Focus Areas (Practices)

Democratic Governance

Democratic governance is central to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as it provides the ‘enabling environment’ for the realization of the MDGs and, in particular, the elimination of poverty. The critical importance of democratic governance in the context of development was highlighted at the Millennium Summit of 2000, where the world's leaders resolved to "spare no effort to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, as well as respect for all internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development." World leaders recognized that improving the quality of democratic institutions and processes, and managing the changing roles of the state and civil society in an increasingly globalized world are pre-requisites to efforts to reduce poverty, sustain the environment, and promote human development.

The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (APRC) supports democratic governance reforms, innovations and solutions at national and regional levels, promoting rights-based approaches to development and supporting programmes and development interventions aimed at enhancing people’s choices and increasing their access to political, economic, and social opportunities and advancement. The RCB’s Democratic Governance Practice, comprised of a team of 16 governance specialists provides technical, policy advisory and capacity building support to UNDP Country Offices and National/Local Counterparts in 37 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Democratic Governance Programme work of the RCB is supported through two flagship regional programmes – The Asia Regional Governance Programme (ARGP) and the Regional Indigenous Peoples’ Programme (RIPP). The ARGP implements programmes and funds development activities in all six UNDP Governance Service Lines: Parliamentary Development; Electoral Systems; Access to Justice and Human Rights; Access to Information and E-Governance; Decentralization and Local Governance; and Public Administration Reform and Anti-Corruption. The RIPP Programme specializes in promoting and advancing the rights and development aspirations of indigenous peoples in Asia and works towards enhancing policy dialogue between indigenous peoples and governments.

For more information on the ARGP, RIPP and its activities, please call: +66 2-288-1829 or +66 2-288-2741.

• Asia Regional Governance Programme (ARGP)
• Regional Indigenous Peoples' Programme (RIPP)

Service Lines

• Decentralization and Local Governance
• Electoral Systems and Processes
• Justice and Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific
• Parliamentary Development
• Public Administration Reform and Anti-Corruption
• E-Governance, Access to Information, Media Development and Communication for Empowerment

Programmes/Initiatives

• Aid coordination and management
• Media and Accountability
• Public-Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment (PPPUE)

Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction

The overarching objective of the work of UNDP APRC’s Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction (IGPR) Team is to sustain and accelerate progress on MDG in Asia and Pacific, ensuring that growth is inclusive, sustainable and equitable.

Three pillars of work of the Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction are:

• Millennium Development Goals and Post 2015 Agenda
• Inclusive Growth
• Social Policies and Institutions

• Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction

Climate, Environment and Energy

Achieving long-term environmental sustainability with continued economic growth and human well-being remains one of the biggest challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region. Countries in the region recognize that deteriorating land, water and air quality, and the loss of ecosystems and their services, undermine socioeconomic development. It is also realized that climate change is exacerbating these problems: for example; increased thermal stress, more severe and frequent droughts, storms and floods, sea-level rise and accompanied coastal inundation and salt water intrusion, all increasing the vulnerabilities of people and their livelihoods. Furthermore, dependency on fossil fuels for energy services and the management of chemical pose particular challenges in the region.

The Environment and Energy practice in Asia and the Pacific works with the vision to effectively assist countries to preserve and sustainably use local and global environmental assets for achieving sustainable development outcomes. We deliver our work through the UNDP country offices supported by a regional team of technical experts and advisers. We facilitate access to environmental funding sources, assist in preparing and implementing projects, support policy dialogues, disseminate best practices, and share knowledge. Our work is responsive to national priorities and is based on UNDP’s mandate to build national capacity for human development.

For more information go to the Climate, Environment and Energy web pages.

Crisis Prevention and Recovery

The Asia-Pacific region has seen tremendous amount of economic progress and most countries are well on track to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). But the frequency and intensity of crisis situations in many countries threaten these gains, especially in developing and least developed countries. The region is highly prone to natural disasters and experiences a disproportionate share of loss of life and impact on socio-economic activities. Vulnerability to natural hazards in the region is on a rapid rise, with more than 50 major disasters, of both geological and climatological origin affecting millions of people since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. With eight of the record warmest years (1880-2008) happening in the past ten years, it is widely believed that climate change will affect the frequency and severity of extreme events in the region.

The region is also very diverse - ethnically, culturally and linguistically. And often these diversities are seen to manifest themselves in ethnic hostility, communal violence and small and large scale conflicts (both internal as well as across countries). The potential threat of conflicts spilling across national boundaries creates the need for regional conflict resolution and peace building mechanisms to ensure long-term peace and stability as the foundation for regional progress.

The interplay between conflict and natural disasters adds further complexity to recovery and burdens national resources, with negative cumulative effects on poorer communities. In such settings, the vulnerabilities and exclusion faced by women and girls are further exacerbated. Manifestations of such inequality are often cited in high levels of gender-based violence, limited access to decision making processes, and negative impacts on their ability to prepare for, cope with and recover from a crisis.

For APRC response see:

• Regional Crisis Prevention and Recovery

Capacity Development

Cap2015 Asia provides a regional platform for partnering and sharing experience in addressing cross-cutting aspects around capacity development and sustainability.

• Capacity Development

HIV, Health and Development

UNDP works to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and reduce its impact. As a trusted development partner, and co-sponsor of UNAIDS, it helps countries put HIV/AIDS at the centre of national development and poverty reduction strategies; build national capacity to mobilize all levels of government and civil society for a coordinated and effective response to the epidemic; and protect the rights of people living with AIDS, women, and vulnerable populations. Because HIV/AIDS is a world-wide problem, UNDP supports these national efforts by offering knowledge, resources and best practices from around the world.

• HIV, Health and Development

Human Development Reports

The Asia-Pacific Regional Human Development Initiative puts people at the centre of development. Human Development Reports are flagship products and key advocacy tools for the idea that development is more than about economic growth. APRI also supports Country Offices in preparing National Human Development Reports.

• Human Development Reports Unit

Knowledge Service

A new approach to KM that focuses on knowledge sharing will increase collaboration between practices and between countries, and allow for new partnerships. This will strengthen our ability to influence positive change.

• Knowledge Service Team

Gender

The Asia-Pacific Gender Mainstreaming Programme (APGMP) supports efforts to mainstream gender equality into national policies and programmes, to allow wider choices for both women and men, and equal opportunities by women and men to make those choices.

• Gender

South-South Cooperation

The potential for South-South and Triangular Cooperation to strengthen and accelerate the achievement of development goals is now largely accepted. The Unit’s work is guided mainly by the Executive Board’s decision 2007/32 which ”reiterated that UNDP should promote South-South Cooperation by stepping up efforts to seek South-South solutions in all its focus areas as a way of enhancing the exchange of best practices and support among developing countries, regardless of their levels of development.” The Unit therefore works to promote the mainstreaming of South-South Cooperation by the Practice Teams at the Asia-Pacific Regional Centre and the country offices, on demand. For the Unit, South-South cooperation should be implemented to improve programme performance through South-South and Triangular Cooperation and to support programmes aimed at strengthening South-South and Triangular Cooperation practices. The Unit provides advisory services and programme drafting support to raise resources for South-South Cooperation especially for interregional programmes. The Unit promotes people to people South-South Cooperation through the South-South Citizenry –Based Development Academy (CBDA). In doing its work, the Unit relies on partnership, capacities and resources of regional institutions to a large extent.

The Unit also facilitates South-South and Triangular Cooperation knowledge and experience sharing among UN Agencies and other intergovernmental and multilateral institutions.

• Special Unit of South-South Cooperation

Management Advisory and Support Services

The Regional Centre helps UNDP Country Offices become even more effective partners with support and advice on:

• project management
• human resources
• procurement issues
• resource mobilization and financial management
• organizational development
• developing partnerships.
• Private Sector Partnerships