Author: UNDP
May 2009
UNDP's "Annual Report for 2009 - Living up to Commitments" demonstrates how UNDP remains focused on reducing poverty, promoting democratic governance, supporting crisis prevention and recovery efforts, as well as achieving sustainable development results in energy and environment.
The report argues that continued efforts in all of these areas are crucial to ensure that global shocks, including the food, energy, climate and economic crises, do not reverse progress achieved on the Millennium Development Goals. However, the annual report states that in a global crisis UNDP is well situated to help mitigate its negative effects.
According to the report, UNDP has been helping countries during the past year to improve procurement and management of food reserves, intensify research and development of higher-yield staple crops, promote energy efficiency, and diversify from traditional fossil fuels. Furthermore, UNDP has been assisting countries to adapt to the different impacts of climate change, such as decreased agricultural production and increased exposure to climate-induced natural disasters. The programme has been helping countries to foster financial and technological solutions to make economies less carbon-intensive, increase access to cleaner energy for household usage, and establish disaster risk reduction and adaptation plans such as early warning systems.
The annual report gives emphasis to the urgent need to mainstream climate change into development planning at all levels. It highlights that the UNDP climate change strategy, endorsed in 2008, promotes climate change adaptation and mitigation. The report also provides an overview of UNDP's capacity building activities in developing countries to appropriately integrate climate risks into national development policy and plans, and to develop adequate financing options. The report notes that UNDP is linking its actions on renewable energy through the development of partnerships, planning tools, public policies and financial instruments, to promote the creation of new markets and jobs.
Finally, the annual report mentions UNDP efforts in the first phase of the UN Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries Programme (UN REDD), which is carried out in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with the financial support of the Government of Norway.
The report can be downloaded online:
F.U.N was born when a friend asked how he can help the United Nations? "What does the UN need most" he asked? Friends are what the UN needs most, was our answer, and it just happens to spell F.U.N. 
