Thematic priorities
UNDP and the European Commission are promoting the Millennium Development
Goals and particularly the fight against poverty by working together
on the following three thematic priorities:
In addition, particular attention has been devoted to human
rights and gender, including women's empowerment,
as cross-cutting issues.
Democratic governance
In the area of governance, the cooperation between UNDP and the EC aims
to help countries develop institutions, policies and capacities that
help to eradicate poverty and to foster economic systems that enforce
clear and predictable rules as well as provide adequate budgetary support
for social and priority areas in promoting development.
This includes fostering political systems that respect human rights,
ensuring participation during and outside elections, decentralizing
power, offering equal access to the law, removing gender and minority
discrimination.
Providing free and fair multiparty elections is an important aspect
of the partners' endeavour to strengthen governance in the developing
world. In April 2006, UNDP and the European Commission - both of which
have considerable experience in the electoral domain - prepared and
adopted joint operational guidelines for electoral assistance.
The biggest operation in this respect has been the preparation and observation
of elections in the DR Congo, which held its first democratic elections
in 40 years on 30th July, 2006.
Post-conflict reconstruction
UNDP and the EC have been working to ease the transition between conflict
recovery and long-term development in conflict areas, rebuilding livelihoods
as well as strengthening the capacity of communities to build a better
future.
These activities include the following: (i) rehabilitation and development
of social and civic infrastructure, (ii) rehabilitation and development
of physical infrastructure related to production, water and sanitation,
education and health, (iii) income generation and micro-financing with
a cost recovery element, (iv) access to services and markets, (v) sustainable
natural resource utilisation and management, (vi) human resources skills
development, (vii) technical and vocational training, (viii) de-mining.
The European Commission has been an important contributor to UNDP's
post-conflict activities as an umbrella organization. Key examples include
the following multi-donor trust funds, all of which are administered
by UNDP: the Iraq Reconstruction Trust Fund; Afghanistan Law and Order
and Anti-Narcotics Trust Funds; the Sudan Reconstruction Trust Fund.
Conflict prevention
The EC and the UNDP have a long history of close cooperation in the
field of conflict prevention. The EC communication
on Conflict Prevention emphasizes the need to take a genuinely long-term
and integrated approach for treating the root causes of conflict, ensuring
co-ordination between the Commission, Member States and other international
partners. The areas in which the EC has been making an important contribution
are: political dialogue, macro-economic environments, support for democracy,
rule of law and civil society, security sector reform, combating the
trade in drugs and small arms, management of natural resources and specific
short-term and post-conflict measures.
Examples of EC-UNDP conflict prevention activities include border management
in Central Asia, the Western CIS and the Western Caucasus, and contributions
to UNDP's Disarmement, Demobilization and Reinsertion (DDR) programmes
around the world, with activities ranging from vocational training for
ex-combattants to support for the justice sector.
Human Rights
In May 2001, the Commission adopted a communication
on the EU's role in promoting human rights and democratization in third
countries, in which it provides for the development of a coherent strategy
and defines "target countries" for human rights measures.
The new approach was developed in collaboration with several Directorates-General
within the European Commission. The Member States, the European Parliament
and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were also involved in its
implementation.
Gender
The activities that have been financed include those that:
- support access to resources and services for women (e.g. in education,
training, health, employment, infrastructure, and the participation
of women in the political decision-making process);
- help define and analyze indicators that are gender-specific;
- raise awareness and advocate for women's empowerment; and
- strengthen the institutional and operational capacities of women
in the development process.
The European Union
and UNDP