Brokering partnerships for development

Human development is a complex process that requires the participation of many different players. No organization can do it alone. Strengthening countries' capacities to develop strong and prosperous societies requires cooperation among a large network of partners, including donor countries, the private sector, civil society, international financial institutions and regional bodies. As a natural and impartial broker and catalyst, UNDP brings people and organizations together in ways that advance human development.

The new voice of Iraqi Journalists Until recently, most Iraqis relied on foreign media for news on their own country. Now, thanks to Voices of Iraq, a recently-established online news agency, they have access to up-to-date, professional reporting produced by Iraqis for Iraqis. More...

UNDP is expanding its partnerships with civil society organizations (CSOs) as they are playing a prominent role both in helping to shape poverty reduction policies and in delivering projects on the ground. Dialogue and cooperation have been enhanced through the CSO Advisory Committee, which provides UNDP with strategic advice on a range of human development issues. In 2005, CSOs' significant contribution to policy dialogues has been enhanced by a number of UNDP-sponsored activities, including the Community Commons Dialogue held at Fordham University in New York. In April 2006, the CSO Advisory Committee met with UNDP's senior management to discuss a range of issues including the UN reform process, trade capacity development and conflict prevention. Under a $2 million programme funded by the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, local civil society groups in 15 countries received funding to enhance their participation in the development of MDG-based poverty reduction strategies. In addition, a small grants programme to help community-based organizations support crisis prevention and recovery activities was successfully piloted in Colombia, Liberia and Sri Lanka.

UNDP also capitalizes on the strengths of the private sector by helping to broker partnerships among large corporations, governments, NGOs and local entrepreneurs. Through its innovative Growing Sustainable Business (GSB) initiative, for example, UNDP works with the private sector to identify and develop concrete business investments that meet local demands, stimulate local entrepreneurship and help reduce poverty. The aim is to encourage businesses that target developing countries' markets and improve links between big companies and small local enterprises. By seeking innovative public-private solutions that use the resources large companies already have in their arsenal, the initiative helps match company interests with country priorities and appropriate development partners.

As a natural and impartial broker and catalyst, UNDP brings people and organizations together in ways that advance human development.

In line with the Global Compact, a pioneering international initiative of the UN Secretary-General to fight corruption, promote human rights and support labour and environmental protection, the GSB is founded on the understanding that economic development of the poorest countries is of fundamental long-term interest to the global community. It also assumes that businesses should be encouraged to participate in pro-poor development by the prospect of long-term expansion of markets. Finally, the GSB initiative recognizes the urgent need to attract more investments and business to the world's LDCs, a group of countries that represents 12.5 percent of the developing world's population, but only 1.5 percent of gross foreign direct investment flows. GSB's investment projects span a broad range of sectors, ranging from rural telecommunications to agriculture supply chains and small- and medium enterprise financing. Launched in 2002, the programme secured the participation of an array of companies, including Ericsson, Société Générale, Total and Unilever. With a portfolio of investments ranging from $200,000 to $23 million in size, the initiative has been introduced in El Salvador, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Serbia and Montenegro, Tanzania and Zambia. In Tanzania, for example, Unilever is working with the World Conservation Union, the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the World Agroforestry Centre to encourage local communities and small businesses to cultivate the seeds from the Allanblackia tree—commonly found in parts of west, central and east Africa—for the manufacture of products such as soap and margarine. The aim is to generate income for local farmers, while benefiting the company in the long run, as the market for Allanblackia oil develops. Building on these achievements, the GSB can open significant growth opportunities for developing countries, as more companies put their weight behind the initiative.

The ever closer integration of the global economy has opened up new opportunities for cooperation among developing countries. In the area of trade, over 40 percent of all developing country exports go to other developing countries and South-South trade is increasing at an annual rate of 11 percent—nearly twice as fast as total world trade. Stronger collaboration among developing countries can also help accelerate progress towards the MDGs: from HIV/AIDS health care provision to world-class research centres, developing countries harbour significant pools of knowledge and excellence that can be tapped to support human development efforts. That is why, through its Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, UNDP helps developing countries work together to formulate policies, share information, and agree on common priorities to create their own solutions to the problems they face. For example, we helped civil society organizations in Sri Lanka benefit from India's experience in developing institutional capacity among NGOs. We have also been fostering South-South initiatives aimed at tackling the spread of HIV/AIDS. Under a UNDP-sponsored project, Thailand is donating 50,000 condoms to seven African countries. The project is being funded by the Thai government with UNDP facilitating the shipping and distribution to Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda.