The MOU was signed by ADB President Mr. Takehiko Nakao and UNDP Administrator Mr. Achim Steiner in Washington, DC. The agreement builds on an ongoing partnership between ADB and UNDP and sets the stage for greater collaboration at the country and regional levels, and stronger cooperation in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Asia and the Pacific.
“ADB and UNDP have had a long-standing and productive partnership to support development progress in Asia and the Pacific,” said Mr. Nakao. “UNDP’s support to countries on policy dialogue and technical capacity building can complement ADB’s project implementation. Through the MOU, we will work together to realize a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific.”
UNDP Administrator Mr. Achim Steiner (left) and ADB President Mr. Takehiko Nakao (right) signed a 5-year memorandum of understanding on April 12th 2019. (Source: ADB)
Under the MOU, priority areas for collaboration will be based on the needs and priorities of countries in the region and focus on supporting progress towards the SDGs. Forms of collaboration will include joint knowledge creation, exchange and dialogue, direct technical assistance, and project implementation in such areas as SDG implementation, innovative financing for the SDGs, disaster risk reduction, access to clean and affordable energy for all, and the promotion of regional cooperation and integration.
“We are pleased to renew UNDP’s partnership with the Asian Development Bank. It signals our commitment to expand our collaboration on the ground in numerous countries in Asia and the Pacific, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus,” said Mr. Steiner. “This partnership will reinforce our joint engagement with countries to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in these regions.”
The MOU will supersede a 2007 agreement between ADB and UNDP, which was extended in 2014 and expires in 2019. Under that agreement, ADB and UNDP have been collaborating extensively at the country level throughout the region.
In Bangladesh, for example, ADB and UNDP have been collaborating to provide skills training to indigenous people under the ADB Second Chittagong Hill Tracts Rural Development Project. In addition, ADB and UNDP have been working to coordinate external support for projects in Cox’s Bazaar and strengthen effective donor coordination in response to the Rohingya situation.
In addition, ADB and UNDP have been providing joint technical assistance to the government in Kazakhstan to establish institutions to coordinate SDG implementation, including a strategy for achieving the SDGs.
ADB and UNDP are also partnering in the implementation of off-grid mini-hydro and mini-grid projects under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Power System Expansion Project. This initiative is aimed at expanding access to electricity in remote parts of Nepal.
Finally, UNDP and ADB have been collaborating to review SDG implementation in ADB developing member countries. The insights from this collaboration can inform ADB’s country partnership strategies, and support Asia and the Pacific in making progress on the SDGs./.