United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Chair: Kevin Chung (kevchun@bergen.org) - Jun Yoon (junyoo@bergen.org)
Topic Papers:
Topic Paper 1: [PDF], [DOC]
Topic Paper 2: [PDF], [DOC]
Topic Paper 3: [PDF], [DOC]
United Nation Development Program, UNDP, is the development sector of United Nation that is focused on helping people make a better life. Established in 166 countries, the organization connects individual countries that can draw on UNDPs knowledge, experience, and resources. UNDP helps countries create a unique solution to suit their specific development challenges. UNDP also provides developing countries knowledge on how to draw in and utilize aid and other resources effectively. While doing so, UNDP strives to protect human rights and to empower women. Each country has a UNDP Resident Representative that acts as a Resident Coordinator. The Coordinator overseas development endeavors in that area for the UN. This organization allows UN and international resources to be used most effectively.
The primary purpose of UNDP is to eliminate poverty through sustainable human development. As outlined in the Millennium Development Goals, UN hopes to cut poverty in half by 2015 through UNDPs network of global and regional resources. UNDP is also concern with: Democratic Governance, Poverty Reduction, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Energy and Environment, and HIV/AIDS.
Every year, UNDP compiles the Human Development Report, which delineates major development concerns while offering new and innovative methods to gauge development progress and suggesting often controversial policies to solve development problems. The analysis of the Human Development Report is an accumulation of other UNDP sponsored reports: national, regional, and local Human Development Reports.