Global Policy Forum

By Jason Topping Cone

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has seen its funding fall nearly 40 percent in the last eight years, but indications from the UN agency's ministerial meeting held here on Monday is that the situation may change.

Ministers from Japan, Ireland and France—among others—indicated they would push their governments to increase funding to support the work of UNDP, according to Zephirin Diabre, Associate Administrator of UNDP. Diabre did not offer specifics on any amounts of funds the ministers believed their governments could commit. According to Diabre, Sweden promised to increase its support for 2000, but no amount was disclosed.

UNDP's budget hit a high of $1.2 billion in 1992, but has shrunk to approximately $700 million in 2000. The UN agency's funding shortfall has been offset with an increase in "noncore" funding which must go to specific projects, said Diabre.

The ministers, who met in closed sessions here, were enthusiastic about the reform measures that Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of UNDP, has undertaken since heading up the agency in the summer of 1999, said Diabre.

The ministers described Malloch Brown's reforms as "very refreshing" and "stressed that under Mark's leadership that the organization is back," said Diabre. Malloch Brown has reassigned 25 percent of the New York based staff to projects in the field, according to Diabre.

According to Diabre, many of the ministers confirmed feeling that when UNDP enjoyed a "core" budget--non project specific funding--of $1.2 billion there was a "clear perception we were engaged in too many projects." The funding decreases forced UNDP to streamline its work, according to Diabre.

UNDP has taken on the responsibility of acting as "face of the UN at the country level," said Diabre. UNDP's top official at the country level acts as the resident coordinator for the UN Secretariat and the agencies.

In addition, to the ministers voicing support for funding increases, many called for an annual ministerial meeting to be convened. According to Diabre, the ministerial meeting would be a "way to renew political support for UNDP."

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