UNDP 2012

This report presents the results of an assessment of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducted by the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN). MOPAN assesses the organisational effectiveness of multilateral organisations based on a survey of stakeholders, a review of documents, and interviews with headquarter-based staff.

UNDP’s mission is to assist countries “to achieve sustainable human development”. Its work is demand-driven and focused on country priorities. Its Strategic Plan for 2008-2011, which was extended to 2013, defines four focus areas based on the highest levels of demand: achieving the MDGs and reducing human poverty, fostering democratic governance, supporting crisis prevention and recovery, and managing energy and the environment for sustainable development. As highlighted in the midterm review of the Strategic Plan,3 over the period of the current plan UNDP has had to respond to different donor demands and shifts in the development landscape (e.g. financial, food and fuel crises; the rise to prominence of climate change issues, and increased focus on achieving the Millennium Development Goals).

In 2011, UNDP initiated the Agenda for Organizational Change (AOC), a reform process that aims to: enhance organisational effectiveness; improve internal governance; strengthen leadership, culture and behaviour; and ensure effective programme delivery.

MOPAN assessed UNDP based on information collected through a survey of key stakeholders, a review of documents, and interviews with UNDP staff. The survey targeted MOPAN donors at headquarters, as well as MOPAN donors and UNDP direct partners in nine countries (i.e., Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Honduras, the Philippines, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe). In total, 262 respondents participated in the survey. The document review examined publicly available corporate documents as well as country programming documents from surveyed countries. Interviews were conducted with UNDP staff to help identify missing documents for review and to provide information to triangulate data.