UNDP South Africa

UNDP South Africa's work on poverty reduction is governed by several internationally agreed frameworks such as the Millennium Declaration, the MDGs, and the International Development Goals. Our core services focus on three main areas: Strategies and Policies for Poverty Reduction, Inclusive Globalization, and Support for MDG-Aligned National Development Strategies. In addition, UNDP's work is reinforced by the International Poverty Centre, a joint project between UNDP and the Brazilian Government that promotes South-South Cooperation on applied poverty research, and by its network of over 166 country offices. Our core services to support national efforts to reduce poverty and inequities involve: (1) Policy advice and technical support; (2) Strengthening capacity of institutions and individuals (3) Advocacy, communications, and public information; (4) Promoting and brokering dialogue; and (5) Knowledge networking and sharing of good practices.

Through the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals the world is addressing the many dimensions of human development, including halving by 2015 the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. Developing countries are working to create their own national poverty eradication strategies based on local needs and priorities. UNDP advocates for these nationally-owned solutions and helps to make them effective through ensuring a greater voice for poor people, expanding access to productive assets and economic opportunities, and linking poverty programmes with countries' international economic and financial policies. At the same time, UNDP contributes to efforts at reforming trade, debt relief and investment arrangements to better support national poverty reduction and make globalisation work for poor people.

UNDP South Africa's work on poverty reduction is governed by several internationally agreed frameworks such as the Millennium Declaration, the MDGs, and the International Development Goals. Our core services focus on three main areas: Strategies and Policies for Poverty Reduction, Inclusive Globalization, and Support for MDG-Aligned National Development Strategies. In addition, UNDP's work is reinforced by the International Poverty Centre, a joint project between UNDP and the Brazilian Government that promotes South-South Cooperation on applied poverty research, and by its network of over 166 country offices. Our core services to support national efforts to reduce poverty and inequities involve: (1) Policy advice and technical support; (2) Strengthening capacity of institutions and individuals (3) Advocacy, communications, and public information; (4) Promoting and brokering dialogue; and (5) Knowledge networking and sharing of good practices.

The corresponding UNDAF goal is to support key recommendations of the Growth and Development Summit and ASGISA in addressing the dual economy. The Office of the Deputy President has requested the UN to support a national coordination mandate to ensure that initiatives under ASGISA are implemented within the framework of existing national policies.

Strengthen National Macroeconomic Capacities

In its coordination role within the UN System UNDP works closely with other UN agencies and the UNDP Regional Service Centre in Johannesburg, to facilitate the provision of technical and institutional expertise in the area of specialised capacity development to strengthen national macroeconomic capacities for pro‑poor policy formulation:

• Implementation and coordination of MDG‑based planning
• Strengthening capacity for macroeconomic policy analysis from a systems‑thinking (system dynamics) approach
• Strengthening technical capacity for the integration of a risk‑analysis framework within policy development, medium‑term scenario‑based planning through Threshold21 and other planning tools
• Strengthening of pro‑poor macro/micro economic policy formulation for employment generation, poverty reduction and results‑based planning.
  
  The proposed UNDP Africa Capacity for Pro-poor Growth and Accountability (CD-PGA) strategy provides the overall framework within which the new country programme is operating. The CD-PGA Strategy is cognisant of efforts at Africa level through NEPAD that address developmental challenges. It identifies capacity development as a key vehicle for achieving the MDGs and explicitly makes it the starting point for all UNDP-supported activities in the region. Thus organization-wide tools, methodologies, frameworks and knowledge networks will guide capacity assessments. Further, it recognizes the ongoing UN reform processes that are geared towards facilitating effective synergies within the UN development system for capacity development results.

The application of the CD-PGA framework provides UNDP with opportunities to strengthen its twin role as facilitator of coordination and provider of technical capacity, as well as with opportunities for strategic partnerships.

In line with the current UNDAF, and in the context of high levels of gender based violence in South Africa, the cross-cutting themes of Gender and Human Rights are the threads that run through programme development and implementation.

List of Projects on Poverty Reduction