What does UNDP mean?

UNDP stands for the United Nations Development Programme. It is the United Nations' lead organization for international development and works in around 170 countries and territories to help countries address development challenges and achieve sustainable human development.

What does UNDP stand for?

The acronym means:

UN – United Nations
D – Development
P – Programme

The complete name is United Nations Development Programme.

What does UNDP do?

UNDP supports countries in tackling development challenges such as:

Poverty
Inequality
Governance
Climate change
Crisis resilience
Sustainable development
Digital transformation
Gender equality
Institutional development

UNDP describes itself as the UN's lead agency on international development.

When was UNDP established?

UNDP was established by the UN General Assembly in 1965, building on the merger of two earlier UN programmes dealing with technical assistance and development funding.

Where does UNDP work?

UNDP works in approximately 170 countries and territories.

Rather than imposing one development model on every country, UNDP generally works with national and local partners to develop solutions suited to local circumstances.

Its work includes government institutions, communities, civil society and other development partners.

Is UNDP a UN agency?

UNDP is part of the United Nations system, but it is technically a UN programme, rather than one of the UN specialized agencies such as WHO, FAO or UNESCO.

This distinction matters when researching the structure of the UN system.

What is UNDP known for?

UNDP is particularly well known for its work on poverty reduction, sustainable development, governance and human development.

It is also widely known for publishing the Human Development Report and the Human Development Index, which provide broader measures of human development beyond economic output.

What jobs are available at UNDP?

UNDP employs people across many professional areas.

Examples include:

Development specialists
Economists
Governance experts
Project managers
Climate specialists
Finance professionals
Data analysts
IT specialists
Communications professionals
Human resources professionals
Policy advisers

UNDP also offers internships, consultancies, staff positions, JPO opportunities, UN Volunteer opportunities and young-professional programmes.

Why is UNDP important?

Development challenges are interconnected. Poverty can affect health and education. Climate change can increase vulnerability. Weak institutions can make it harder for countries to deliver public services.

UNDP works across these areas to support countries in developing stronger institutions, policies and capacities.

For anyone searching “What does UNDP mean?”, “What does UNDP stand for?”, or “What is UNDP?”, the answer is:

UNDP means United Nations Development Programme, the UN's lead international development organization working to reduce poverty, strengthen governance, build resilience and advance sustainable human development.