Overlapping shocks are upending lives, reversing development, and testing the limits of global solidarity.
Across every region, crises are converging: conflict, rising inequality, debt, food insecurity, extreme weather, and forced displacement. Despite decades of progress, the world is now veering off course, and hard-won gains risk being lost.
Where institutions are already under strain, economies fragile, and services out of reach, people are more vulnerable to shocks and slower to recover. That’s why development must be the starting point—not an afterthought.
Traditional models treat relief and development as separate phases, but waiting for crises to end before investing in recovery is a costly mistake. UNDP takes a different approach. We invest in development from day one—restoring infrastructure, supporting livelihoods, and strengthening essential services even in the most fragile contexts.
UNDP’s integrated model connects short-term relief to long-term recovery. We work with governments and communities to rebuild clinics and schools, restart economies, and reinforce justice and governance systems—helping people move from crisis to resilience.
What sets UNDP apart is our ability to work across sectors, timelines, and institutions. We don’t just deliver services—we empower countries to lead their own recovery by aligning public finance, leveraging local knowledge, and linking emergency response to national development plans.
In a riskier world, development is our strongest line of defence—protecting progress, reducing future need, and ensuring no one is left behind.
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