Forging Partnerships to Provide Computer Literacy in Swaziland

The challenges facing the world, especially developing countries like Swaziland, are many and varied. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that over two billion people, out of a global population of six billion, do not have access to education. The majority of these people are found in developing countries. As many as 113 million children do not attend school. More than one billion people still live on less than US$1 a day and lack access to safe drinking water. More than two billion people in the world in developing countries in particular, lack sanitation. Every year, nearly 11 million young children die before their fifth birthday, mainly from preventable illnesses. The risk of dying in childbirth in developing countries is one in 48 (UNDP, 2003). In most developing countries, especially in remote areas, the situation is exacerbated by lack of electricity.

The challenges facing the world, especially developing countries like Swaziland, are many and varied. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that over two billion people, out of a global population of six billion, do not have access to education. The majority of these people are found in developing countries. As many as 113 million children do not attend school. More than one billion people still live on less than US$1 a day and lack access to safe drinking water. More than two billion people in the world in developing countries in particular, lack sanitation. Every year, nearly 11 million young children die before their fifth birthday, mainly from preventable illnesses. The risk of dying in childbirth in developing countries is one in 48 (UNDP, 2003). In most developing countries, especially in remote areas, the situation is exacerbated by lack of electricity.

The challenges facing the world, especially developing countries like Swaziland, are many and varied. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that over two billion people, out of a global population of six billion, do not have access to education. The majority of these people are found in developing countries. As many as 113 million children do not attend school. More than one billion people still live on less than US$1 a day and lack access to safe drinking water. More than two billion people in the world in developing countries in particular, lack sanitation. Every year, nearly 11 million young children die before their fifth birthday, mainly from preventable illnesses. The risk of dying in childbirth in developing countries is one in 48 (UNDP, 2003). In most developing countries, especially in remote areas, the situation is exacerbated by lack of electricity.

UNDP to re-engineer funding strategy

Joan Brown, a college student in Atlanta, Georgia, wakes up in the morning to an electronic alarm clock before she microwaves breakfast, takes a hot shower, grabs a latte at Starbucks, and drives h...

The Evaluation Office (EO) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regularly conducts a number of country evaluations called Assessments of Development Results (ADRs) in order to capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of UNDP contributions to development results at the country level. Undertaken in select countries, ADRs focus on outcomes and critically examine achievements and constraints in the UNDP thematic areas of focus, draw lessons learned and provide recommendations for the future. ADRs also provide strategic analysis for enhancing performance and strategically positioning UNDP support within national development priorities and UNDP corporate policy directions. The Evaluation Office (EO) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regularly conducts a number of country evaluations called Assessments of Development Results (ADRs) in order to capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of UNDP contributions to development results at the country level. Undertaken in select countries, ADRs focus on outcomes and critically examine achievements and constraints in the UNDP thematic areas of focus, draw lessons learned and provide recommendations for the future. ADRs also provide strategic analysis for enhancing performance and strategically positioning UNDP support within national development priorities and UNDP corporate policy directions.

Perishing Heritage:

Policy Implications to Improve the Business Environment to Encourage Female Entrepreneurship in the North of Vietnam

Women are half of the worlds total population. Their condition around the globe is drastic. Womens empowerment is much underscore issue of the 21st century. The West, which got phenomenal prosperity, is a direct result of empowering their women. It is a proven fact that without empowering the half of the population, a country cannot achieve prosperity in any field. Several governmental and non-governmental organizations are working intensively on womens empowerment issue, but the United Nations (UN) contributions are above all, as its charter ensures the basic rights of women. During the last two decades, the UN has held many conferences, seminars and workshops on women rights to launch a global strive. A number of the UN agencies are working on this issue, but most effective work on womens empowerment has been carried out by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). It works throughout the world by advocacy, partnerships, and provides technical support and financial aid to government and non-governmental organizations. In Pakistan, women are 51.73 percent of the total population. The condition of female population specifically in rural areas is adverse. Women are deprived of their basic human rights, and the literacy ratio among women is also alarmingly low. Being a developing state, Pakistan depends upon financial aid and technical support from international agencies. After the 18th amendment to the Constitution, provinces receive all sorts of aid directly from the donor agencies. The UNDP operates throughout the country known as the UNDP Pakistan. Because of dire situation in rural areas, the UNDP is working for rural uplift. This study has highlighted the socio-economic impacts of UNDP initial program on women in detail.

This paper aims to portray the overall picture of poverty in the world and mentions the key solution to overcome poverty from a critical perspective. The data and figures were quoted from a number of researchers and organizations in the field of poverty around the world. Simultaneously, the information strengthens the correlations among poverty and lack of education. Only appropriate philosophies of education can improve the country’s socio-economic conditions and contribute to effective solutions to worldwide poverty. In the 21st century, despite the rapid development of science and technology with a series of inventions brought into the world to make life more comfortable, human poverty remains a global problem, especially in developing countries. Poverty, according to Lister (2004), is reflected by the state of “low living standards and/or inability to participate fully in society because of lack of material resources” (p.7). The impact and serious consequences of poverty on multiple aspects of human life have been realized by different organizations and researchers from different contexts (Fraser, 2000; Lister, 2004; Lipman, 2004; Lister, 2008). This paper will indicate some of the concepts and research results on poverty. Figures and causes of poverty, and some solutions from education as a key breaker to poverty will also be discussed. Creating a universal definition of poverty is not simple (Nyasulu, 2010). There are conflicts among different groups of people defining poverty, based on different views and fields. Some writers, according to Nyasulu, tend to connect poverty with social problems, while others focus on political or other causes. However, the reality of poverty needs to be considered from different sides and ways; for that reason, the diversity of definitions assigned to poverty can help form the basis on which interventions are drawn (Ife and Tesoriero, 2006). For instance, in dealing with poverty issues, it is essential to intervene politically; economic intervention is very necessary to any definition of this matter. A political definition necessitates political interventions in dealing with poverty, and economic definitions inevitably lead to economic interventions. Similarly, Księżopolski (1999) uses several models to show the perspectives on poverty as marginal, motivation and socialist. These models look at poverty and solutions from different angles. Socialists, for example, emphasize the responsibilities of social organization. The state manages the micro levels and distributes the shares of national gross resources, at the same time fighting to maintain the narrow gap among classes. In his book, Księżopolski (1999) also emphasizes the changes and new values of charity funds or financial aid from churches or organizations recognized by the Poor Law. Speaking specifically, in the new stages poverty has been recognized differently, and support is also delivered in limited categories related to more specific and visible objectives, with the aim of helping the poor change their own status for sustainable improvement. Three ways of categorizing the poor and locating them in the appropriate places are (1) the powerless, (2) who is willing to work and (3) who is dodging work. Basically, poverty is determined not to belong to any specific cultures or politics; otherwise, it refers to the situation in which people’s earnings cannot support their minimum living standard (Rowntree, 1910). Human living standard is defined in Alfredsson & Eide’s work (1999) as follows: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” (p. 524). In addition, poverty is measured by Global Hunger Index (GHI), which is calculated by the International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI) every year. The GHI measures hunger not only globally, but also by country and region. To have the figures multi-dimensionally, the GHI is based on three indicators: 1. Undernourishment: the proportion of the undernourished as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of the population with insufficient calorie intake). 2. Child underweight: the proportion of children under age 5 who are underweight (low weight for their age, reflecting wasting, stunted growth or both), which is one indicator of child under-nutrition. 3. Child mortality: the mortality rate of children under 5 (partially reflecting the fatal synergy of inadequate dietary intake and unhealthy environments). Apart from the individual aspects and the above measurement based on nutrition, which help partly imagine poverty, poverty is more complicated, not just being closely related to human physical life but badly affecting spiritual life. According to Jones and Novak (1999 cited in Lister, 2008), poverty not only characterizes the precarious financial situation but also makes people self-deprecating. Poverty turns itself into the roots of shame, guilt, humiliation and resistance. It leads the poor to the end of the road, and they will never call for help except in the worst situations. Education can help people escape poverty or make it worse. In fact, inequality in education has stolen opportunity for fighting poverty from people in many places around the world, in both developed and developing countries (Lipman, 2004). Lipman confirms: “Students need an education that instills a sense of hope and possibility that they can make a difference in their own family, school, and community and in the broader national and global community while it prepare them for multiple life choices.” (p.181) Bradshaw (2005) synthesizes five main causes of poverty: (1) individual deficiencies, (2) cultural belief systems that support subcultures of poverty, (3) economic, political and social distortions or discrimination, (4) geographical disparities and (5) cumulative and cyclical interdependencies. The researcher suggests the most appropriate solution corresponding with each cause. This reflects the diverse causes of poverty; otherwise, poverty easily happens because of social and political issues. From the literature review, it can be said that poverty comes from complex causes and reasons, and is not a problem of any single individual or country. Poverty has brought about serious consequences and needs to be dealt with by many methods and collective effort of many countries and organizations. This paper will focus on representing some alarming figures on poverty, problems of poverty and then the education as a key breaker to poverty. According to a statistics in 2012 on poverty from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), nearly half the world's population lives below the poverty line, of which is less than $1.25 a day . In a statistics in 2015, of every 1,000 children, 93 do not live to age 5 , and about 448 million babies are stillborn each year . Poverty in the world is happening alarmingly. According to a World Bank study, the risk of poverty continues to increase on a global scale and, of the 2009 slowdown in economic growth, which led to higher prices for fuel and food, further pushed 53 million people into poverty in addition to almost 155 million in 2008. From 1990 to 2009, the average GHI in the world decreased by nearly one-fifth. Many countries had success in solving the problem of child nutrition; however, the mortality rate of children under 5 and the proportion of undernourished people are still high. From 2011 to 2013, the number of hungry people in the world was estimated at 842 million, down 17 percent compared with the period 1990 to 1992, according to a report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) titled “The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2013” . Although poverty in some African countries had been improved in this stage, sub-Saharan Africa still maintained an area with high the highest percentage of hungry people in the world. The consequences and big problems resulting from poverty are terrible in the extreme. The following will illustrate the overall picture under the issues of health, unemployment, education and society and politics ➢ Health issues: According a report by Manos Unidas, a non- government organization (NGO) in Spain , poverty kills more than 30,000 children under age 5 worldwide every day, and 11 million children die each year because of poverty. Currently, 42 million people are living with HIV, 39 million of them in developing countries. The Manos Unidas report also shows that 15 million children globally have been orphaned because of AIDS. Scientists predict that by 2020 a number of African countries will have lost a quarter of their population to this disease. Simultaneously, chronic drought and lack of clean water have not only hindered economic development but also caused disastrous consequences of serious diseases across Africa. In fact, only 58 percent of Africans have access to clean water; as a result, the average life expectancy in Africa is the lowest in the world, just 45 years old (Bui, 2010). ➢ Unemployment issues: According to the United Nations, the youth unemployment rate in Africa is the highest in the world: 25.6 percent in the Middle East and North Africa. Unemployment with growth rates of 10 percent a year is one of the key issues causing poverty in African and negatively affecting programs and development plans. Total African debt amounts to $425 billion (Bui, 2010). In addition, joblessness caused by the global economic downturn pushed more than 140 million people in Asia into extreme poverty in 2009, the International Labor Organization (ILO) warned in a report titled The Fallout in Asia, prepared for the High-Level Regional Forum on Responding to the Eco

The issue of the appropriate leadership style to adopt in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja has lingered as far as the inception of the organization in Nigeria. Most employees of the organization have ascribed their dwindling commitment to work, productivity and morale to the autocratic style of leadership in the organization. The study examined the effects of leadership style on employee’s performance in United Nations Development Programme, Abuja, Nigeria. The following hypotheses were formulated in null form, they are Leadership style has no significant effect on employee’s commitment to work in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja. Leadership style has no significant effect on employees’ productivity in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja. Leadership style has no significant effect on employee’s morale in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja. The survey research design was used in the study. Data was collected from primary source with the use of questionnaire. The duration of study was between 2013 to 2022. Ordinary Least Square was adopted and findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between Leadership style and employee’s performance in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Working with Faith Representatives to address Climate Change: The Two Wings of Ethos and Ethics Natabara Rollosson On November 3rd, 2009 at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) cohosted a summit that gathered religious and secular leaders from around the world to announce their action‐based commitments to protecting the environment and addressing climate change. Religious participants included representatives from numerous traditions from within nine major faiths: Baha’ism, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, and Shintoism. Engaging substantively with the faiths on environment and climate change issues was new to UNDP’s work. Even though over the years UNDP had engaged in development projects on different issues that have involved faith‐based organizations (FBOs) as partners, it was not until the direct interaction at Windsor that the opportunities of working on climate change with FBOs came into focus. Instead of bringing religions together to agree upon one collective statement on climate change, the Windsor gathering encouraged each of the faith representatives to develop respective action plans to address environmental issues in their own unique way. As the faiths shared their different approaches, some faiths took note of other plans and openly acknowledged their desire to replicate certain elements of other faiths’ action templates. The overall theme of the gathering was a “celebration” of diverse action plans and appreciation for the natural environment, with some faiths inspired to spontaneously transcend and expand their originally conceived commitments. A month later, in December, a stark contrast played out on the world stage. This time, the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change brought governments together in Copenhagen. However, delegates came with a notable difference in approach, and one that has plagued nations for decades. The history of climate change negotiations can be characterized as a mentality of scarcity: governments generally wanting to do as little as possible while pushing others to do as much as possible. In an interesting contrast of philosophies, the FBOs came together with an entirely different mentality of abundance, saying in effect: “this is what we can offer; this is what we are going to do.” They did not say “we’ll only do this if another faith does this, or if the government does this.” It was during preliminary religious events and gatherings leading up to Windsor that UN Assistant Secretary‐General and UNDP Assistant Administrator Olav Kjørven first noticed the dichotomy of the abundance and scarcity mentalities. Kjørven hypothesized the world’s faiths—joined together—could possibly become the planet’s largest civil society movement for change: “[W]ith their unparalleled presence throughout the world, the world’s religions could be the decisive force that helps tip the scales in favor of a world of climate safety and justice for future generations.” One of UNDP’s non‐governmental partners, the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), a secular organization based in the United Kingdom, played the key role in leading on, harnessing, and encouraging the abundance mentality. Prior to the summit, ARC set out to consult directly with faith representatives to support them in building their own action plans, incorporating a methodology that addressed their internal structures and highlighted the inherent strengths of each faith. Alliance of Religions and Conservation approached the faith representatives with a guide to creating multi‐year plans that emphasized seven key areas, through which many of the world’s major faith traditions can have significant impact on environmental action through their own resources, traditions, and beliefs. These were as follows: 1 Faith‐consistent use of assets: land and forests; construction and buildings; investments (including micro‐finance); water; food and hospitality; purchasing and property. 2 Education and young people: curricula; conservation and recycling policy; school buildings and grounds; youth camps and nature retreats. 3 Pastoral care: theological education and training; liturgies and quotations; sacred places; rediscovering past traditions and wisdom; crisis and climate change adaptation. 4 Lifestyles: environmental audits; simple living traditions; families; pilgrimage and tourism; combined purchasing power. 5 Media and advocacy: internal and external subject matter; circulation and influence. 6 Partnerships & eco‐twinning: links to other groups and projects in...

The study appraised the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s intervention programmes on community development in Lagos State. Multiple regression analysis, using ordinary least square (OLS) techniques of data analysis will be used to test Hypotheses. OLS techniques of data analysis constitute inferential statistics. The hypotheses will be tested at 5% (percent) level of significance. Finding suggests that UNDP’s humanitarian assistance programme does not significantly enhance community development in the selected communities in Lagos state. The study also revealed that UNDP’s empowerment programme does not significantly enhance community development in the selected communities of Lagos State. The findings of this study highlight the non-positive impact of UNDP programmes on community development in selected communities in Lagos State. Building upon these insights, the following comprehensive recommendations are provided for consideration by UNDP development Partner. UNDP, in collaboration with relevant governmental and non-governmental agencies, should reinforce humanitarian assistance programs. Emphasis should be placed on the development of long-term strategies that address the root causes of socio-economic challenges, ensuring sustained positive impacts on community development. UNDP's women empowerment programmes should be expanded and tailored to address specific challenges faced by women in the selected communities. Efforts should include capacity-building initiatives, promoting entrepreneurship, and fostering gender equality to empower women as key contributors to community development.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is the major technical assistance fund in the UN family of institutions. By purchasing goods and services, it affects developed and developing states alike. As well as distributing assistance, UNDP attempts to stimulate follow-up investment and procures goods and services from member states. UNDP project expenditures are correlated with public and private follow-up investment, but the relationship is rather weak. On the procurement side, developed states receive subcontracts, equipment orders, and fellowship students in direct relationship to their contributions to UNDP, and developing states attract employment possibilities for their nationals as UNDP experts in direct relationship to their contributions. Developed states receive the largest returns from UNDP procurement. Providing multilateral assistance is UNDP's primary activity, but the purchase of equipment, the generation of investment opportunities, and the employment of experts provide economic incentives for both developing and developed states.

This chapter discusses the role of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in ocean governance. It first provides a background on the history of the UNDP and its basic approach to ocean governance, with emphasis on how its history has shaped the UNDP’s relationship with ocean governance. It then considers the UNDP’s current and former activities relating to ocean governance, noting that many of the initiatives it supports appear to focus on the concept of Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) or on integrated coastal zone management. It also describes the UNDP’s regime building approach to the development of oceans governance regimes and concludes with an assessment of areas in which UNDP’s activities fit with global ocean governance objectives.