BACKGROUND GUIDE FOR UNDP

CHINMAYA MOCK MUN 2018

LETTER FROM THE EXECEUTIVE BOARD

Dear delegates,

It is with a great pleasure that we welcome you to the simulation of UNDP at the Chinmaya mock MUN 2018.

As the name suggests this document is just to give you an idea about the council and agenda in order to channelize debate in the right direction and is by no means a substitute to your research.

For all first timers in the council it is advised that you do go through the UNA USA Rules of procedure so that you have a better idea of how the committee works. However, we assure that we will be having a detailed session on rules of procedure before committee commences.

We sincerely hope that you put in the best for this conference and bring to us debate that is thought provoking for everyone in this committee.

For any queries, feel free to contact any member of the Executive Board.

Happy Researching.

- The Executive Board

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOMENT PROGRAMME

AGENDA: DISCUSSING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS 2020

HISTORY OF UNDP

In light of the articles of Chapter IX of the UN Charter, which call for higher standards of living, full employment and conditions of economic and social progress and development, Six UN agencies come together under the new Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA) to support development in 1949. The programme was explained in an educational filmstrip, and the then EPTA director David Owen said, "Co-operation for economic development is a practical working proposition."

The United Nations General Assembly resolved to establish the Special Fund on 14 October 1958 in order to enlarge the scope of the UN programme of technical assistance in certain basic fields. The Special Fund was to concentrate on large projects “in the fields of resources, including the assessment and development of manpower, industry, including handicrafts and cottage industries, agriculture, transport and communications, building and housing, health, education, statistics and public administration (UN, GA, 1958). UNESCO participated primarily in projects in the fields of education and public administration. Assistance might take the form of

“surveys; research and training; demonstration including pilot projects; … implemented by the provision of staff, experts, equipment, supplies and services as well as the establishment of institutes…and other appropriate means, including fellowships (UN, GA, 1958). In other words, the Special Fund was to be for ‘pre-investment’ types of projects aimed at creating conditions making new capital investment in a country either feasible or more effective.

The Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA) and Special Fund (SF) were amalgamated effective 1 January 1966 to form the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP). The governance structure was changed so that UNDP’s new thirty-seven member Governing Council took up the duties of the former Special Fund Governing Council as well as the Technical Assistance Committee (TAC) of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Governing Council members were elected in ECOSOC and reported to ECOSOC. The Consultative Board of the Special Fund and the Technical Assistance Board (TAB) were replaced by a new Inter-Agency Consultative Board (IACB) consisting of the Executive Directors (or their representatives) of the specialized agencies under the Chairmanship of the UNDP Administrator. Governments made requests directly through the Resident Representative, but IACB members advised the Council on these submissions, taking into account technical assistance being undertaken as part of their

agency’s regular programme. The Consultative Board members could also be consulted on the selection of agencies for the execution of projects and the appointment of Resident Representatives. The UNDP at this stage was to act as a funder and consolidator of technical assistance for the UN system. However, its process of finance by yearly pledging conferences created a pattern of stop-and-go programming for early years.

ROLE OF UNDP

UNDP supports countries to bring constitutional reforms, organize credible

elections and strengthen parliaments, while ensuring constructive engagement of civil society. They help build the capacities of subnational institutions and actors to deliver public services in a variety of contexts, including urban settings and crisis -affected areas. In post-crisis settings, they focus on restoring the core functions of government, such as civil service management and aid coordination. Their aim is to create an environment where people can have their voice heard - especially women, youth, indigenous people, people with disabilities, and civil society more broadly.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development features for the first time a universally agreed goal for achieving peaceful, just and inclusive societies:

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16. UNDP sees Goal 16 not only as an enabler for achieving all the 17 SDGs, but also as a Goal that is worthwhile achieving in itself. Through their work, they support the peaceful resolution of conflicts, promote the rule of law and access to justice, citizen security and human rights. They assist governments in strengthening their public institutions, help countries reduce corruption and support inclusive participation to ensure that no one is left behind.

UNDP has been engaged in development cooperation for more than 50 years. While the modalities of its projects and programmes have evolved, the ultimate purpose of its work has remained the same: to assist UN Member States to improve the living standards and life opportunities of their citizens (empowered lives) by supporting the development of national capacity so that member states can manage their own development programmes (resilient nations). UNDP has not been the only development agency which has worked towards this objective, and indeed it has always worked as an integral part of the wider UN System in each country, as well

as alongside many other multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental practitioners. Nonetheless, UNDP is one of those with the longest engagement, the broadest mandate, the most partner countries and the most extensive country representation.

The value of development cooperation is under renewed challenge and UNDP is embarking on a process of institutional renewal. The time is ripe, therefore, for UNDP to identify and document examples of successful and sustained development cooperation that have contributed to transformational change at the country or sub-regional level. These examples — presented here — help to identify generic lessons for successful development cooperation that can be applied in future programme design and implementation.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The objective was to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world.

The SDGs replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which started a global effort in 2000 to tackle the indignity of poverty. The MDGs established measurable, universally-agreed objectives for tackling extreme poverty and hunger, preventing deadly diseases, and expanding primary education to all children, among other development priorities.

For 15 years, the MDGs drove progress in several important areas: reducing income poverty, providing much needed access to water and sanitation, driving down child mortality and drastically improving maternal health. They also kick-started a global movement for free primary education, inspiring countries to invest in their future generations. Most significantly, the MDGs made huge strides in combatting HIV/AIDS and other treatable diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

The SDGs are a bold commitment to finish what we started, and tackle some of the more pressing challenges facing the world today. All 17 Goals interconnect, meaning success in one affects success for others. Dealing with the threat of climate change impacts how we manage our fragile natural resources, achieving gender equality or better health helps eradicate poverty, and fostering peace and inclusive societies will reduce inequalities and help economies prosper. In short, this is the greatest chance we have to improve life for future generations.

The SDGs coincided with another historic agreement reached in 2015 at the COP21 Paris Climate Conference. Together with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, signed in Japan in March 2015, these agreements provide a set of common standards and achievable targets to reduce carbon emissions, manage the risks of climate change and natural disasters, and to build back better after a crisis.

The SDGs are unique in that they cover issues that affect us all. They reaffirm our international commitment to end poverty, permanently, everywhere. They are ambitious in making sure no one is left behind. More importantly, they involve us all to build a more sustainable, safer, more prosperous planet for all humanity.

There is an imperative today to foster sustainable development. A vision for what this encapsulates is laid out in the new sustainable development agenda that aims to end poverty, promote prosperity and people’s well-being while protecting the environment by 2030. As the UN’s Development arm, UNDP has a key role to play in supporting countries to make this vision a reality—putting societies on a sustainable development pathway, managing risk and enhancing resilience, and advancing prosperity and wellbeing.

UNDP has worked with the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) in developing a strategy for effective and coherent implementation support of the new sustainable development agenda under the acronym ‘MAPS’ (Mainstreaming,

Acceleration, and Policy Support). These services, as outlined in the prospectus, cover a wide range of areas: poverty reduction, inclusive growth and productive employment, gender equality and the empowerment of women, HIV and health, access to water and sanitation, climate change adaptation, access to sustainable energy, sustainable management of terrestrial ecosystems, oceans governance, and promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies.

At the global level, the United Nations high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) will have the central role in overseeing a network of follow-up and review processes. It is to work coherently with the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other relevant organs and forums, in accordance with existing mandates, building on their work in order to boost implementation.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted at the United Nations Summit in New York on 25 to 27 September 2015. The 2030 Agenda is a broad and universal policy agenda, with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with 169 associated targets which are integrated and indivisible. Building on the Millennium Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda aims to guide Member States to transform their approach to achieve inclusive, people-centered and sustainable development that leaves no one behind. Implementation of the new Agenda for sustainable development requires a more holistic, coherent and integrated approach at the national, regional and global levels. Policies to

implement the new Agenda need to address inter-linkages within the social sector, as well as between the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Similarly, existing institutions or institutional mechanisms working in the field of social development should adjust or expand the scope of work to accommodate the new mandates arising from the post-2015 development agenda. Recognizing the need for strengthening the social dimension of sustainable development, Member States, during the 53rd session of the Commission for Social Development (February 2015), urged to enhance policy coherence: 1) within social sectors (i.e. poverty eradication strategies, policies to promote employment and decent work and social inclusion, policies to enhance access to quality education, basic healthcare, safe drinking water, sanitation, group specific policies – youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, etc.); and 2) through integrating social policy/perspectives into broader and more complex policy-making processes, and vice versa, incorporating economic and environmental perspectives into social policy-making.