New York – The Board of Directors of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund has approved two projects to receive support:
- An educational project in Papua New Guinea, which will provide modern information and telecommunications learning facilities, training materials and tailored courses to public officers, teachers and students, which will contribute to bridge academic and skills requirements;
- A governance project in Swaziland to engage and consult citizens in the collection of data on poverty in order to inform sound public policies.
Together these 2 projects represent a budget of $700,000, and exemplify the Southern-owned and led, demand-driven, people-centered sustainable development projects supported by the Fund.
With a quickly growing project portfolio, the Fund has established itself as an important actor supporting and contributing to national development priorities among the Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
“This project will enable us to undertake a second poverty participatory assessment in a bid to formulate strategies towards poverty alleviation and therefore, enhancing the livelihoods and well-being of the targeted population,” said H.E. Mr. Melusi Martin Masuku, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Swaziland to the United Nations. “The participatory nature of the project will promote ownership by the citizens and ensure that any subsequent interventions are truly needs-driven. India’s support to the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland in this endeavor is extremely welcomed and profoundly appreciated.”
“India’s approach to cooperation can be summarized as Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or the whole word is one family,” said H.E. Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations. “With this approach we engage in South-South cooperation and approve these two new projects under the India-UN Development Partnership Fund.”
“The India-UN Development Partnership Fund is making rapid progress at supporting sustainable development projects that are responsive to partner countries priorities and capitalize on the delivery structures of the United Nations System. These two new approvals confirm this Fund’s commitment to helping people across the South improve their lives and fulfill their potential,” said Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation and Director of UNOSSC.
For more information, or to schedule media interviews, please contact: Ms. Ines Tofalo, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (ines.tofalo@undp.org + 1 917 497 5177).
