Lao PDR

About UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme is the main body for coordinating the UN’s development work.  Its global reach and management of more than US$ 4 billion (2005) annually makes it the largest provider of development grant assistance in the UN system. UNDP provides policy advice and helps build institutional and human capacity that generates equitable growth.  It works with the public and private sector partners to make the best possible use of aid resources in confronting the challenges and opportunities offered by globalization.  It is committed to promoting accountable governments at all levels of society and building coalitions for actions on issues critical to sustainable human development.  An Executive Board, representing both developed and developing countries governs UNDP. 

As the leading advocate for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UNDP helps bring countries and the international community together to take these efforts forward. Working with existing national plans and poverty reduction strategies, UNDP assists countries with formulating practical MDG strategies.

UNDP prepares the annual Human Development Report  that focuses the global debate on key development issues, providing new measurement tools, innovative analysis and often-controversial policy proposals. It is guided by the belief that development is ultimately a process of enlarging people’s choices, not just raising national incomes.

 At the country level, UNDP provides support to publish National Human Development Reports.  More than 140 countries have now published NHDRs that have served to invigorate local policy debates. 

UNDP administers special funds and programmes, including:

• United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM);

 
• United Nations Volunteer Programme (UNV);

 
• United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).

Within the UN System

UNDP hosts the Resident Coordinator function and the UNDP Resident Representative is also the UN Resident Coordinator charged with UN Country Team coordination, and the Designated Official for Security charged with managing safety and security issues for United Nations personnel. As the designated representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and team leader of the UN System, the UN Resident Coordinator assumes the overall responsibility for, and the coordination of, the operational activities for development of the UN System at the country level.  The RC is supported by the Office of the Resident Coordinator that sits within UNDP but reports to the whole UN Country Team.