UNDP South Africa

The new United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2007-2010 for South Africa, within which UNDP South Africa Country Office anchors its programming, defines areas of development cooperation between the Government of South Africa and the United Nations.

For the first time, the UNDAF in South Africa was developed using the key principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness & Country Ownership.

The UNDAF 2007-2010 is fully aligned with national development priorities and framed within the context of the Government's system of cooperative governance.

The Guiding Principles which inform the UNDAF are:

• The UN Reforms process and the mandate for System-wide coherence
• The targets for the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• National ownership of country programming and alignment with national development priorities
• Adherence to UN pro-poor agenda and support to capacity development for good governance

The comprehensive national stewardship of 2007 - 2010 UNDAF process ensures that the UNDAF 2007-2010 for South Africa is aligned with Vision 2014, the National Plan of Action and the Government's Corporate Governance System. In this context the outcomes of the UNDAF 2007-2010 are:

• Democracy, good governance and administration are strengthened
• Government and its social partners are supported to accelerate economic growth & development for the benefit of all
• Strengthened South African and sub-regional institutions to consolidate the African Agenda, promote global governance and South-South cooperation
• Government's efforts to promote justice, peace, safety and security are strengthened
• Poverty eradication interventions intensified

Subsequently, the UN in South Africa has also developed, once again for the first time, globally, a Common UN Country Programme Action Plan (CCPAP), as a coherent follow up to the UNDAF. The 2007-2010 CCPAP represents the United Nations Country Team in South Africa's translation of its commitments to addressing the country's development priorities into concrete programmatic interventions. Towards this end, the 2007-2010 CCPAP is fully aligned with the principles of national ownership and human-rights based approach as enshrined in South Africa's Constitution and the UN Charter and Guidelines on collaboration with member states. It further focuses on complementing Government efforts to build and strengthen national capacity towards enhanced service delivery for improved quality of life for the people of South Africa.

The Common Country Programme Action Plan (CCPAP) further demonstrates the commitment of Government of South Africa and the United Nations Country Team in South Africa to implementing the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General's High Level Panel on UN Reform as it refers to National Ownership and Delivery as One.

UNDP's mission as coordinator of the UN RC system and as the agency with an overall development mandate is to support the UN as a whole. The focus is on inter-sectoral and overarching strategy and policy work through knowledge sharing and global practices. Using its learning, tools and methodologies to focus on countrywide capacity development for a system of governance and inclusive growth UNDP can deliver progress on the MDGs.