Acuerdo de París: el potencial de la transparencia

17 Mar 2016 by Rocío Noriega, Coordinator, Anti-corruption program, UNDP Chile and Sergio García, Communications Manager, Environment and Energy, UNDP Chile

¡Se logró! COP21 concluyó con la adopción del primer acuerdo de alcance universal para combatir el cambio climático. Un pacto que debe permitir que contengamos el calentamiento global “muy por debajo de los 2°C”, nos adaptemos mejor a sus efectos y que los flujos de financiamiento climático hacia los países en desarrollo sean más eficaces. Y algo bien novedoso: compromete a los países a rendir cuentas de manera pública y estandarizada acerca de todo lo que hacen para combatir el cambio climático a nivel nacional. El nuevo acuerdo climático mundial no impone cuotas de reducción de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) o planes de adaptación concretos. … Read more

Since 1966, UNDP has worked for a more fair and prosperous world for all

23 Feb 2016 by Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator

Fifty years ago, one in every three people around the world was living in poverty.  It was against that backdrop that the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, was founded in 1966.  Ever since, UNDP has been a leader in working for a more fair and prosperous world for all. We have worked with governments, civil society, the private sector, and philanthropy to empower people and build resilient nations. As UNDP begins its second half century, the numbers of people in poverty have decreased to around one in eight.  UNDP is proud to have worked with many partners committed to poverty eradication.  Indeed, for fifty years UNDP has been at the forefront of work to eradicate poverty, hunger and disease, create jobs and livelihoods, empower women, support recovery from disasters and other crises, protect the environment, and more.   Most of the work happens because of our dedicated staff and the thousands of organizations we partner with around the world who do the daily work of development.  I am proud to lead an organization that has transformed so many lives for the better, offering them opportunity, hope, and dignity. But there remains much work to do.  The world is not yet rid of poverty and hunger and a … Read more

Rejuvenating the African Peer Review Mechanism to deliver on the SDGs

19 Feb 2016 by By David Omozuafoh, Programme Advisor, APRM and Governance Assessment, UNDP Africa

Six years before the 2014 Burkina Faso uprising, the country’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) report identified “omnipresent weight and domination of the majority, which seems to ‘block’ the democratic system and stifle multiparty politics”. The assessment called on authorities to “provide appropriate responses and solutions to bring about the necessary change”. In South Africa, the 2007 APRM report stated that “xenophobia against other Africans is currently on the rise and should be nipped in the bud.” Dozens of migrants have since lost their lives in attacks. African Union Member States established the APRM in 2003 as a voluntary tool to assess political, economic and corporate governance, and socio-economic development in countries. It seeks to ensure that the policies and practices of participating states conform to African Union standards of transparency and accountability. UNDP has provided financial and technical support to the APRM since 2003 as a singular inclusive platform that convenes different actors from government, civil society and other sectors to look holistically at a country’s status across these governance and development issues and agree on a way forward. Once signed up, countries first grade themselves and then allow a panel of independent experts to assess the findings, followed by … Read more

The return of the Eastern European middle class

17 Feb 2016

The headlines emerging from Davos this year show that concerns about inequalities are continuing to grow. According to Oxfam's latest report, the billionaires that are as rich as half of humanity can now fit on a bus. In 2010 they would have required a Boeing. But the picture is in many ways much more complex. Take the region I cover: Eastern Europe, Turkey, and Central Asia. The initial results of a new UNDP report show that over the past twelve years, the number of people earning 10 to 50 dollars per day has tripled from 33 to 90 million. That's not just an increase in absolute terms, but also a proportional rise. In countries where the data stretch back to before 1990, they generally show that socialist-era middle classes (or their children and grandchildren) have managed to reconstitute themselves. But as is the case with so much that has gone right in the past decade, these accomplishments are fragile. Growth in GDP has not been matched by the creation of decent jobs – growing numbers of workers are without social protection. Moreover, the drivers of growth in the region are coming under increasing pressures. Slow economic growth in the EU is … Read more

The perils of commodity price volatility

12 Feb 2016 by Degol Hailu, Senior Advisor, UNDP and Chinpihoi Kipgen, Research Associate, UNDP

Since 2011, the price of oil has fallen by 51%. Copper, coal and iron ore prices have dropped by 38%, 53% and 67%, respectively. Commodity dependent countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing serious fiscal and balance of payment deficits, hindering the progress towards the sustainable development agenda. Some countries increased supply of commodities to compensate for the fall in prices. Equatorial Guinea boosted oil exports by 13%, but revenues declined by the same percent. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) increased copper production, but revenues declined by US$360 million. Others cutback on supply in the hope that prices will go up. For example, Angola and Nigeria decreased the supply of oil, but revenues declined by US$5 billion for Angola and by US$26 billion for Nigeria. Chad, Congo and Gabon have cut production, but saw oil revenues decline by over US$2 billion. Zambia experienced a fall in revenues by 23% after reducing copper production. Liberia’s iron ore production declined by a third and its revenues fell by two-thirds. In the short run, there are five options. The first is withdrawing from sovereign wealth funds (SWFs). However, Nigeria’s Stabilization Fund, valued at US$0.5 billion, will not suffice; given its fiscal deficit is … Read more