The Year in Pictures
Morocco – Combating Desertification and Poverty
Photos by Faiza Hajji
The people of southern Morocco’s oases struggle with both poverty and the steady desertification of their land. A UNDP programme done in partnership with the Government and four other UN agencies, however, is helping to revitalize the economy and the environment through, among other initiatives, an eco-friendly livelihoods project for women. View Photo Essay | Behind the Lens
Prespa Lakes Basin – Preserving Biodiversity in South-Eastern Europe
Photos by Nehru Sulejmani, Nikolaos Kalkounos and Zivko Spirovski
The Prespa Lakes basin is known for a breathtaking array of rare and endangered birds, animals and plants. It has also suffered serious setbacks over the past 40 years as a result of pollution, pesticides and poor waste management. But a joint, trans-boundary programme between UNDP and the Governments of Albania, Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are helping to turn the region around. View Photo Essay
Burkina Faso - Affording Women Opportunity through Simple Technology
Photos by Giacomo Pirozzi
As part of a poverty reduction initiative in western Africa, UNDP, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has installed hundreds of diesel-run generators in Burkina Faso to which a variety of processing equipment can be attached, including mills, battery chargers and alternators. Pounding rice and other grains by hand is hard work and takes a long time, but thanks to these generators – called multifunctional platforms – the women who use them now have more time for other, income-generating work, education, childcare and improvement of their health. View Photo Essay | Behind the Lens
Haiti – Providing Work in a Time of Crisis and Recovery
Photos by Sophia Paris
In the months after the devastating 12 January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, UNDP created tens of thousands of temporary jobs through a cash-for-work programme aimed at restoring the livelihoods and dignity of the Haitian people. View Photo Essay