A new regional sub-office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was officially inaugurated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province by Additional Chief Secretary Dr Hammad Uwais Agha and UNDP Country Director Marc-André Franche.
Since 1960, UNDP experts have worked with government counterparts to devise sustainable solutions to the development challenges of the area. The Peshawar sub-office reflects UNDP’s increasing focus on supporting KP province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in the wake of devolution, as UNDP strengthens its presence and operational capacities by helping to achieve the national and provincial development goals set by the government. This is also in line with UNDP’s strategic Common Country Programme 2013-2017 and in agreement with the Economic Affairs Division and the Memorandum of Understanding with the KP government. These agreements aim at assisting Pakistan achieve national and provincial development goals and targets as set by Government.
UNDP Pakistan Country Director Marc-André Franche said, “UNDP has had a long and successful partnership with the Governments of KP and Pakistan. The establishment of our sub-office in Peshawar reaffirms our commitment to intensify our efforts to work with the Government and people of KP and FATA to bring about improvements in the sustainable human development of the region and its people.”
The UNDP sub-office in Peshawar was established after UNDP Pakistan signed a partnership Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of KP in 2014. It provides an increased institutional presence, representation and coordination of UNDP projects in KP and FATA. The sub-office is also the convening agency for the One UN Programme in KP.
In KP and FATA, UNDP Pakistan focuses on three issues: 1) Deepening democracy, 2) preventing crisis and building sustainable communities 3) Mitigating and adapting to climate change. UNDP has over 13 projects with operations in KP and FATA, ranging from Chitral in the north and Dera Ismail Khan in the south, to Haripur in the east and Khyber Agency in the west.
Some of our major initiatives include working with the FATA Secretariat, to continue to support efforts to assist the return and rehabilitation of displaced communities and strengthening rule of law and promoting peace and justice in KP. This rule of law programme is generously supported with contributions from the Government of KP itself, demonstrating a growing and substantive partnership between the Government of KP and UNDP.
Our major Government partners include the Home Department, the Local Government and Rural Development Department, the Planning and Development Department, the PDMA, the FATA Secretariat, FDMA, and the Provincial Assembly. UNDP Pakistan’s projects in KP and FATA are supported by the Government’s of Japan, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Australia, and the EU.
Contact Information
For further information, please contact, Edward Rees, Head of Office, UNDP Peshawar, 0300 854 3392, Edward.rees@undp.org;
For media assistance, Fatimah Inayet, Communications Analyst, Communications Unit, 051-8355650 Fatimah.inayet@undp.org
