To the women and girls in Afghanistan: UNDP is committed to staying and delivering
In Afghanistan, UNDP supports hundreds of thousands of people with livelihoods-saving initiatives, agricultural assistance, access to health services and other activities addressing basic human needs. We deliver direct assistance to more than 35,000 women entrepreneurs whose small businesses help whole communities get by. UNDP’s policy expertise, a capable presence through our new sub-offices, and the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan with an area-based programmatic framework ABADEI are central to the overall UNDP and UN response to the crisis in Afghanistan. We would not be able to develop or deliver such a strategic portfolio of initiatives in such a short time without the dedicated and tireless work of our women colleagues in UNDP, as well as with implementing partners.
The edict banning women from working for the United Nations announced by the Taliban de facto authorities on 4th of April violates Afghanistan’s obligations under international human rights law, and infringes on the principle of non-discrimination, which is a core principle underpinning the United Nations Charter. It is a deeply distressing situation and one we must continue to work to resolve. Last week, we launched a new UNDP study of Afghanistan’s economy which demonstrates that without girls’ full access to education and women’s ability to work, the socio-economic outlook for the country will remain grim.
As the Administrator said in his statement, “A sustainable recovery from the deepening crisis requires the full participation of Afghan women in the economy and society.” Basically, removing half the population from contributing actively to a nation’s economy and society more than halves progress.
Only the full continuity of girls’ education and women’s ability to pursue work and learning can keep the hope of any real progress alive. UNDP joined the UN Secretary-General in calling on the Taliban de facto authorities to immediately revoke the decision banning Afghan women from working for the UN and reverse all measures restricting women’s and girls’ rights. Meanwhile, our work continues within the current challenging operational context. A reduction of assistance would result in catastrophic consequences. We must stay to deliver for those who need us.
Asia-Pacific DRRs and OMs gather in Bangkok for annual workshop
This year’s Deputy Resident Representatives and Operations Managers' workshop (6-10 March) saw diverse sessions split across five days, from framing the challenges of the polycrisis in Asia and the Pacific to Navigating Quantum. Participants appreciated the opportunities to co-create the sessions, as well as networking and ‘peer sharing’ according to a post-event survey. Interactive sessions with BRH teams (both programme and operations) were effectively organized.
Christophe Bahuet, RBAP Deputy Director, opened the workshop with a focus on the current modus operandi and the momentum needed for development impact in the region. The five-day workshop ended with a conversation with RBAP Director Director Kanni Wignaraja who highlighted the policy and programmatic priorities for UNDP in the region in the face of the polycrisis. See the Agenda here.
Mission Notes
Assistant Secretary General and BERA Director, Ulrika Modeer in Thailand
Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Director, Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), Ulrika Modeer was on mission from 3-6 April in Bangkok, Thailand. She represented UNDP in the joint High-Level Consultations between Australia, New Zealand and the UN (UNFPA, UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP). While on her mission, she also met with key stakeholders of UNDP including the Government of Thailand, Donor partners, Private Sector and staff from Thailand Country Office and BRH, emphasizing UNDP’s support to long-term human development and the achievement of the SDGs agenda to build a sustainable future for all.
Perched on the hills overlooking the village of Lhayul in Bhutan, the view looks out to twin lakes that have provided water for drinking and irrigation for hundreds of years. The lakes, once deeply revered as 'sacred treasures' dried out in recent years because of landslides and climate change. Read the inspiring story of how the community worked together with the government and UNDP to bring the sacred treasures back to life.
How gender parity in the Fiji Police Force is helping tackle domestic and sexual violence
Ensuring greater gender balance in the Fiji Police Force is proving particularly effective in tackling sexual and domestic violence. With support from the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, through the Fiji Police Support Project, the force is actively implementing measures such as mentoring and leadership development initiatives and reviewing policies and procedures to eliminate any biases that may hinder gender parity. This project, backed by the Government of New Zealand, aims to bolster transparency and accountability within the force, enhance service delivery to reinforce public trust, and equip officers with the skills necessary for upholding the rule of law, respecting human rights, and conducting effective investigations.
Together with partners, and with support from SDG Impact, UNDP China launched the second phase of the China SDG Investor Map, a country-level market intelligence tool guiding investors towards investment opportunities with the potential to both advance the SDGs and generate financial returns.
Digitalization and innovation can be game changers in helping some of the most marginalized communities rise out of poverty. 4M (Meet-Match-Mentor-Move) initiative, for example, has enabled ethnic-minority women to expand their business, thus creating jobs and eliminating chronic poverty in Viet Nam. Read the op-ed by UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam Ramla Khalidi, published in Asia Times.
UNDP Bangladesh marked International Women's Day with the Nirbhoya Award (fearless in Bengali) for a third year in a row, recognising six exemplary individuals who made remarkable contributions in their own fields despite social and economic obstacles. The awards are a partnership with the country's top English-language media outlet. Read more about the awards here.
UNDP India launched the second edition of its flagship magazine, Inspiring India. The magazine features stories of inspirational women leaders and changemakers from across India who are breaking stereotypes and advocating for equal rights for women. The magazine includes interviews, special features, and messages from the Hon'ble President of India, Droupadi Murmu, Leading actor and UNDP India National Advocate for SDGs Bhumi Pednekar and other national figures.
UNDP Maldives announced the approval of a blended finance programme to support coral conservation and facilitate the development of, and investment in, projects and enterprises that sustainably contribute to the resilience of coral reefs and the atoll communities. The coral reef systems of the Maldives are the seventh largest in the world and the fifth most diverse ecosystem of the world’s reef areas. Phase one of the Maldives RREEF programme will focus on two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, the Addu Atoll and Fuvahmulah Atoll in the southern region of the country.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻. When Super Typhoon Odette struck the Philippines in 2021, it damaged 1.4 million coconut trees, taking away the main source of income of women farmers like Marife and Vergelia. Gradually, they are rebuilding their livelihood, with farming assistance extended by UNDP Philippines. Among the vegetable seeds that Vergelia and her husband received from UNDP were okra, eggplant, bell pepper, chili, peanuts, cassava, and sweet potato. Every eight to 10 weeks, she can harvest bell pepper, okra, and eggplant to sell in their neighborhood. She would also dry seeds for another planting season. Read Vergelia's story in this beautiful photo essay.
First steps towards recovery: the 2022 floods in Pakistan wreaked havoc, severely impacting livelihoods. Read how UNDP Pakistan is working in a few of the most impacted districts to support communities recover from the floods and to reestablish their sources of income.
In Nepal, a farming innovation tackles climate change, reduces poverty and empowers women
Phulo Devi Raut, is one of over 5,000 people in Nepal's southern plains, most of them landless and extremely poor, who have gained a stable income through UNDP's climate smart livelihood solution - Multi-Layer Farming. The innovative solution has helped turn over 300 hectares of degraded riverbeds into lush green fields. The multi-layer farming project is part of UNDP's socioeconomic livelihoods support programme that has led to creation of over 25,000 jobs and livelihood opportunities for those most marginalized. More than 50% of the beneficiaries are women. In the last three years since 2020, UNDP partnered with over 30 local governments and dozens of local NGOs to implement these community-led projects, which had a strong gender equality and social inclusion component.
With parliamentary elections approaching later this year, UNDP Timor Lesté has been working closely with the national election management bodies, supporting the electoral process, including procurement of 10,000 bottles of electoral ink, 7 renovations, 6 new constructions of election offices in municipalities, and technical training for 60 election officers and 35 national journalists who will play a critical role during the election. The UNDP election project is financially supported by the Government of Japan.
The SCALA programme hosted a Hackathon in the Asia and the Pacific region for young tech innovators and social impact business owners interested in tackling sustainability issues in the agriculture and land use sectors. Team Splicing from Mongolia won the Hackathon event with their solution for tracking livestock and GHG emissions with rural herders using a mobile application in Mongolia.
ExtremeLives is a docuseries, produced by RBAP in partnership with the European Union, about youth in Asia who have chosen to stand up against violence and instead become agents of change in their communities. A new season launched recently features inspiring individuals from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, all seeking to address key drivers of extremism. This season's content was shaped using innovation and behavioural sciences to create a compelling and impactful viewing experience.
The UNDP RBAP Strategic Foresight Network, along with Pakistan and Vietnam Country Offices are testing new approaches to anticipatory policy-making to better plan for climate related human mobility. The work blends quantitative modeling with qualitative foresight to understand the changes required to enable policy design best suited to respond to polycrisis.
In March, young environmental activists, professionals, and partners from various sectors in Asia and the Pacific came together to discuss climate issues and actions on the Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP). The two-day virtual event drew over 11,000 online participants. In the opening session, Christophe Bahuet, Deputy Regional Director for Asia-Pacific and Director of UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, encouraged meaningful youth participation in climate action.
The Fairbiz project in Bangkok produced a paper on Promoting Women Entrepreneurs as Drivers of Business Integrity, which analyses the initiatives undertaken in the region with success stories in business integrity and procurement areas.
This issue of the RBAP Digest was edited and produced at the Bangkok Regional Hub by Mahtab Haider, RBAP Communications Specialist.