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UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)

	UNDP is the United Nations' global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in 166 countries.
	The UNDP Country Office began activities in the Russian Federation in 1998, though UNDP has been present in Russia since 1993, when a framework Agreement was signed with the Government of the Russian Federation.
	UNDP offices operate in Moscow and Vladikavkaz with additional liaison office in St. Petersburg and the project office in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. UNDP implements programmes both at the federal level and in a number of regions of the Russian Federation.

UNDP goals: UNDP is about helping people live better lives through supporting government and civil society in key development areas.

UNDP Country Office leads UN development activities in the country. UN work is focused on supporting countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - a set of concrete goals and targets in priority areas of poverty reduction, health, education, environment, human rights and partnership, adopted by the world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000. In Russia, as in some other middle-income countries, internationally accepted MDGs needed to be customized to better fit the country-specific context.

Why UNDP is present in Russia? Russia offers a unique context for development work because of its current transitional stage. On the one hand, the country is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a member and current chair of the G8, and a nuclear power with abundant human and natural resources. On the other hand, significant numbers of its shrinking population cope with poverty, gender discrimination, unequal access to education and health care and escalating rates of HIV/AIDS. Russia is an emerging donor able to provide technical assistance and humanitarian aid to other countries. But at the same time, the country may benefit from international support in the areas of sustainable economic development, education, health care, modern technologies and environmental protection.

UNDP is in a position to help through analysis and policy advice and through sharing international experience and knowledge, adapted to Russia's unique requirements.

UNDP current priorities in Russia are defined in the Country Programme for 2004-2007. It is a plan of action developed in collaboration with the Russian government and aimed at bringing about concrete positive changes for people and the improvement of living standards in the Russian Federation. In line with the Country Programme, UNDP Country Office addresses a range of topics within the five so-called Practice Areas:

• Democratic governance - promoting the human development concept and supporting the local governance reform;
• Poverty reduction and economic growth - supporting investment, export and business development;
• Crisis prevention and recovery - focusing on economic support and development in the post-conflict environment of the North Caucasus
• Energy and environment - promoting careful use of natural resources;
• HIV/AIDS - working to streamline the country's response to this growing epidemic;

In each of these five Practice Areas UNDP advocates for the protection of human rights and especially empowerment of women.

YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT UNDP PROGRAMMES MENTIONED ABOVE AND MANY OTHERS AT
WWW.UNDP.RU

The UNDP Country Office in the Russian Federation works closely with institutional partners to design programmes and projects for sustainable socio-economic development. Total funds disbursed in implementing UNDP projects from 1997 through 2005 amount to about US $90 million, which includes both UNDP core resources and donor cost-sharing contributions.

UNDP partners comprise a comprehensive range of key development actors, including Federal and Regional government bodies, international financial institutions, the European Union, Russian and international NGOs, civil society, including faith-based organizations, foreign governments, UN agencies and the corporate sector.

UNDP addresses:

Useful links:

UNDP Headquarters (New York) http://www.undp.org/

UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS (New York and Bratislava) http://europeandcis.undp.org

© 2006 UN Russia Moscow | E-mail: info@unrussia.ru