Private Sector Partnerships

Examples of key partnerships

UNDP has the unique ability to bring together different stakeholders - local and/or national governments, civil society organizations, other multilateral donors or development agencies and the private sector in efforts where joint collaboration is required to maximize impact.

UNDP offers support to countries in five strategic development areas:

In all of these, there are opportunities for cooperation with the business sector. In addition UNDP, with the help of the private sector, has been a pioneer in extending the benefits of Information and Communications Technologies to the developing world. Below you will find examples of some of our partnerships. If you want to know more or explore concrete possibilities of collaborating with UNDP, you are welcome to contact the UNDP Division for Business Partnerships. For more in-depth case studies, please see the following publications: UNDP and the Business Sector and Empowering the Poor through Markets.

Areas of cooperation

1. Poverty reduction — Creating opportunities for poor people to access basic economic, financial, social and legal services.

How can business participate: By working with UNDP to support the local provision of basic social and financial services and by helping to create economic opportunities for the poor by supporting local entrepreneurship and employment.

Example: In Kazakhstan, Citigroup and Chevron Texaco have teamed up with UNDP to support the delivery of micro-credit along with business support services to small entrepreneurs. In Fiji and Vanuatu, UNDP works with The Body Shop, an NGO and local business organizations, to provide hands on training in business management and marketing to young entrepreneurs.

2. Democratic governance — assisting developing countries to strengthen their political, legal and public administration systems.

How can business participate: By working with government, civil society and UNDP to build local governance capacities and promote better human rights awareness and anti-corruption measures, thereby creating a favorable business development climate.

Example: In Venezuela, UNDP together with the Government, Amnesty International and Statoil have collaborated to build capacity within the national judiciary system on issues relating to international human rights law. A group of judges and federal prosecutors have received training on this topic in the first phase and will serve as trainers for their colleagues around the country.

3. Environment and energy — promoting environmentally sound development and clean affordable energy.

How can business participate: By working with UNDP, government and civil society to reduce the negative impact of development on the environment through pollution reduction and the sustainable use of natural resources, and to positively contribute to the challenges of access to energy services, access to water and waste management, climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation.

Example: In Lebanon, UNDP is coordinating a “Go Green” initiative with several multinational and local businesses. This activity encourages corporate social responsibility with a focus on environmental concerns by promoting dialogue between the companies and the various stakeholders of the local communities in which they operate. To accomplish this, UNDP has organized workshops and environmental engineering contests to promote ecologically sound business practices.

4. Crisis prevention and recovery — acting as a bridge between emergency relief and long term economic and social development, with a view of preventing future crises.

How can business participate: By investing in and supporting the economic recovery of post-conflict countries and by helping to meet immediate basic needs such as food, water, and housing.

Example: In 2005, UNDP and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Post that will establish three teams of as many as 100 DHL employee volunteers each at strategic airports in the Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East to speed relief supplies and equipment to disaster sites.

In Viet Nam, companies have worked with UNDP and Viet Nam’s Central Committee for Floods and Storms Control, to help set up an information network for disaster management. This network links eleven provincial Emergency Communication Stations in the Mekong Delta area and one Central Sub Station in Ho Chi Minh City, helping to improve early warning systems and manage the response to natural disasters.

5. HIV/AIDS — supporting countries’ capacities to manage the social and economic aspects of the HIV/AIDS crisis and to advocate greater awareness.

How can business participate: By using its core skills and competencies to work with UNDP and other sectors in society on defining and implementing HIV/AIDS strategies and policies, and supporting advocacy, awareness raising and prevention campaigns.

Example: In the Republic of Congo, UNDP works with companies, UNICEF, Ministry of Education and the National Programme Against AIDS, by providing teachers and students with information about HIV/AIDS through workshops, peer education, theatre groups and research to raise awareness and increase self-confidence, especially among girls.

6. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) — promoting easier access to information along with a better ability to communicate, and to deliver social services, education and economic opportunities through the use of new technologies.

How can business participate: By supporting infrastructure, connectivity and training to expand access and by working with UNDP to provide advice and policy recommendations to countries.

Example: In 2004 UNDP signed a global MOU with Microsoft to foster capacity development by providing technology-related skills through community centers and to explore technology-based solutions to address the capacity crisis facing Southern Africa resulting from HIV/AIDS.

In Ghana, UNDP works with a number of companies, the government and civil society groups to introduce information and communications technology to schools, health clinics, farms, local businesses, NGOs, etc. through mobile telecentres located in buses which are able to service a large number of communities.