60 years of the UNDP

Berlin (d.de) – The Development Ministry celebrated the 60th anniversary of its cooperation with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) with a ceremony in Berlin yesterday. “The United Nations offers a table at which all countries have a place to develop solutions together,” said Acting Development Minister Svenja Schulze (photo). The Minister paid particular tribute to the UNDP's aspiration to be a learning organisation – “open to change, attentive to local contexts, prepared to engage in ongoing development”.  

UNDP Director Achim Steiner reminded the audience that shared values do not always have to be a prerequisite for cooperation: “They can also emerge in the process of reliable, interest-led cooperation.” 

The UNDP supports around 170 countries and territories in eradicating poverty, reducing inequality and achieving sustainability goals. There are so-called Accelerator Labs in 114 countries: together with local communities, these develop local solutions to pressing challenges such as water scarcity, hunger and environmental pollution.