BACKGROUND PAPER on United Nations Development Programme (UNDP ...

Capacity 21 programmes are country-owned, country-driven processes that support
and influence national and local decision-making to build long-term capacities at all
levels of society.
Three principles lie at the heart of any Agenda 21 process and are the main building
blocks for Capacity 21:
• Participation of all stakeholders in programme development,
implementation, monitoring and learning.
• Integration of economic, social and environmental priorities within
national and local policies, plans and programmes.
• Information about sustainable development to help people make
better decisions.
Capacity 21 is operational in each of UNDP's 5 regions: Africa, the Arab States,
Asia, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Latin America and
the Caribbean.
Since 1993, Capacity 21 has worked with over 75 developing countries and
countries in transition to adopt innovative capacity-building approaches to address
environmental degradation, social inequity and economic decline.
7.2 Drylands Development Centre (formerly UNSO)
UNDP’s Drylands Development Centre specializes in assisting countries to fight
poverty and encourage development in the drier parts of the world. The Centre
located in Nairobi, Kenya, is one of the three UNDP Thematic Centres around the
world.
In 2002, UNDP launched an Integrated Drylands Development Programme (IDDP)
to assist countries make operational the goals and objectives set out in their
National Action Plans and other Macro Economic frameworks.
In the past, UNDP has supported 60 countries affected by desertification and
drought in the preparation of national and sub regional action programmes for the
implementation of the CCD. The IDDP builds upon achievements in the
implementation of the CCD so far.
a) Integrated Drylands Development Programme (IDDP)
About 1 million people worldwide live in the drylands and depend upon natural
resources for their livelihoods. They include some of the world's poorest and
most marginalized. Significant development assistance has gone to dry areas,
but the bulk has been to provide emergency and humanitarian relief.
Governments throughout the world tend to marginalize their dry areas by not
providing adequate services: health, education, water and markets. Insufficient
investment has been made in long-term development of the drylands.
Fortunately there is a great deal of evidence that with good policies and adequate
support, the drylands can be productive and people's livelihoods can be greatly
improved.
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