The United Nations Development Programme is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources and helping people build a better life. The United Nations Development Programme has a ground presence in 177 countries and territories working on local solutions to global and national development challenges.

Our UN identity ensures our neutrality and respect for each country's control over their future. Our commitment to development makes us advocates of change, and our wide, decentralized presence keeps UNDP close to development issues, resources, and thinking. Countries draw on the knowledge of not just of the people of UNDP but also of our broad circle of partners that together encompass a world of development experience.

UNDP is based on the merging of the United Nations Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance, created in 1949, and the United Nations Special Fund, established in 1958. UNDP, as we know it now, was established in 1965 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. A comprehensive book on the history of UNDP entitled The United Nations Development Programme, A better way? was published in 2006 and can be purchased at the UN Bookshop or directly from the publisher.

The United Nations Development Programme delivers most of its services through its 177 country and territory offices and counting, but also engages in global and regional advocacy and analysis to increase knowledge, share best practices, build partnerships, mobilize resources, capacity development, and promote enabling frameworks including targets for reducing poverty. It is the scorekeeper for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. and supports technical cooperation among developing countries. Please visit the 'Overview of UNDP's Work’ at: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/overview.html

Human development is a process of enlarging people’s choices by expanding their capabilities to lead long and healthy lives, to be knowledgeable, to have a decent standard of living and to participate actively in community life. The process seeks to level the playing field, to open up opportunities for all, especially the most vulnerable, so as to maximize the potential of every person in society.

The concept of human development goes beyond the more traditional income measurement approach to development.  National income figures, useful though they are, do not reveal the composition of income or the real beneficiaries of economic growth. People often value achievements such as better nutrition and health services, greater access to knowledge, more secure livelihoods or better working conditions, that may not show up at all, or at least not immediately, in higher measured income or growth figures.

The widely-cited UNDP Human Development Reports (HDRs) contain substantive data on most development indicators. The reports rank every country each year in areas such as per capita income, literacy, life expectancy and respect for women's rights.

National Human Development Reports(NHDR) have been used throughout the world to promote advocacy for human development with the aim of stimulating dialogue on national development strategies and objectives, and to monitor the status of human development by providing facts and figures, which measure progress and pinpoint critical imbalances. The NHDRs, in their preparation and follow-up processes, focus primarily on national policy formulation and consensus building among national stakeholders. They seek to inform decision-making in the management of national resources among the public, private and civil society sectors. By both contributing to the debate on alternative approaches and helping to develop shared visions, the reports identify new prospects for national development.

In September 2000 at the UN Millennium Summit, 189 world leaders agreed to a set of time bound and measurable goals for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.  These Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, as they have come to be known, have since been placed at the heart of the development agenda.

The deadline for achieving the MDGs, of which there are eight, is set for the year 2015.  This is a simple yet powerful idea for a global agenda, using the process of globalization in the interests of the poor. At the Summit, world leaders committed themselves to finding the resources to ensure that these goals be realized.  The goals include:

1.      The reduction, by half, of extreme poverty and hunger

2.      Achieving universal primary education;

3.      The promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women;

4.      The Reduction of child mortality by 2/3rds;

5.      Improving maternal health;

6.      Combating and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and other diseases;

7.      Ensuring environmental sustainability and

8.      Developing a global partnership for development.

UNDP’s programme in Kosovo is focused on long-term development, as part of the United Nations wider peace-building strategy for Kosovo. UNDP has four flagship areas including security and rule of law, economic development and employment, democratic governance, and environment and social inclusion.

The Resident Representative of UNDP in Kosovo, Ms. Osnat Lubrani, is also the United Nations Development Coordinator (UNDC) appointed by the UN Secretary General. The UNDC coordinates and chairs the work of the UN Kosovo Team (UNKT) and the UN Development Group (UNDG)

The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Kosovo is called United Nations Kosovo Team (UNKT) and is comprised of fourteen 14  UN Agencies and Programmes:  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Labour Organisation (ILO), UN HABITAT, FAO, IOM, OHCHR, OCHA, UNOPS, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNIFEM, UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank.

Although each agency and programme has its own manadate and individual programme, the UNKT members work closely together to ensure that their programmes are coherent and that Kosovo has access to the depth and breadth of the Team membership.

The UN Development Group (UNDG) are development oriented agencies of the UN Country Team: UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, UNOPS, WHO, UNIFEM, UNFPA, OHCHR and in cooperation with World Bank.

For more information please visit: www.unkt.org

UNDP Kosovo's priorities are based on those of Kosovo's institutions and places particular emphasis on human development.  UNDP's current strategy in Kosovo is available on our website. A current list of active projects is also available, as well as completed projects and plans for the future.

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was established in 1999 to, among other things, perform basic civilian administrative functions, promote the establishment of self-government in Kosovo, maintain civil law and order, and promote human rights.  UNMIK will be operating in Kosovo for a limited period of time.

UNDP Kosovo is focused on long-term development. UNDP projects and initiatives place particular emphasis on human development with the aim of promoting peace and addressing poverty and inequality in Kosovo.  UNDP works with local partners to identify local needs and local concerns in order to ensure local ownership of solutions.

UNDP Kosovo works in collaboration with government  as well as other development actors on development projects and programmes in Kosovo.   For more information contact: registry.ks@undp.org

Concerning copyrights and permissions to reprint: For non-profit organizations, materials found on the website or any UNDP publications (or parts thereof) may be freely reproduced, as long as due credit to the source is given.

For commercial usage, please specify which publication (title, year, page/s) or part of the website will be reproduced (URL of webpage), and send your request to send your request to burbuqe.dobranja@undp.org   

UNDP Kosovo advertises vacancies as they arise on its website as well as in the local print and media.

Yes, to find out more about UNDPs internship programme see:

http://www.kosovo.undp.org/en/Internship

If you are interested in applying to UNDP Kosovo to work as an intern contact: registry.ks@undp.org for more information