The India - UNDAF 2008-2012 articulates the vision, strategy and collective action of the UN system, and is harmonised substantively and in terms of its time-frame with India’s 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012).

 

The over-arching objective of the India-UNDAF 2008-2012 – in support of the Government's national priorities - is: "Promoting social, economic and political inclusion for the most disadvantaged, especially women and girls". The essence of the UN's work in India during the five year cycle 2008-2012 is captured in the four UNDAF Outcomes that aim to contribute to: effective implementation of national flagship programmes, strengthened capacities of all governance actors for an equitable last mile delivery of public services, effective utilization of available funds in select districts, and safeguarding development gains from natural disasters and the effects of climate change.

 

Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have been identified as the UNDAF priority states. The intention of the priority states is to focus the majority of the UN’s work in those areas where the challenges to meeting the MDGs are the greatest.

 

The Planning Commission is the Government of India's focal agency for the UNDAF. The Government, civil society and other development partners are key allies for the realisation of the UNDAF objective of accelerating India's progress towards its development goals.

 

 

The current UNDAF aspires to make a paradigm shift to a higher level of strategy and coherence.

 

The strategic shift of the UNDAF is evident from its focused attention to areas where the UN has collective comparative advantage.

 

The UNDAF results framework reflects the UN’s joint work. The contribution of individual UN entities’ outputs to the achievement of the UNDAF outcomes would be detailed in the results frameworks of their respective programme documents thereby avoiding duplication of efforts in terms of planning, monitoring and evaluation as well as programme implementation and operations.

 

At the same time, the UNDAF document presents a ‘full picture’ of the range and richness of the UN’s work. The narrative for the UNDAF outcomes reflects the totality of the work of all UN entities (whether undertaken individually or jointly), thus providing a comprehensive logic of how the UNDAF outcomes will be achieved.

 

The above design of the UNDAF also recognizes that the achievement of outcomes linked to the national goals requires a multitude of responses, with the UN playing a catalytic role. Important determinants of the focus of the UN’s work are geographic locations where human development needs and deprivations are greatest and where inequality and exclusion persist. Advocacy is an integral element of the UN’s work, and the UN advocates for change where the need for change is the greatest. In line with the UN’s fundamental role to support national development efforts, the UN also responds to national partners’ requests to develop capacity and fill technical gaps where they exist.

 

It is worth noting that the ‘A’ in the acronym UNDAF now stands for “Action” rather than “Assistance” as in the past.  This is a subtle, but important, change which reflects an evolving partnership between the United Nations and the Government of India.  This emphasis on action is reflected in the commitment of the United Nations to joint work which will bring greater coherence and synergy to its work in India.

 

UNDAF Outcomes
Outcome 1: Inclusive Growth	Inclusive and equitable growth policies and poverty reduction strategies of the government strengthened to ensure that most vulnerable and marginalized people in rural and urban areas have greater access to decent employment, skills development, social protection and sustainable livelihoods.   Contributing UN entities: FAO, IFAD, ILO, UNESCO, UN-ESCAP, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNDP, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNOPS, UN Women, WFP, WHO
Outcome 2: Food and Nutrition Security	Vulnerable populations in the UNDAF priority states have improved availability of, access to and utilization of food and nutrition to meet minimum standards. Contributing UN entities: FAO, IFAD, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO,WFP, WHO
Outcome 3: Gender Equality	Government and civil society institutions are responsive and accountable for improving women’s position, advancing their social, political, economic rights and preventing gender discrimination.   Contributing UN entities: IFAD, ILO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCAP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC, UN Women, WFP, WHO
Outcome 4: Equitable Access to Quality Basic Services	Vulnerable and marginalised populations have equitable access to and use quality basic services in selected states (i.e. health, education, sanitation, HIV and AIDS and safe drinking water) Contributing UN entities: IFAD, ILO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF,   UNODC, UNOPS, WFP, WHO
Outcome 5: Governance	Governance systems are more inclusive, accountable, decentralized and programme implementation more effective for the realization of rights of marginalized groups, especially women and children.   Contributing UN entities: ILO, UNDP, UNESCO,  UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC, UNOPS, UN Women, WFP,  WHO
Outcome 6: Sustainable Development	Government, industry and other relevant stakeholders actively promote more environmentally sustainable development and resilience of communities is enhanced in the face of challenges of Climate Change, Disaster Risk and natural resource depletion.   Contributing UN entities: APCTT, FAO, ILO, UNDP, UNEP,UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO,  UNOPS, UN Women, WFP,  WHO

 

Strategic areas for joint UN programming have been identified across all Outcomes. These form a subset of the full range of the work to be delivered by the agencies. This subset represents niche areas within the themes of the UN’s work where the UN can collectively add value.