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UNDP Resident Representative and
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Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie 
 
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ABOUT UNDP LESOTHO

UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.

World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP's network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these Goals. Our focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of:
 


UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women.

The annual Human Development Report, commissioned by UNDP, focuses the global debate on key development issues, providing new measurement tools, innovative analysis and often controversial policy proposals. The global Report's analytical framework and inclusive approach carry over into regional, national and local Human Development Reports, also supported by UNDP.

In each country office, the UNDP Resident Representative normally also serves as the Resident Coordinator of development activities for the United Nations system as a whole. Through such coordination, UNDP seeks to ensure the most effective use of UN and international aid resources.

UNDP in Lesotho
The Kingdom of Lesotho faces a multiple crisis caused by the nexus of HIV&AIDS pandemic, deep-rooted poverty and chronic food insecurity that is undermining past gains in socio-economic and human development, and threatens the very existence of the state and people of Lesotho. Food insecurity and poverty are clearly fuelling the HIV&AIDS crisis, with hunger driving people to increasingly high risk behaviour, greater vulnerability, and in turn, lowering their resistance to infection. Underpinning this mix of challenges, is the opportunity for advocating and supporting responsive governance at all levels of society, in order to provide and enabling environment for sustainable development.
 

Country Office Achievements
In support of- and collaboration with- its partners, some of the notable accomplishments by the Country Office in 2008 include:

  • Under the governance portfolio, a tense post electoral inter-party situation was mediated through amongst others, a SADC-led effort which fostered a broad-based discussion on the allocation of Lesotho parliament's 40 proportional representation seats. The issue has not been brought to finality, but the process, conducted in a spirit of mutual tolerance, has ensured stability and quiet.
     

  • A project with the Lesotho Council of NGOs, has facilitated peaceful negotiation of a transport dispute between the Government and the Maseru region transport operators. The two parties have reached agreement on a MoU which recognises the need for regular consultations and dialogue to iron out differences and strengthen collaboration.
     

  • In a joint effort with the development partners and the national counterpart, DevInfo Lesotho has been made operational and training on its usage has started (completed within UNCT). DevInfo will form the backbone for the M&E and ultimately performance management system of the Government.
     

  • UNDP played the lead role in the implementing the Joint Programme on Youth Employment, along with UNICEF and ILO. Main achievements of the project include the preparation of a draft youth action plan to create an enabling national policy framework. A core group of 19 young women and 14 young men were trained as trainers and proceeded to, in turn, train a total of 724 trainees (233 men and 491 women) on entrepreneurship and business development skills. Thus far 240 youth enterprises have been established, out of which 180 were supported with micro loans from Government cost sharing. Within the 180 enterprises, 122 were set up by women and 68 were set up by men.
     

  • Through the Public Private Partnerships UNDP collaborated with the Maseru City Council (MCC) and a private sector firm to implement a waste management programme for removal and management of solid waste in the capital city. The successful results of the project has led to Lesotho being selected for participation in the PPPISWM through a proposal for implementation of a joint initiative between the MCC and a private sector firm with technical support from HQ and WASTE NGO which has major input from the Dutch Government.
     

  • In close collaboration with the GEF sub regional office, key stakeholders were supported to prepare a draft PIF towards a project to be funded under GEF LDC Climate Change window for the implementation of priority activities in various livelihood zones in Lesotho. These activities were identified during the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) process.
     

  • Under the integrated framework, support to agro-business development resulted in the establishment of the Laboratory Centre for Mushrooms production which in turn led to the production of mushrooms for domestic consumption. The same project helped invigorate the peach tree industry and about 7000 Peach Trees have been planted. Farmers have been trained and sensitized in issues relating to agro-business, marketing and export promotion. The project has managed to source funding and technical assistance from other donors such as the Chinese Government.
     

  • Improved Service Delivery - through its programme on business process re-engineering, UNDP has supported the government in conducting a capacity assessment which helped establish a baseline and performance expectation for all major services delivered to the public through the various ministries. On the basis of priority setting, UNDP support has led to the development of internal government capacity to diagnose the bottlenecks and design efficient processes which have already led to a significant improvement in three key areas.
     

  • Finalization of JUPSA and Delivering as One - together with its UN sister agencies, UNDP has contributed to the development of the Joint UN Programme of Support for AIDS (JUPSA). The current strategy is in its final stages of approval. 
     

Programme information
UNDP’s programme of support to the Kingdom of Lesotho for the period 2008 to 2012 ensures an integrated response to these complex and rapidly worsening development challenges. To effectively address the challenge posed by the HIV&AIDS pandemic, UNDP’s efforts will be geared towards Advocacy Networks development for multi-stakeholder transformational leadership and communication as well as corestreaming HIV&AIDS Interventions into development planning instruments and activities of line ministries and local structures.

The environmental challenge will be addressed through strengthening capacity for promoting land management and bio-diversity conservation for sustainable livelihoods. UNDP will also support the design and implementation of national and local strategies for sustainable development within the framework of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Clean energy technologies will be promoted to reduce emissions, through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and technology demonstration. UNDP will enhance its emphasis on a more comprehensive reforestation and soil conservation strategy.

UNDP’s democratic governance programme is focused on strengthening the internal organization of the legislature, with training for parliamentary members and staff for better oversight roles, strengthening national decentralisation strategies as well as supporting public sector reform, transparency and accountability. Under this sub-programme UNDP provides support for strengthening the oversight role of Parliament through capacity development of Portfolio Committees and the Parliamentary Reform Committee. A major challenge is the process of transformation of the public sector to help it meet the development needs of the country and lead to profound change in the culture, structure and decision making systems of the public service in Lesotho.

UNDP ensures that national institutional capacities are strengthened for coordinating more effectively the response to the combined crises of HIV&AIDS, induced food insecurity and chronic poverty. This includes the strengthening of national institutional capacities for implementing activities necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As part of the organization’s “scorekeeper” role to measure the progress towards the achievement of the MDGs, support will continue to be provided for monitoring the goals for the purposes of public advocacy and resource mobilization.

Resources
UNDP is funded from its own regular resources, other United Nations sources of financing, and from bilateral and other external donors. In 2007, of the $ 4,995,000 million allocated to UNDP-Lesotho's projects:

  • 10.8% from bilateral donors;

  • 0.3% from Government cost sharing;

  • 12.2% from the Global Environment Facility (GEF)

  • 60.6% from UNDP's regular resources, BCPR and thematic trust funds;

  • 14.7% from other trust funds;and

  • 1.4% from other UN agencies.
     

 
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