Strategic Areas and Programmes

UNDP focuses on four strategic areas: Planning and Resource Management, Development Policy, Resources and External Affairs and Finance and Administrative Services. The responsibility of the administrator includes managing the following offices:

• United Nations Development Group Office
• Human Development Report Office
• Evaluation Office
• Office for Audit and Performance Review

The Administrator works to oversee programmes that include:

• Special Unit/Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (Su/TCDC) - promotes South-South cooperation to achieve development objectives
• United Nations Volunteers (UNV) - serves as an operational partner in development cooperation
• United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) - supports the advancement of women through empowerment and gender equality
• United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) - works to reduce poverty in Least Developed countries

United Nations Resident Coordinator System

UNDP has a network of over 131 offices in different countries of the developing world. Resident representatives are appointed by UNDP for each country office and they also serve as directors of the United Nations Information Centres. In addition, each resident representative takes on the position of resident coordinator of operational activities for development interventions carried out by other UN bodies.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator System (UNRCS) plays the role of responding to complex emergencies, as well as organizing and coordinating UN humanitarian assistance.

Country Office Links

• UNDP Africa
• UNDP Arab States
• UNDP Asia and the Pacific
• UNDP Europe and the CIS
• UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sub-Regional Resource Facilities

Sub-Regional Resource Facilities (SURFs) were established in 1997 to support UNDP country offices. The UNDP system of SURF’s provides the 134 country offices and their Headquarters-based development programmes with the appropriate expertise, information and experience to manage and coordinate development. The SURF system is comprised of a network of SURF offices in field locations, and is responsible for reporting to their Regional Bureaux and to the Global Hub in the Bureau for Development Policy at UNDP Headquarters in New York. The eight SURF offices include: Islamabad, Bangkok, Beijing, Suva, Addis Ababa, Bratislava, Beirut and Port of Spain. Eight more SURF’s are scheduled to be open in 2000.

“We are already a non-core organization, raising hundreds of millions in non-core with relative ease while we struggle for every dime of core.”

Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, April 4, 2000

The global reach of UNDP involves financial management of over US $ 2.5 billion. The financial resources are dependent on two sources of funding: regular or core and non-core resources. Core (regular) resources are voluntary contributions by member countries whereas non-core resources are sources of funding that are targeted towards specific projects of interest of a donor country.

In 1999, US $ 682 million was received as core (regular) resources. This income is received from the 21 member countries of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In addition, over 90 programme countries (i.e. developing countries) contribute to the funding of regular resources. Nonetheless, core (regular) resources have been on the decline. Overall, core resources have declined from US $1.2 billion in 1992 to the US $682 million in 1999.

The core (regular) resources are distributed to programme countries to help meet UNDP objectives and the move towards sustainable human development.

Non-Core Resources A total of US $ 1.4 billion was received as non-core resources in 1999. These contributions are received by UNDP from donors, NGOS and programme governments for specific projects or programmes.

The top 10 contributors to UNDP non-core funding in 1999 include: USA, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada. The top contributor was USA, with a contribution of over US $90 million, in comparison to Canada at under US $30million, the lowest contributor. Source: UNDP Today, Introducing the Organization

Canada’s Voluntary Contribution to UNDP

Contribution	$US	$Cdn	Share of total
1994	39, 260, 000	53, 000, 000	4.3%
1995	31, 030, 000	43, 300, 000	3.4%
1996	31, 940, 000	43, 300, 000	3.8%
1997	29, 783, 782	41,250, 000	3.9%
1998	29, 290, 780	41, 300, 000	3.9%
1999	27, 350, 993	41, 300, 000	4.0%

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade – Division for Resources Mobilization

The Multi-Year Funding Framework

The Multi-Year Funding Framework, (MYFF), was developed to address the financial challenges of UNDP and to provide funding stability. The MYFF, adopted by James Gustave Speth, the administrator until 1999, is comprised of a strategic results framework and a new integrated resource framework. The MYFF has been targeted toward securing core resources (voluntary contributions) at the UNDP.

Approximately, US $800 million is the funding target set for the year 2000, in the 2000-2003 MYFF plan. This target should increase to US $900 million in 2001. According to the Administrator, UNDP is well short of that target and core (voluntary) funding is expected to remain at US $ 682 million, the same as in 1999. The strategic goal is to rebuild to a target of US $1.1 billion in core (regular) resources over the next few years.

The focus of UNDP development work

The focus of UNDP’s work is now moving upstream - towards policy advice and capacity development. Recent numbers show that, in terms of UNDP projects and programmes, 67% are related to capacity building, 42% in policy, regulatory and legal frameworks and 33% in institutional capacity building.