Sweden and UNDP unveil a $ 16 million partnership

By United Nations Development Programme (PNUD)

NAIROBI, Kenya, December 16, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Sweden and the UNDP have unveiled a USD 16 million umbrella agreement to support UNDP Kenya programme activities. Under this umbrella cost sharing partnership Sweden contribute 16 million dollars to the UNDP Kenya programme. The contribution will be effected over a three year period and is aligned to the UNDP Kenya Country Programme Action Plan being implemented in line with the Government Vision 2030.

Sweden believes that UNDP has a unique role and platform working closely to both the Government of Kenya and with civil society. Its role in coordinating and harmonizing the UN System working as one and as a development agent in its own capacity places UNDP at the heart of the development process here in Kenya. That is why my country has decided to engage with UNDP as one of our strategic partners in our cooperation. By signing this novel umbrella cost sharing agreement and by assisting with additional human resources capacities, UNDP will strengthen its work and thereby its ability to contribute to economic, democratic and human development in Kenya.

The partnership will enable UNDP Kenya to scale up programme activities in the areas of human rights, gender equality, democracy and good governance as well as peace building and conflict prevention. “We are pleased with this partnership which will enable UNDP scale up implementation of programmes at an important phase in the history of Kenya. This support will boost UNDP support the people of Kenya as they implement the new constitution and go through the first election under the new constitutional dispensation.” Commented the UNDP Resident Representative Mr. Aeneas C. Chuma during the signing ceremony.

He further thanked the Swedish Government for supporting UNDP and being a long standing strategic development partner to the people of Kenya and for its high credibility and legitimacy in the areas of human rights, gender equality, democracy and good governance. UNDP values Sweden's moral voice in these governance related areas, he concluded.

The overall goal of Swedish development cooperation with Kenya is “a Kenya in which all poor people have the opportunity to improve their living conditions, and where their human rights are realized.”

Sweden's cooperation strategy emphasizes a rights-based approach and poor people as actors. This means that in all programmes, people's human and political, as well as social, economic and cultural rights need to be protected and enhanced and government's duty towards its citizens acknowledged. Sweden's development cooperation with Kenya focuses on three areas, democratic governance, natural resources management and urban development.

The mission of the United Nations System in Kenya is to support the Government in its efforts to create and sustain an enabling environment for the promotion of human rights, good governance and the improvement of the quality of life and the well-being of the people of Kenya. To achieve this, UNDP works with partners to implement programmes in the following areas democratic governance, poverty reduction, peace building and conflict prevention, energy environment and climate change, disaster risk reduction as well as policy advisory