these impact women and marginalized communities.

PROMOTING UN NORMS AND PRINCIPLES

Core resources enable UNDP’s global presence and opera-
tions: present and actively engaging with governments, build-
ing trusted relationships to promote UN values, including human
rights and the principle of leaving no one behind.

43
 How the world views us
Recognition, whether external or internal, helps UNDP stay on track and keep improving. Below are some
of the awards and acknowledgements we received in 2020.

UNDP
Partnership
Survey 80% OF 3,100+ PARTNERS
surveyed across 140 countries
see UNDP as a valued partner

75% OF RESPONDENTS 71%

believe that UNDP advocate see UNDP as providing
a common UN position on integrated solutions in
important development issues collaboration with its
partners

Ranked UNDP as HIGHEST PERFORMANCE

by UNDP among all
THE MOST TRANSPARENT
Multilateral Fund
of UN agencies
implementation agencies

44
 Samsung
Global Goals
app
Global Goals app on over Consumer Electronic Show
100 million smartphones. (CES)
Partnership generated 2020 Innovation Award
$1.5M in donations for Honoree
UNDP’s development
work

Shortlisted for SDG Impact

Honorable Mention at Responsible Business
Awards 2020

UNDP-DCO
survey
CSO50 annual award for
outstanding innovation 73% OF RESPONDENTS
and business value in consider UNDP services to
cybersecurity, THE 6TH be ”satisfactory” or “very
TIME UNDP HAS WON satisfactory” (based on 131
(more than any other countries and 3 regional offices)
organization)

172 OF UNDP’S 249 Ashden Award for Humanitarian

DECENTRALIZED EVALUATIONS Energy recognized UNDP’s work
completed in 2020 were reviewed by to boost entrepreneurship for
the IEO as being 84% “satisfactory” Yemini women and communities’
or “moderately satisfactory” access to affordable energy
(a 10%+ increase since 2019)

45
 Global, regional, local
UNDP’s network brings the world together, driving sustainable impact and results for people and planet.

Africa
Latin America and the Caribbean
• Addis Ababa Regional Service
Centre
• Panama Regional Hub • Ecuador
• Angola

• El Salvador
• Argentina • Benin

• Guatemala
• Barbados and the Eastern • Botswana

• Guyana
Caribbean (covering • Burkina Faso

• Haiti
Anguilla, Antigua and • Burundi

• Honduras
Barbuda, the British Virgin • Cameroon
• Jamaica (covering The Bahamas,
Islands, the Commonwealth • Cape Verde

Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands,
of Dominica, Grenada, • Central African Republic

Jamaica, Turks and Caicos Islands)
Monserrat, Saint Lucia, • Chad

• Mexico
St. Kitts and Nevis, • Comoros

• Panama
St. Vincent and the • Congo (Dem. Republic of)
• Paraguay
Grenadines) • Congo (Republic of)

• Peru
• Bolivia • Côte d’Ivoire

• Suriname
• Brazil • Equatorial Guinea

• Trinidad and Tobago (covering
• Chile • Eritrea

Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten,
• Colombia • Eswatini

Trinidad and Tobago)
• Costa Rica • Ethiopia

• Uruguay
• Cuba • Gabon

• Venezuela
• Dominican Republic • Gambia

• Ghana

• Guinea

• Guinea-Bissau

North America •
•
Kenya

Lesotho

• Liberia

• Madagascar

• Malawi

• New York headquarters
• Mali

• Mauritania

• Mauritius and Seychelles

• Mozambique

• Namibia

• Niger

• Nigeria

• Rwanda

• São Tomé and Príncipe

• Senegal

• Sierra Leone

• South Africa

• South Sudan

• Tanzania

• Togo

• Uganda

• Zambia

• Zimbabwe

Representation Offices
• Brussels Representation Office (covering European Union)
• Geneva Representation Office
• Nordic Representation Office (covering Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden)
• Tokyo Representation Office
• Washington Representation Office

46
 Europe and Central Asia
• Istanbul Regional Hub
• Albania

• Armenia

• Azerbaijan

• Belarus

• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Cyprus
• Georgia

• Kazakhstan

• Kosovo (as per UNSCR 1244)
• Kyrgyzstan

• Moldova

• Montenegro

Arab States •
•
North Macedonia
Serbia
• Tajikistan

• Turkey

• Amman Regional Hub • Turkmenistan

• Algeria •
•
Ukraine

Uzbekistan
Asia and the Pacific
• Bahrain
• Djibouti
• Egypt • Bangkok Regional Hub
• Iraq
• Jordan • Afghanistan
• Kuwait • Bangladesh
• Lebanon • Bhutan
• Libya • Cambodia
• Morocco • China
• Programme of Assistance • Democratic People’s Republic of
to the Palestinian People Korea
• Saudi Arabia • India
• Somalia • Indonesia
• Sudan • Iran
• Syria • Lao PDR
• Tunisia • Malaysia (covering Brunei
• Yemen Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore)
• Maldives
• Mongolia
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Pacific Office in Fiji (covering
Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji,
Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall
Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon
Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu)
• Pakistan
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Samoa (covering Samoa, Cook
Islands, Niue, Tokelau)
• Sri Lanka
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Viet Nam

Policy Centres

• Nairobi Global Centre on Resilient Ecosystems and Desertification

• Oslo Governance Centre
• Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development
• Seoul Policy Centre for Knowledge Exchange through SDG Partnerships
• Singapore Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development

47
 United Nations Development Programme
One United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
www.undp.org

© UNDP 2021
48