Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT ON SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The South African Government will tomorrow renew its support for the United Nations Developments Programme (UNDP) when the Acting Director-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Thuthu Mazibuko will hand a cheque for R900,000 to the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mr David Whaley as South Africa's contribution towards meeting the local operational costs of the UNDP.
South Africa was admitted as a UNDP programme country after the country's first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa also became a member of the UNDP Executive Board in January 1998.
The UNDP established its Country Office in Pretoria in 1995. The Office is located within the UN House in Pretoria, the premises provided by the Government of South Africa to host the organisations of the United Nations.
With the overall purpose of reducing poverty in the country, UNDP has, over the past four years, supported a wide range of development initiatives launched by national institutions and agencies. These efforts, undertaken in close collaboration with sister UN agencies, and concentrate on two broad sub-programmes - sustainable livelihood and sound governance. The areas of engagement have been negotiated with the Government through a Country Cooperation Framework approved by the UNDP Executive Board in September 1997.
Advocacy is an important element of the programme. UNDP promotes an enabling environment which facilitates partnerships between government and civil society structures in the fight against poverty.
Under the sustainable livelihood sub-programme, UNDP works with the key national and other agencies established in order to accelerate the development of a small and medium sized business sector leading to increased employment creation. Other activities relate to housing processes, and to education and to various aspects of social development.
Capacity building for provincial and local government is the main focus of the sound governance sub-programme which also includes important elements relating to democratisation, development management and safety and security.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA 9 JUNE 1998