POLS2133 Study Guide - Final Guide: United Nations General Assembly, Achim Steiner, Global Development Network
(WK 7) THE UN AND DEVELOPMENT
Introduction to the United Nations Development Programme: What is the
UNDP? Why should we care about development assistance?
What is the United Nations Development Programme?
The UNDP is an international organisation who helps developing and least-
developed countries achieve economic, social and human development
-The UNDP has conceived development as more than just economic growth.
It has pursued the “human development” approach that aims to give people
more freedom, capabilities, and opportunities to be able to live a life they
choose
-Since 1990 the UNDP Human Development Index has ranked countries on
multiple dimensions of human development
The UNDP describes itself as “the UN’s global development network, advocating for
change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help
people build a better life”
The UNDP is one of the Funds and Programmes established by the UN General
Assembly
Why should we care?
1. Decent people care about a fair or equitable world in which “morally
irrelevant” characteristics (the accident of our births over which we have no control)
do not determine our economic fates
2. Once people delivered, development assistance does do good for people’s life
The UNDP
The UNDP: Origins
Development assistance has roots in the Charter of the UN
-Article 55: With a view to the creation of conditions of stability and well-
being which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations
based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of
peoples, the United Nations shall promote: a higher standards of living, full
employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and
development…
At first, the UN Secretariat coordinated technical assistance that the
Secretariat itself and other UN Specialized Agencies provided for developing and
least-developed countries
The UNDP was established by the UN General Assembly in 1966 as a
merger of the UN Established Programme of Technical Assistance (1949) and the UN
Special Fund (1958)
The UNDP: Operations
The UNDP provides countries with expert advice, technical assistance, training, and
grant support in three main areas:
-Sustainable development, democratic governance and peacebuilding; and
climate and disaster resilience
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As a US Fund and Programme, the UNDP reports to the Economic and Social
Council and the UNGA. The UNDP’s Executive Board consists of 36 national
representatives who rotate annually and come from 5 regional groups. It approves and
supervises the UNDP’s activities and budget. The budget (US $4.7B in 2018) comes
from voluntary contributions from UN member states, earmarked contributions from
multilateral partners, and donations from private sector/foundations
The UNDP has its headquarters in NY City and field officers in over 177 countries
and territories, with a total of 7,400 staff members. The UNDP Administrator
(currently Achim Steiner) is the third highest-ranking official in the UN System. In
each country office, the Resident Representative coordinates UNDP interventions in
the country
UNDP Programmes and Initiatives: Examples
Sustainable Development
-Malawi (2010): the UNDP launched the Waste for Wealth project and taught
jobless women how to make compost manure from rubbish to help them make
a living
Democratic Governance and Peacebuilding
-South Sudan (2013): with US $400,263 in funding, the UNDP’s Access to
Justice and Rule of Law program offered paralegal training on access to justice
and human rights for judges, lawyers, police officers, and community activists
Climate and Disaster Resilience
-Vanuatu (2015): the UNDP provided the Cash for Work program to Cyclone
Pam-affected people to assist with early recovery and rebuilding
The UNDP: Enforcement
The UNDP cannot force developed countries to contribute to its budget
The UNDP cannot cow recipient developing countries into compliance, and it
does not have a coercive measure (e.g. IMF conditionality) in its arsenal; but its
leverage comes from:
-Creating and diffusing new norms (e.g. “development as freedom,” not
merely “development as growth”)
-Monitoring countries’ performance via annual reports and statistics (e.g.
Human Development Report) and imposing international reputation costs on
laggards
-Coordinating all UN country-office presence and activities in the
development field as the manager of the Resident Coordinator system
Neoliberal Institutionalism: Why Did States Create the UNDP?
Recall that states create IOs when there is high material interdependence
among states and there are high absolute gains to be realised by IOs
The Third World countries’ underdevelopment can threaten international
peace, security, and prosperity by causing:
-Civil conflicts over scarce resources; political instability; state collapse;
diseases; and the global flows of refugees and illegal economic migrants
Decolonization in the 1960s increased the number of problem states in terms
of development
Fear of population explosion was severe in the 1950s and 1960s
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Document Summary
Introduction to the united nations development programme: what is the. The undp is an international organisation who helps developing and least- developed countries achieve economic, social and human development. The undp has conceived development as more than just economic growth. It has pursued the human development approach that aims to give people more freedom, capabilities, and opportunities to be able to live a life they choose. Since 1990 the undp human development index has ranked countries on multiple dimensions of human development. The undp describes itself as the un"s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life . The undp is one of the funds and programmes established by the un general. Decent people care about a fair or equitable world in which morally. 1. irrelevant characteristics (the accident of our births over which we have no control) do not determine our economic fates.
