Partnerships are at the heart of UNDP’s work. We are proud to create, finance and deliver value with our partners. Across the globe, our networks extend from Member States to the UN family, international financial institutions, the private sector, civil society, academia and more. Together, we co-create solutions to accelerate progress towards the SDGs.
A preferred government partner at the national level: Governments are UNDP’s front-line partners in over 170 countries and territories, and national leaders consistently rank UNDP among their top five development partners. The AidData Listening to Leaders Survey of 147 low- and middle-income countries reported double-digit growth in UNDP’s perceived influence and helpfulness over the past decade.
A trusted global partner: UNDP provided comprehensive support to the Brazilian Presidency of the G20, the world’s largest economic bloc, representing 85% of global GDP. We were a founding member, with the Government of Brazil, other G20 Member States and UN entities, including FAO, of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. UNDP continues to serve as the secretariat of the Sustainable Finance Working Group. In 2024, it addressed implementation challenges in sustainability reporting standards and promoting innovative financing mechanisms for nature-based solutions.
Read more
UNDP’s partnerships extend across the United Nations family. In 136 countries, we work with UN resident coordinators and over 30 United Nations entities as part of UN country teams. We remained the largest cost-share contributor to the resident coordinator function, providing $10.5 million in contributions and a $6.5 million coordination levy. Our state-of-the-art suite of SDG Push tools, which use futures approaches to map high-impact policy pathways, is now fully integrated into revised guidance for the sustainable development cooperation frameworks that guide UN country teams in over 100 countries.
In 2024, we were again the largest participant in UN pooled funds and joint programmes, receiving more than $240 million. We remained the operational backbone of the UN development system: 52% of the $2.1 billion payroll administered by UNDP was for personnel across over 70 UN entities; UNDP hosted common UN premises in 136 countries.
Ten UN entities have adopted Quantum, UNDP’s state-of-the art enterprise resource planning system, improving our efficiency and agility.
UNDP is a leading partner in humanitarian and UN mission settings. As a founding member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, UNDP has scaled up engagement in its policy processes, including by co-chairing the IASC Task Force 4 on Humanitarian-Development Collaboration and its Linkages to Peace from 2020 to 2024. By promoting early recovery from the onset of a crisis, UNDP focuses on interventions that enhance government capacities, reduce future risks through “build back better” approaches and strengthen community resilience. For example, in Yemen, UNDP partners with FAO, ILO and WFP in seven governorates, helping 42 communities carry out community resilience plans to provide better water, health, education and other services for over 194,000 people. Long-standing partnerships with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, UNESCO and UN Women to support national electoral management bodies in conducting inclusive, peaceful and credible elections.
To drive a digital-first culture across the UN, UNDP teamed up with the ITU and the UN Innovation Network to launch the first UN-wide community dedicated to digital for development. With 3,700 members from over 60 organizations, it fosters ongoing knowledge-sharing and innovation.
Around 24,000 UNDP, UNV and UNCDF personnel can now deepen their understanding of blockchain through the Blockchain Education Academy, developed with the Algorand Foundation.
UNDP never rests in improving its in-house digital skills. Our specialized UNDP Digital Guides, accessed over 12,000 times in 2024, empower teams to understand and apply digital tools across our signature solutions.
More people: 14,631 UN Volunteers aged 18 to 79 from 181 nationalities served 59 UN entities in 169 countries.
More investment: UNCDF helped to unlock domestic capital and private investment in 78 countries. One example was the landmark Tanga Water Green Bond in Tanzania, which mobilized over $20 from the domestic market for every $1 invested.
More joint work: The Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office administered over $1.1 billion in UN inter-agency pooled funds, involving 116 programme countries, 41 UN entities and resources from 71 contributors.
More cooperation across countries: The UN Office for South-South Cooperation, through its trust funds, delivered over $10 million across more than 50 countries, brokered knowledge-sharing and partnerships in over 150 countries and conducted advocacy leading to the inclusion of South-South and triangular cooperation in 40 UN resolutions and intergovernmental declarations.
