Canada and UNDP

Thematic priorities

CIDA's priority sectors in partnering with UNDP include:

• Democratic governance,
• crisis prevention and recovery,
• energy and environment,
• HIV/AIDS.

Click here to find out about Canada's activities in gender mainstreaming and private sector development.

Democratic governance

Canada defines "Human rights, democracy and good governance" (HRDG) as important in their own right for the security and fulfillment of individual children, women and men.

Canada's governance sector includes public sector development; decentralizing government; working against existing and potential corruption; independent, accessible and even-handed legal and judicial systems; effective urban government.

Among some of the flagship programmes carried out in collaboration with UNDP, the country is helping to enhance governance in crisis areas such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Timor-Leste.

Other initiatives include the ACE (Administrative Cost of Elections) Electoral Knowledge Network, a portal that provides comprehensive and authoritative information on elections, promotes networking among election-related professionals and offers capacity development services. An independent, non-partisan agency, Elections Canada is one of the seven partners involved in the initiative in which UNDP is also taking part.

Click here to view a list of projects... | Learn more about UNDP's democratic governance practice area

Crisis prevention and recovery

Canada is working to support peace and stability in war-affected countries, as well as rebuild livelihoods in areas affected by natural disaster.

Canada has been one of the main contributors to UNDP's mine-clearance activities in countries like Somalia, Afghanistan and Cambodia. The country is also contributing to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq which is the first multi-donor reconstruction trust fund administered by the United Nations in partnership with the World Bank. Since February 2005 Canada has also been chairing IRFFI's Donor Committee.

In addition, the country is working with UNDP to rebuild livelihoods in tsunami areas, as well as in Pakistan, where the relief effort has paved the way for reconstruction.

Click here to view a list of projects... | Learn more about UNDP's Crisis Prevention and Recovrey practice area

Energy and Environment

Canada is promoting actions to reduce the causes and help developing countries adapt to the consequences of climate change. In Novermber 2005 it hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference which devised improvements for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.

The country's actions are based on the premise that combatting climate change will help ensure environmental sustainability and contribute to reaching the other MDGs: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.

Click here to view a list of projects... | Learn more about UNDP's Energy and Environment practice area

HIV and AIDS

Canada was the first country in the world to implement the August 30, 2003 decision of the World Trade Organization to make less expensive versions of patented medicines available to developing countries facing public health problems.

CIDA works in coordination and partnership with UNDP, other UN agencies, donors and civil society on:

• preventing HIV/AIDS through education, including on sexual and reproductive health, culturally attuned awareness-raising initiatives, and vaccine and microbicide research;
• caring, treating and supporting those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS to enable them to live longer and better lives; and
• strengthening health systems and building human resource capacity in developing countries to fight HIV/AIDS.

Canada will also host the XVI International AIDS Conference which will be held in Toronto from August 13-18, 2006.

Click here to view a list of projects... | Learn more about UNDP's HIV/AIDS practice area