Significance of study

The UNDP describes itself as the UNs global development network, an organization
advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and
resources to help people build a better life. With a staff of almost 5,000, it has
national offices in 166 countries. The UNDP has dual role at the national level. On
the one hand, within the context of its mandate, it provides expert advice, training,
and grant support to developing countries to help achieve a range of national and
international goals, such as most notably the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). In this context, it is often regarded as the largest single source of
development funding and government technical assistance within the UN system.
On the other hand, it supports the coordination of UN activities at the national level
through the Resident Coordinator system, which it manages, working closely with
the government, agencies and other development partners. The UNDPs specific
focus areas (also referred to as practices or key results in various documents) are
worked out in line with changing conditions and demands for programme support
from countries. They are then presented to the UNDP Executive Board for
endorsement in the context of three-year programme frameworks. First established
in 1999, the framework has since been referred to as the Multi-Year Funding
Framework (MYFF). In the context of the current MYFF (2004-2007) the following are
core goals:

Achieving the MDGs and reducing human poverty.

Fostering democratic governance.
Managing energy and environment for sustainable development.
Supporting crisis prevention and recovery.
Responding to HIV/AIDS.
Helping in building international Business.

How it can best respond to these focus areas may be refined in the context of its
new programme framework for 2008 to 2011, currently under development. In any
case, within the context of the priority areas, the UNDP supports projects and
programmes at all levels (global, regional and national), in collaboration with
numerous partners, providing advice, building capacity, and co-funding or funding
innovative activities. Its annual Human Development Report is widely used and
considered authoritative.

Organization profile
Key members/participants and decision-making structures:- The UNDP
Executive Board, reporting to the UN General Assembly, comprises representatives
from 36 countries around the world serving on a rotating basis. Through its Bureau,
which is elected from the Executive Board and rotates annually among the five
regional groups, the Board oversees and supports the activities of the UNDP. The
Executive Board is led by an administrator appointed by the Board, currently Mr.
Kemal Dervis.

Relations with other international institutions and the multilateral

system:- The UNDPs formal relations with and participation in the multilateral
system are defined through the UN General Assembly. The UNDP cooperates
extensively with other international institutions at the national, regional and
international levels. At the country level, through the Resident Coordinator system,
it also serves to facilitate UN coordination.

Conceptual discussion
Commitment to development:- The UNDP is dedicated to development. As noted
above, UNDP Executive Board decision 94/14 established that the overall mission of
the agency should be that of assisting countries in their efforts to achieve
sustainable human development. Other vital objectives for the UNDP include the
advancement of women, the regeneration of the environment and the creation of
sustainable livelihoods. Its mission statement, which outlines these objectives
further, was endorsed by the UNDP Executive Board through decision 96/29.
Commitment to gender equality:- Gender equality is a crosscutting theme in
the UNDP, following a three-pronged approach that aims to:
Develop capacity, both in-country and in-house, to integrate gender concerns
across UNDP practice areas
Provide policy advice that is both pro-poor and pro-women
Support stand-alone operational interventions for gender equality in
collaboration with the United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM).
In the UNDP headquarters a Gender Programme Team is charged with
mainstreaming gender across UNDP areas. A Gender Thematic Trust Fund (GTTF)
was set up to support programme countries in their efforts to mainstream gender
throughout all of their programme work. It is intended to enable institutional and
cultural transformation processes, including:
Eliminating gender biases in development frameworks and paradigms
Incorporating gender awareness into policies, programmes and institutional
reforms
Involving men to end gender inequality
Developing gender-sensitive tools to monitor progress and ensure
accountability.
The UNDP has also established a gender knowledge network which currently has
about 440 members. Its overall approach and activities are summed up in the UNDP
Practice Note on Gender Equality of 2002.

Review literature
Role and responsibilities in ICTs

The UNDPs foundation in 1965 does not refer specifically to a remit in the area of
information and communication technology (ICT). However, given its broad
development focus, and the role that ICT can play in enhancing development
processes and outcomes, activity was inevitably going to emerge in this area.
Paragraph 70 of the second Multi-Year Funding Framework, covering the years 2004
to 2007, specifically states: Appropriate technology is an essential ingredient in
positioning UNDP as a truly knowledge-driven organisation. To this end, the ICT
strategy will focus on establishing an adequate platform to facilitate the use of
online collaborative tools, content and document management, and the sharing of
experiences and best practices (UNDP/UNFPA, 2003). The UNDPs organizational
approach to supporting ICT for development (ICTD) has evolved over time. A
number of ICTD programmes at the global, national and regional levels date back to
the early 1990s.
Early ICT Activities
The Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP), launched from the
1992 Rio Summit as a support measure for Agenda 21, was the first major global
effort, although even before that, early forays into ICTs included the Alternex
project, developed with UNDP support by IBASE in the late 1980s and Brazils first
and only independent internet service provider (ISP) until 1994. The SDNP could be
viewed as the first systematic global ICTD programme backed by a coherent
rationale, and for some time was a strong advocate of what later became known as
ICTD within the UNDP. The SDNP aimed to facilitate access to information for
development stakeholders and to encourage greater participation by all
development actors. Run by a small team from UNDP headquarters but with the
support of country offices, it collaborated with a range of actors to create SDNP
programmes in 44 countries. Its core funding was about USD 9 million, disbursed
between 1992 and 2002, but it leveraged considerably more for national SDNP
activities, certainly over twice that figure. While not all programmes were
successful, many helped to influence ICTD policies through the SDNPs
multistakeholder steering committees and through the capacity that it helped to
strengthen in what was then an emerging area. Further, quite a few national SDNPs
became their countrys first ISPs, even achieving market dominance for some years,
and many continue successfully today. Networking local communities and
stakeholders and facilitating internet access were usually a priority, with most
resources devoted to knowledge generation and distribution, capacity building,
training and the provision of a range of ICT-based services. Overall, the programmes
were pioneering in terms of applying ICTs to issues of development and
sustainability, and significantly influenced subsequent UNDP regional activities such
as the Internet Initiative for Africa (IIA) and the Asia Pacific Development Internet
Programme (APDIP). During the 1990s, the UNDP began to support individual
projects and initiatives based on ICTs or with a significant ICT component at the
country level, building up a considerable portfolio over the years. In addition to
dedicated ICTD programme/project managers/focal points for some of the larger
country programmes, the UNDP country offices were also assisted by ICTD policy
advisors based in the UNDPs Sub-Regional Resource Facilities (SURFs) or Regional

Service Centers where its regional programmes are housed and/or by policy
advisors at the global level (housed in the Poverty Reduction and Democratic
Governance groups in the Bureau for Development Policy). At present these key
regional ICTD programmes comprise:
ICT for Development in the Arab Region (ICTDAR)
Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP)
ICTD component of a larger democratic governance programme for Europe
and CIS
E-governance and support to ICT for the MDGs, Regional Service Centre in
Dakar, Senegal.
Issues regarding the evolution of within the UNDP
The UNDPs experience in ICTD highlights some key challenges and opportunities
facing international development organizations lacking an a priori focus on ICTD: i.e.
whether to maintain a separate unit or to mainstream ICTD expertise and
programming across its existing areas. With the arrival in 1999 of a new UNDP
administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, moving upstream became the motto,
meaning that the UNDP would seek to focus more on providing assistance to
develop strategy, policies and institutions at national level with a view to scaling up
activities, and would focus less on direct support to individual programmes and
projects. In relation to ICTD, this meant that support moved towards helping to
achieve a policy environment that encourages domestic and international provision
of information technology and other services and away from the actual delivery of
those services, which is what we are currently doing (Brown, n.d., p. 7). Project
level activity continued, but the greatest impact of UNDP on poverty eradication is
upstream, at the level of policies and institutions, rather than in the stand-alone
projects, which are often relatively expensive and reach only a limited number of
beneficiaries. The implications of this approach were a much greater emphasis on
partnerships, and the adoption of a catalytic, brokering role (Brown, n.d., p. 8). In
2000, during the period of the first MYFF for 2000-2003, ICTD was supported, as
mentioned above, by the launch of a dedicated ICTD initiative which in effect
created a sixth global focus area (UNDP/ UNFPA, 1999). In line with the other
practices, in October 2001, a Thematic ICTD Trust Fund an instrument to provide
catalytic funding, support innovation, and attract donor money was launched with
an initial commitment of USD 5 million from the Government of Japan. This was later
topped up with a further USD 2 million from the Government of Japan and
contributions from other selected donors, most recently the Government of Spain.
At the time, the UNDP was not just moving ICTD up to policy level; it was promoting
a new approach to policy. The UNDP argued the need to go beyond conceiving of
ICTs as a specific sectoral issue, a position that had characterized the major global
thrust during the 1990s to liberalize telecoms markets and open developing
countries to foreign ownership. Now the UNDP was seeking to draw a clear
distinction between ICT policy geared towards creating an advanced ICT sector and
services, and an ICTD policy aiming to maximize the positive overall impact of ICTs
on development. This shift from ICT as sector to ICT as horizontal development
enabler was strategically outlined in the Digital Opportunity Initiative (DOI),

developed by the UNDP in collaboration with Accenture and the Markel Foundation.
Launched in July 2001 with the publication of the report Creating a Development
Dynamic, it offered a coherent generic approach at country level to designing and
implementing an ICT strategy aimed specifically at contributing to development and
to social as well as economic goals. It underlined the need to involve the full range
of stakeholders in international development governments, both industrialized and
developing, the business and non-profit sectors, multilateral agencies, and
community organizations on the ground (DOI, 2001).

Role in international business

The relationship of the UN and the international business community has been transformed.
Business entities embracing corporate responsibility now work side by side with the
Organization to make the world a better place. Through the UN Global Compact, companies
embrace ten universal principles, from supporting the protection of human rights, to working
against corruption. At the recent Climate Summit in New York, corporations made
commitments to help mitigate climate change. The international business community now
wants to partner with the international community to help solve humanity's problems. This
is not only good global citizenship on their part. It is also good business.
UN Global Compact
The United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to voluntarily align their
operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights,
labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of UN goals and issues.
The UN Global Compact is a leadership platform for the development, implementation and
disclosure of responsible corporate policies and practices. Launched in 2000, it is largest
corporate sustainability initiative in the world, with over 8,000 companies and 4,000 nonbusiness signatories based in 160 countries.
United Nations Global Market Place
The UN Global Marketplace (UNGM) is for those companies and individuals interested in doing
business with the UN system of organizations. The United Nations represents a global market
of over USD 15 billion annually for all types of products and services. It only takes a few
minutes to register with the United Nations Global Market Place (UNGM). UNGM brings
together UN procurement staff and the vendor community. You will find on the website
business opportunities, a tender alert service, contract awards, and a knowledge centre.
Development Business
Development Business is the official United Nations website for consulting, contracting and
export opportunities worldwide.
Everyday Development Business receives, processes and publishes dozens of procurement

notices and contract awards coming in from partners at the World Bank, the Inter-American
Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development, the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, national governments, United Nations agencies and more. Since 1978,
its mission has been to provide those in the business community with the tools they need to
successfully bid on international contracts.
The United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database
UN Comtrade provides a wealth of trade information to policy makers, the business community,
research institutions and the general public. It stores standardized official annual trade
statistics reported by countries and reflects international merchandise flows detailed by
commodity and partner country with coverage reaching up to 99 percent of world merchandise
trade. UN Comtrade gives you instant access to more than 1.75 billion records on merchandise
trade from over 200 reporting countries or areas covering 48 years of data and more than 6000
different products. With UN Comtrade you spend your time researching instead of searching.
UN Procurement Division
The website of the Procurement Division is designed to meet the increasing demands of
vendors seeking registration and business opportunities with the United Nations. Information
about the UN General Conditions of Contract and contract awards is also available. A new UN
Procurement Mobile App for Apple smart phones and tablets offers real-time access to
information related to United Nations Procurement Division, such as business opportunities,
business seminars schedule and contract awards. The UN Procurement Mobile App,
originally released in 2011, has now received a major update for Apple devices. The new
release provides users with a completely redesigned interface that works equally well on both
tablet and smart phone devices.

Conclusion
Environment and energy programmes in UNDP have relied predominantly on outside funding,
mobilizing an average of over $200 million annually from GEF and $30 million from the
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer during the past five years,
supplemented by significant co-financing from project partners.The use of core budget
resources for environment and energy has been very limited since about 2000.
UNDP has been effective and efficient in implementing GEF projects and has made a
significant contribution to its overall success. Using GEF funding, UNDP has built up a
specialized and capable technical team at headquarters and in the regional centres that is a
credit to the organization.

While the success in mobilizing funds is to be commended and the GEF-funded projects
implemented by UNDP are generally of high quality, the former has steered UNDPs
environment and energy programming towards the so-called globalenvironmental issues.In
contrast, national sustainable development priorities such as water supply and sanitation,
energy services,waste management and local and indoor air pollutionhave received scant
attention.
UNDP has not developed a clear corporate position, competence or niche for environment and
energy that is independent of its role implementing GEF projects. Governments and other
national stakeholders generally consider UNDP environment and energy work at the ountry
level as synonymous with GEF projects. There is little sign that the environment and energy
agenda resulting from GEF priorities is perceived as important or even particularly relevant
within much of UNDP,which continues to regard GEF primarily as a potential source of funds
for country offices that are highly dependent on their ability to mobilize resources.

Reference

https://www.giswatch.org/sites/default/files/gisw_undp_0.pdf
http://www.un.org/en/sections/resources/business/
https://www.scribd.com/doc/305689858/UNDP-for-Beginners-En

Brown, M.M. (n.d.) The Way Forward: The Administrators Business Plans 2000
2003 [online]. UNDP (unedited draft). Available from: .