NEPAL

About UNDP in Nepal

UNDP - Who we are?

UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.

World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP's network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these Goals. Our focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of:

• Democratic Governance
• Poverty Reduction
• Crisis Prevention and Recovery
• Environment & Energy
• HIV/AIDS
  
  

UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women.

The annual Human Development Report, commissioned by UNDP, focuses the global debate on key development issues, providing new measurement tools, innovative analysis and often controversial policy proposals. The global Report's analytical framework and inclusive approach carry over into regional, national and local Human Development Reports, also supported by UNDP.

In each country office, the UNDP Resident Representative normally also serves as the Resident Coordinator of development activities for the United Nations system as a whole. Through such coordination, UNDP seeks to ensure the most effective use of UN and international aid resources.

What we do in Nepal?

UNDP has been supporting the Nepalese people in their struggle against poverty since it opened an in-country office in 1963. Much of this support has gone to building up the capacity of government agencies, civil society and community groups to fight poverty, and to bringing these groups and Nepal's donors together to design and implement successful poverty alleviation projects.

UNDP in Nepal concentrates its efforts for greater impact in the most remote, poor, and/or conflict-affected areas of the mid- and far-western development regions and the Terai, where its rights-based interventions are targeted towards the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. The UNDP programmes seek opportunities for joint programming with other United Nations organizations and engage in joint planning and monitoring of development activities in selected districts.

The UNDP Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP 2008-2012) builds on the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2008-2012) and the Approach Paper of the Government's National Three year Plan (2010-2013).

The UNDP programmes are prepared in consultation with the Government, civil society organizations, United Nations organizations and other development partners, and appraised at a joint strategy meeting. As the Government coordinating agency, the Ministry of Finance heads the Country Programme Board, which guides the implementation of the Programme and the cross-sectoral linkages are ensured through outcome boards. The implementation guidelines are revised in line with the results management guidelines, to support national ownership and accountability. UNDP and the Government exercise flexibility in implementing sensitive activities critical for the peace process.

The signing of a comprehensive peace agreement in November 2006 by the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) marked a historic step in ending the ten-year conflict. The Security Council, under Resolution 1740 of 23 January 2007, established the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) to support the peace process through the monitoring of arms, armed personnel and the ceasefire, and to provide technical support for the elections to the Constituent Assembly. The tenure of UNMIN ended on 15 Jan 2011.

Given the evolving political context, the Programme implementation strategies are made flexible for UNDP to adapt and address emerging needs through an iterative review process in consultation with the Government and donor partners.

Currently the overarching priority of our work in Nepal is to help the Government and its people build a lasting peace and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by:

• Strengthening governance institutions from community to national Government levels;
• Improving incomes and generating employment;
• Improving the policy environment and planning capabilities;
• Protecting Nepal's development gains from the ill-effects of natural disasters, climate change and HIV; and
• Empowering women and disadvantaged people and fostering policies for equity and equality.
  
  
Within this framework, our Programmes address six priority areas for Nepal's development:


• Transitional Governance
• Inclusive Growth & Sustainable Livelihood
• Peace Building and Recovery
• Energy, Environment and Natural Disaster Management
• HIV

Transitional Governance

Most of our work focuses on strengthening democratic governance as a keystone for sustainable development. The Support to Participatory Constitution Building Project in Nepal (SPCBN) is helping lay the foundations for a more inclusive system of governance. The project has promoted wide participation in the writing of the new Constitution and, as the writing process reaches a conclusion, is assisting stakeholders to resolve the remaining contentious issues.

We are strengthening the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to safeguard citizens' human rights and the Election Commission to hold free and fair elections. Support to multi-donor local governance project (LGCDP) is improving the ability of Nepal's local governments to provide services to local communities and increasing citizen participation in ensuring that they receive quality services. We are supporting the National Planning Commission to improve the national planning systems for more gender -equal and socially inclusive development and to promote the improved implementation of plans. We are also providing disadvantaged people with access to affordable justice, protecting women from violence and helping bring Nepal's courts and laws up to international standards. We are supporting the Ministry of Finance to improve the management of the country's large aid receipts by establishing modern systems for the efficient and transparent management of aid and also bringing together the strengths of the private and public sectors to improve the urban poor's access to services and to create jobs by promoting public-private partnerships.

Inclusive Growth & Sustainable Livelihood

Promoting livelihoods and creating employment is another priority for many of the projects we are involved in. We have three projects which are helping to improve the livelihoods to spur economic growth and enable progress across the Millennium Development Goals.

The Micro-enterprise Development Programme (MEDEP) has lifted thousands of people out of poverty and is a model initiative that the Government, other projects and donors have followed. The Enhanced Access to Financial Services (EAFS) project is successfully working with financial service providers to extend access to the financial services (saving and credit) that poorer people in remote areas need to develop their livelihoods. The Livelihood Recovery for Peace (LRP) project is mobilizing the poorest communities for peace and development in a part of the southern plains where poverty, conflict and natural disaster most hinder development.

Peace Building and Recovery

The main short-term challenge Nepal faces is the successful conclusion of the peace process, which follows on from the 1996-2006 armed conflict. UNDP, with its experience of working in post conflict situations around the world has played a key supporting role in guiding the many difficult tasks involved in consolidating peace. In late 2009 and early 2010, working alongside other UN agencies, we assisted the discharge of the under-age and late recruits to the Maoist army. Using the same inter-agency model we have subsequently assisted their rehabilitation into civilian life by providing vocational skills training, micro-enterprise development, health training and formal education (UNIRP).

Most of the other projects are helping build a lasting peace by improving governance, access to employment and services to remove grievances that caused the conflict. Towards preventing future conflicts, a separate initiative Conflict Prevention Programme (CPP) is building collaborative leadership and dialogue skills amongst politicians and youth leaders to help overcome the lack of consensual decision-making. A second important component of CPP is educating UN staff to design and implement projects in ways that promote social cohesion and avoid causing divisions.

Energy, Environment and Natural Disaster Management

Environmental degradation is a serious threat to the livelihoods of the majority of Nepalis who rely on natural resources for their fuel, fodder, water, raw materials and other environmental benefits. Our new rural energy project (RERL) is continuing our long-term support for clean alternative sources of energy. Since 1996 this support has made a major contribution to saving Nepal's forest, reducing carbon emissions and improving livelihoods. A more recent area of intervention is our support to reduce the damaging impacts of climate change. We have assisted the government to produce its national adaptation plan (NAPA).

The Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP), Terai landscape conservation project and the wetlands project are empowering local communities to conserve their environments. This is happening both for the benefit of their livelihoods and to conserve Nepal's globally important diversity of plant and animal species. The two projects also support policy making for landscape level management and conservation of Nepal's threatened wetlands.

We play a major role in reducing the risks from natural hazards to protect Nepal's development gains as the greatly improved livelihoods, improved infrastructure and reduced levels of poverty could be swept away by floods, earthquake and landslides and the negative effects of climate change. Our new disaster risk management programme, the Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Programme (CDRMP) is supporting major parts of the new national strategy for proactive disaster risk management and risk reduction amongst communities and by national and local government.

HIV

UNDP has managed large grants from DFID and the Global Fund (GFATM) to support the implementation of the national programme on HIV/AIDS. The DFID funded programme, which has just ended, has made a large contribution to decreasing the high rates of infection amongst injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, labour migrants and other high risk groups. This is helping to stop the disease spreading into the general population. Support from GFATM has improve access to and the quality of HIV-related services (HIV testing, treatment of infections and access to antiretroviral treatment) in the government and other health services.

Type of assistance and programming

In early 2008, UNDP approved its Country Programme Document (CPD) for 2008-2010 in support of the Interim Development Plan of the Government of Nepal. While capacity development is the overarching objective of UNDP assistance, gender and social inclusion, climate change, and risk management has been addressed as a cross cutting issue in all UNDP supported projects and programmes. Currently UNDP Nepal has extended its Country Programme Action Plan (2008-2012) in support of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2008-2012) and the Approach Paper of the Government's National Three year Plan (2010-2013).

The Country Programme Action Plan is the legal agreement between the Government of Nepal and UNDP. These programmes will regularly be assessed and refocused to align with the new requirements in line with the Government's priorities and UNDP's Strategic Plan.

Where we operate?

UNDP's activities span almost 75 districts and 1,000 out of 4,000 villages. The number of projects ongoing in 2011 is 29. Of the $30.5 million spent in 2011, almost $22m came from UNDP sources and bilateral/multilateral agencies. The main donor partner were DFID and Norway, Global Fund and DANIDA which funded 23% of programme expenditure.

Where does our money come from?

In 2011 additional US$ 12.8 million was committed for UNDP programmes. The new funding partnerships were entered into with CIDA and AusAid to fund the Micro Enterprises Development Programme (US$ 2.8m), DFID to fund the Election Support Project, HIV/AIDS and Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Project (US$ 2.9m), DANIDA to fund Election Support Project and Aid Effectiveness project (US$ 0.4m), GFATM to fund HIV/AIDS (US $ 5.7 m) and European Commission to fund the Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Project (US $ 1 m).

UNDP Nepal continued to work in alliance with the donors to produce a donor compact on climate change with the Government of Nepal and flagship programmes for disaster risk reduction.

UNDP Nepal continued the important new partnerships started in 2009 with other United Nations agencies, which are promoting more harmonization and coherence within the UN. A major new strategic partnership that began with UNDP's Bureau of Crisis Prevention and Recovery in September 2009 continued. In 2011, BCPR provided $3.6 million of funding in total for our development programmes.

What do we spend it on?

In 2011, the expenditure reached $ 34.7 million across the five thematic areas such as HIV/AIDS, Transitional Governance, Peace Building, Energy, Environment and Natural Disasters and Livelihoods. The highest proportion of expenditure went on slowing the spread of HIV and AIDS as UNDP is managing multi-million dollar funding from DFID and the Global Fund. The second largest expenditure went on Constitution project. In 2011, the administrative and central management costs accounted for 11.40% of this expenditure.

Partnerships

UNDP believes that concerted efforts to build partnerships are fundamental for building broad-based consensus, resource mobilisation, and effective implementation of programmes for sustainable peace and development in Nepal. In 2010 UNDP continued to build and expand its partnerships with the Government of Nepal, various UN Agencies, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, the private sector, the civil society organisations, the media, and the academia for the development, resource mobilisation, implementation and monitoring of its supported programmes.

List of Donors & Partners

AusAid, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, British Embassy, Danida, Department for International Development (DFID), Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF), European Commission /European Union, Finland, GEF (Global Environment Facility), Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), Government of Nepal, Himal Power Limited (HPL), IFTF (Integrated Framework Trust Fund), Japan, Norway, Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), Swiss Development Corporation (SDC), SNV (Netherlands Government), UNICEF, UNPFN, UNCDF and ILO.


Amounts allocated by donors to UNDP projects operating in 2011



Bilateral and Other non-UN donors
1	DFID	4,627,830
2	AusAid	2,819,309
3	Norway	694,686
4	Denmark	708,681
5	Japan	167,602
6	Austria	17,017
7	Finland	152,050
8	ADB	297,723
9	British Embassy	212,395
10	EC	815,899
11	Netherlands	82,760
12	HPL	1,404,195
13	SDC	153,693
	Sub-Total	12,153,840
Other Funds
14	Global Fund	2,226,744
15	GEF	1,156,237
	Sub-Total	3,382,981
UNDP
16	UNDP	11,498,650
17	BCPR	3,388,797
18	MDTF	1,360,610
	Sub-Total	16,248,057
Other UN Agencies
19	UNPFN	3,429,725
20	UNISDR Sub-Total	29,853 3,459,578
	Total	35,244,456


Support to the UN System

UNDP continues to play a crucial role in the provision of operational support to the UN System in Nepal and the realization of harmonization of operational policies and practices among the various UN agencies.

This operational support is provided by the Inter-Agency Task Forces (Comprising of members from various UN Agencies) on Human Resources, Information Technology, Procurement and Finance.

Partnership with the United Nations Volunteers

The United Nations Volunteers (UNVs) programme has been providing operational and programmatic support to UN agencies in Nepal since 1974. In 2011 UNV continued to manage UN Volunteers for Nepal and to administer the sending of Nepali UN Volunteers abroad to serve in other countries. The UNV programme had 92 UN Volunteers working in Nepal in seven UN agencies (UNHCR, OHCHR, UNDP, UNRCPD, WFP, RC unit and UNICEF). In UNDP, UN Volunteers worked in peace-building, environment and HIV/AIDS prevention projects. Meanwhile, more than 100 Nepali nationals served as international UN Volunteers in various countries around the globe supporting peace and development.

In 2011 UNV continued working together with UNDP and five other UN agencies in the UN Joint Programme (LGCDP) to support the Government of Nepal for local governance and community development. One hundred national volunteers were placed in 48 District Development Committees (DDCs) and 52 municipalities through the government's National Development Volunteer Service (NDVS). These UNV funded NDVS volunteers supported local citizens, communities and marginalized groups to make local government bodies more accountable for providing quality services on time. In 2012 UNV will continue this programme in terms of supporting the capacity building and restructuring of NDVS.

UNV also deployed 25 Nepali female UN Volunteers to UNDP's Public Private Partnership Programme for Urban Environment project (PPPUE) in 2011, with funding from the Asian Development Bank and AusAID. These volunteers were trained and placed in DDCs and municipalities to enhance service delivery and small scale private sector participation in delivering services. Their contribution to the PPPUE scheme was very much appreciated at the community level.

Throughout 2011 UNV acted as focal point for the worldwide celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10). In Nepal a National Steering Committee for Volunteerism, Nepal (NSCVN) was established by the initiative of UNV to take the lead on the IYV+10 celebrations. A national Plan of Action for the celebrations was prepared and implemented by NSCVN, including a special IYV+10 Volunteer Caravan event with the theme of "Volunteering for MDGs". UNV HQ also facilitated a first ever "State of the World's Volunteerism Report", which was launched in Nepal by the honorable President of Nepal, to showcase volunteers' activities in the world and recognize the contribution of volunteerism to peace and development.


Last Updated: January 2012