Table of Contents

Creating momentum for a vibrant Africa

Equipping UNDP to deliver

Promoting Inclusive economic transformation

Transforming governance

Engaging Africa in global debates

Fostering resilience

Boosting the participation of women

Introduction 3

Looking ahead to 2015

4

5

7

8

10

12

14

15

Cover photo: iHub, Kenya

Introduction

The 2014 RBA Annual Report provides a snapshot ofdevelopment progress and improvements inorganizational processes. The report takes a look atthe strategies and mechanisms established by thebureau as part of UNDP's agenda for change. It alsolooks at some of the programmes led by RBA HQ, theRegional Service Center in Addis Ababa and CountryOffices around the region this past year.

In 2014, Sub-Saharan Africa continued to showaverage annual growth rates of around 5 percent.With investments in increasingly diverse economicsectors, improved political stability, bettergovernance, greater security and more stablemacroeconomic frameworks, the region appeared tobe set on a resolute trajectory of growth anddevelopment.

On the social and political fronts, countries in theregion organized a wide number of peacefulelections, with 11 countries holding national,parliamentary and legislative ballots: Botswana,Comoros, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius,Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome andPrincipe, and South Africa.

Steady economic growth, coupled with increasedpeace and security, also contributed to acceleratedprogress on the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). Eight of the world’s top ten MDG performersare now situated in Africa.

Meanwhile, the continent projected unity andconfidence at the launch of its new Common AfricanPosition on the Post-2015 development agenda. Theagenda is more holistic, better integrated and itemphasizes the importance of economictransformation and other key processes andindicators.

But the path to sustainable development in theregion remains fraught with risk, uncertainty andreversals. 2014 was the year Ebola came to undoyears of economic and development progress inGuinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In 2014, Boko Haram also stepped up its attacks onthe people of Northern Nigeria, affecting neighboringCameroon and Niger, and South Sudan and theCentral African Republic descended into war.Elsewhere, countries and communities remainedvulnerable to climate change and extreme weatherevents, while hunger and other type of insecuritycontinued to cast their shadow over the Sahel, theGreat Lakes and the Horn of Africa.

UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) is gearingitself to tackle these complex challenges anddiverse situations. In the wake of the new StrategicPlan and subsequent structural review, the bureau isnow more nimble, coherent and efficient in itsprogramming. Units at Headquarters have been re-organized, and the bureau’s regional hub in AddisAbaba is equipping itself to provide a better packageof integrated support to Country Offices and regionalentities.

UNDP’s response to the Ebola crisis focuses on: Stronger coordination and service delivery; community mobilization and outreach; socio-economic impact and recovery. (Photo: Lesley Wright/ UNDP)

3

RBA is in the process of transforming its regionalprogramme outcomes into five key projects,crystallizing UNDP's contribution to the AfricanUnion's Agenda 2063:

Promoting inclusive economic transformation:

Respond and contribute to structural transformationthrough interventions that address the economic,social, and environmental dimensions of inclusivegrowth. The project aims to do so by promotingsustainable energy access and better naturalresources management, and by enhancingproductivity and employment opportunities for theexcluded and the poor.

Transforming governance:

Build on the engagement and connectivity of Africa'scitizens to encourage dialogue between decision-makers and civil society,increase the role of regionaloversight institutions and further reduce thepossibility of exclusion and discrimination. Theobjective of this project is to expand and maximizepolitical space, increase economic governance, andre-define Africa's social contract.

Fostering resilience:

UNDP will strengthen the continen't capacity toprevent conflict, while building an integratedpathway for disaster risk reduction and tacklingclimate change. These 2 project componentsconstitute key “drivers” for the achievement ofAfrica's structural transformation agenda.

Engaging Africa in global debates:

The project will help to build consensus among awide diversity of regional development actors,including public institutions, private sectorstakeholders and civil society organizations. At thesame time, it will bring closer together the AfricanUnion, the RECs and other regional bodies,increasing their ownership of the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs).

Boosting the participation of women:

Increase the capacity of regional institutions andcountries to boost women's participation in thesocial, political and economic spheres. Empoweringwomen is not only an end in itself but is alsoinstrumental in achieving higher levels of economicgrowth and human development.

The new Strategic Plan for 2014-2017 aims toenable UNDP to better respond to programmecountries’ needs and aspirations, currently andbeyond 2015.

RBA's new regional programme for 2014-2017,aligned with the Strategic Plan and consistent withthe quadrennial comprehensive policy review, wasdesigned to better respond to African challengesand priorities, as articulated by the African Union(AU) and other regional institutions.

UNDP's regional work in Africa is based on fivemutually reinforcing regionality principles: promotionof regional public goods and services; managementof cross-border externalities and spill-overs;advancement of awareness, dialogue and action onsensitive or emerging development issues; promotion of innovation; and generation and sharingof development knowledge and experience.

Creating momentum for a vibrant Africa

Stru

ctur

al e

cono

mic

tran

sfor

mat

ion

is a

t the

hea

rt o

f Afr

ica'

s po

st-2

015

deve

lopm

ent a

gend

a.

4

Equipping UNDP to deliver

In 2014, as part of the corporate structural reviewexercise, significant changes were implemented inNew York and Addis Ababa, aimed at improving theway we work.

RBA now makes a clear distinction between CountryOffice oversight on the one hand, and Country Officesupport on the other. New York is responsible forconducting oversight, a function that is supply-driven and consists in analyzing and passingjudgment regarding the quality of CO policies,programmes and operations. Meanwhile, hosted atthe regional hub, the support function, which isdemand-driven, helps ensure country-level policies,programmes and operations are sound. Verticalintegration (New York – Addis Ababa) will ensureboth oversight and support are provided in acoordinated manner to all Country Offices.Horizontal integration will take place within theregional hub, creating a single interface for CountryOffices to deliver seamless support from the variousadvisory functions.

RBA in New York is now composed of theDirectorate, plus separate teams for countryoversight, strategic analysis, and managementsupport. The bureau at headquarter-level contributesto UNDP’s strong positioning in the region, andserves as a point of contact for other New Yorkunits and UN institutions.

The regional hub in Addis Ababa has beenreconfigured and augmented to include a countrysupport team and a policy team that includes four

Structural Review clusters: 1. Inclusive and Sustainable Growth andDevelopment; 2. Democratic Governance andConflict Prevention; 3. Climate Change andResilience; 4.Coherence and Coordination, includingan augmented RBM and M&E team. The regional hubsupports Country Offices and consists of a CountrySupport Team working with BPPS, BERA, BoM andCRU. In addition to providing day-to-day programmeand operations support for Country Offices, theteam will serve as the entry point for Country Officerequests.

There are two sub-regional platforms, one in Dakarand the other in Nairobi. These form an integral partof UNDP’s regional presence and they lead sub-regional initiatives such as the ones in the Saheland the Great Lakes, representing UNDP in regionalUN Development Group meetings.

The bureau has managed the structural reviewsmoothly, organizing job fairs in New York and AddisAbaba and overseeing the classification of 39positions, with 15 of them filled within the first andsecond rounds of the job fair. While the RBAstructure at HQ has been reduced by more than onethird (to 27 positions), the changes under theStructural Review have resulted in a net increase ofthe capacity of UNDP in the region. Most notably,BPPS Policy support positions in Africa have doubledto over 80 while the RBA Country Office SupportTeam has 23 positions (including 4 professionalM&E and RBM resources – in line with the demandfor higher quality, evidence-based programming.)In the region, 16 out of 46 countries in Sub-SaharanAfrica underwent a restructuring processes underthe Financial Sustainability Exercise (FSE).

StrategyAnalysis

CountryProgramme

ManagementCoordination

Office of the Regional Director

Support GroupRegional HubPolicy

Support

UNCoordination

CountrySupport

Oversight Group

COUNTRY OFFICES

Also servicesWCA and ESAsub-regional

platforms

vv v

v v

vv

vv

Collaboration

SupportOversight

Reporting to

v

OperationsSupport

5

One of RBA’s top objectives in 2014 has been tohelp better define and service national developmentpriorities. Throughout the year, the bureau supportedthe preparation of Country Programme Documents(CPD) for Angola, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali,and Sierra Leone, organizing in-depth consultationsand missions with those Country Offices. In addition,16 offices were trained to better align theirprogrammes during the course of two workshops,supported by a team comprising members of theExecutive Office, BPPS, BOM and others. The yearalso saw the institutionalization of the projectappraisal committee, a quality assurancemechanism for CPDs.

In 2014, UNDP also stepped up its support for MDGacceleration, with six MDG Acceleration Framework(MAF) and Action Plans finalized and endorsed,including in the Gambia (improving agriculturalproductivity and food security), Kenya (improvingmaternal and neonatal health), Swaziland (maternalhealth), Zimbabwe (education) and Mauritania(maternal health).

In addition, several strategic support missions tookplace to help countries respond to their specific setof challenges. For instance, together with theBureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR,now CRU), RBA conducted a programming mission toSouth Sudan, helping to define a response to thecrisis that erupted in December 2013, and resultingin a comprehensive programme of recovery thatincludes support for reconciliation, access to justiceand livelihoods.

Missions were also sent to UNDP offices inMauritius and Seychelles to prepare for theimplementation of a “differentiated presence”, whichincludes a requirement for significant governmentcost-sharing. Another important mission was sent toChad, where the management audit triggered achange process expected to improve programmesand operations.

Strengthening our support toCountry Offices

Male

Female

25

19

54%46%

Number and % of male vs. female RCsBusiness IntelligenceRBA is now making full use of the BusinessIntelligence Dashboard (BID), enabling users tobrowse through programme, management, XB,evaluation, and audit reports on a single websiteand using filtered search options. Since 2011, thedashboard has provided the basis from which COslearn from past, current and projected data toproduce trackable results.

In 2014, 11 Country Office audits were conducted.Three were found satisfactory, 7 partiallysatisfactory, and 1 unsatisfactory. Out of a total of83 recommendations made, 18 have beenimplemented, 37 are in progress and 28 are not yetimplemented.

2013 2014

Pgm delivery

Delivery

1.002 bn 1.019 bn

84% 87.5%

Top 5 offices in RBA's compositerankings

1. DRC

2. Zimbabwe

3. Ethiopia

4. Guinea-Bissau

5. Madagascar

6

(last 12 months)

RBA continues to aim for gender balance at all stafflevels and has had, for instance, large numbers ofwomen in Resident Coordinator positions.

Photo: Benoit Almeiras/UNDP

Promoting inclusive economictransformationIn line with the quadrennial comprehensive policyreview, which emphasizes eradicating poverty andhunger, UNDP worked throughout 2014 to enhancethe capacity of regional and sub-regional institutionsto adopt policies, plans and strategies directedtowards building economies capable of creating jobsand livelihoods for all, while managing naturalresources and ecosystems sustainably.

UNDP has been encouraging countries to use theirextractive activities to open opportunities foreconomic diversification, transformation and thecreation of jobs, while promoting environmentallyand socially sustainable practices.

In February, on the margins of Africa’s largest annualmining conference, “Mining Indaba”, UNDP joinedmultilateral development organizations, urging theprivate sector to help ensure the revenues frommining are reinvested in economic diversification,structural transformation, as well as communities,social protection and skills.

In 2014, ECA, AUC, AfDB and UNDP launched theAfrican Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) to helpimplement the Africa Mining Vision, which aims toensure Africa’s mineral resources can supporteconomic growth and development. The center willtranslate that vision into practical solutions forreducing poverty and involving people indevelopment.

UNDP has been working to ensure economic growthgoes hand in hand with the sustainablemanagement of natural resources and ecosystems.

In Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, UNDP helped to framepolicies for the development of sustainablecharcoal, encouraging more efficient productiontechniques, reduced carbon emissions, regulation offorest management practices and measures toimprove livelihoods from its production and sale.Charcoal remains one of the most importantsources of fuel in Sub-Saharan Africa and much of itis used for cooking.

UNDP also assisted the Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC) in the preparationof a draft regional green economy strategy andaction plan for sustainable development. Thestrategy will help inform plan to achieve low-emission and climate resilient developmentobjectives in the sub-region.

In 2014, Mauritius‘s pioneering social securitysystem won an international award for stepping upits coverage of the island’s most vulnerablehouseholds. UNDP provided technical support todevelop a system targeting the most in need anddeveloping a unified database for all socialprogrammes across the country. This exampleillustrates that addressing programme countrypriorities can be made more effective throughaligning with the UNDP strategic plan, responding toits thematic priorities (social protection), designpriorities (better targeting), and operationalpriorities (advocacy, based on evaluative evidence).

Social protection and health

Harnessing extractivesfor development

Sustainable naturalresource management

With UNDP’s support, Botswana, Zambia, Namibiaand Zimbabwe developed a 5-year plan to assessthe social and environmental impact of theKazungula Bridge, which connects all four countries.The focus will be to ensure issues relating tosustainable environmental management, socialimpact, HIV, human rights and gender equality areaddressed. The programme will consider, inparticular, strengthening livelihoods and generatingincomes through management of biodiversity.

Youth employment andinnovation

UNDP has been exploring new programmes andinitiatives for turning the ‘youth bulge’ intodevelopment opportunities, while addressingemerging security and growing urbanization issueson the continent.

In Benin, four UNDP-sponsored business promotioncenters located in the suburbs of Cotonou werelaunched over the past few months. The centers aimto promote entrepreneurship, micro-enterprise andjob creation among young people and women andhave already trained one thousand young people.Their number is expected to increase to ten.

In several countries on the continent, UNDP hasbeen sponsoring centers where youths are able toinnovate, network and learn essential professionalskills. In Swaziland UNDP is creating a YouthInnovation Hub for inclusive development that will behosted by the University of Swaziland, while othercountries have created similar initiatives. Theseinclude an Innovation Hub in Gaborone and YouthConnekt in Rwanda.

7

In 2014, UNDP supported severalelections across the region. In Guinea-Bissau, forinstance, that assistance helped achieve a voterturnout of 88 percent in the first round - the highestin the country's history. In May, UNDP supportedelections in Malawi, helping to register 7.4 millionpeople to vote. In Sao Tome and Principe, UNDPassisted the National Electoral Commission inenrolling thousands of new voters, many of themyouth and women, using biometric technology.

In 2014, ten countries carried out electoral NeedsAssessment Missions (NAMs) with UNDP's support,with half of them developing electoral assistanceprojects. At the regional level, election teams atUNDP have built the capacities of the Democracyand Elections Assistance Unit of the African Union(AU), leading to the deployment of long-term AUelection observers to a number of countries,including Algeria, Malawi and Tunisia.

In 2014, UNDP continued to strengthen thecapacities of regional organizations to promoteHuman Rights and the Rule of Law, whileencouraging countries in Africa to adopt commonstandards and principles of governance.

Across the continent, UNDP supported theratification of the African Charters on Democracy,Elections and Governance; Values and Principles ofPublic Service and Administration; and Values andPrinciples of Decentralization, Local Governance andLocal Development.

In August 2014, UNDP and the AUC jointly launcheda regional project to assess the status ofimplementation of the AU Charter on Values andPrinciples of Public Service and Administration(SOPSA). Studies on its implementation will becarried out in 27 African countries. The expectedoutcome of the project is to identify institutional gaps and opportunities for improving the efficientdelivery of public services in the region.

In 2014, Cape Verde became the first country inAfrica to generate a single set of statistics onhuman rights, transparency, the rule of law, andgovernance as part of the Strategy for theHarmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA). Theinitiative, to be expanded in 2015, aims to generatebetter indicators which will, among other things, beused to spot early signs of conflict and preventpossible breakouts of violence. SHaSA is led by theAfrican Union (AU), and supported by UNDP, ECA andAfDB.

UNDP trained a diverse range of partners during thesecond phase of a comprehensive programme

Transforming governance

Elections:

Regional institutions

Economic governance

to mobilize tax revenues and improve budgetmanagement in Africa. The programme currentlysupports 17 countries in West and Central Africaand it will expand its portfolio to include a largenumber of civil society representatives,parliamentarians, universities and governmentdepartments involved in service delivery. Part of thiseffort will be conducted through online training.

Access to justiceIn July, UNDP, together with the Government ofSouth Africa, UNODC and the Open Society JusticeInitiative, started devising practical strategies toimprove access to justice for millions of poorpeople, consistent with the UN's Principles andGuidelines on Access to Legal Aid. The objective isto make better use of limited State resources,promote greater community involvement in thecriminal justice system - including facilitatingcommunity-based sanctions and non-custodialmeasures -, reduce the unnecessary use ofdetention and imprisonment, and rationalize criminaljustice policies.

In 2014, UNDP supported elections in countries such as Malawi, Sao Tomeand Guinea-Bissau. 2015 promises to be an election-heavy year (Photo: UN)

Health services

With funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TBand Malaria, UNDP is supporting the ZimbabweanMinistry of Health in implementing a large scale HIVtreatment programme, supplying 52% of the HIVmedicines for adults under treatment in Zimbabweand reaching 700,000 people. The Global Fund Boardhas just approved an additional US$126 million forthe programme. 8

Country Focus

People in Madagascar who experience or witnesscorruption are now able to report incidents using awebsite created by Tolotsoa, a national Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).

Many people on the “Big Island” say there has beena deterioration in the rule of law and a significantrise in corruption, partly as a consequence of thepolitical crisis the country experienced for almostfive years. The project aims to both raise awarenessand help tackle corruption, observing thatmalpractice is often trivialized and accepted inMadagascar.

The website focuses on bribes and encouragesusers to report both incidents and evidence of non-corruption to encourage the latter. The testimonieswill help analyze trends and evolution of the formsof corruption which are most common inMadagascar, as well as the most affected sectors.The information collected will be made public, aswell as encourage dialogue and exchange amonggovernment officials, civil society leaders and NGOs.

Fighting corruption in Madagascar

The government in Mali has begun to inaugurate newoffice buildings rehabilitated by UNDP in severalmunicipalities in the region of Timbuktu.

Following the occupation of the North of the countryby armed groups, several public buildings had beendestroyed and many officials were forced toabandon their posts. Improvements in the securitysituation since then have made it possible for Stateinstitutions to return to Timbuktu and neighboringareas, including judicial institutions.

With UNDP’s support, the courthouse in Timbuktuhas been rehabilitated and similar buildings arebeing rebuilt in about 36 neighboring towns.

Training of judicial officials, including on issuesrelated to human rights and gender equality, will aimto strengthen their ability to deliver services to thelocal population. In every courthouse, an office willbe opened to serve as a center for communityoutreach, education and information gathering.

UNDP supports the redeployment of the Statein northern Mali

Scenes from the Maouloud Festival in Timbuktu, which was forbidden last yearduring the Jihadist occupation. (Photo: UN)

9

Fostering resilience

UNDP has been working to support the Peace,Security and Cooperation Framework for DRC andthe Great Lakes (PSCF). UN Country Teams in theregion, together with the Office of the Special Envoyfor the Great Lakes, met several times throughoutthe year to operationalize the framework, producinga draft regional programme of support. RBA also ledan investment forum in Luanda, bringing togethergovernments and private sector representativesfrom in and outside of the Great Lakes region, andits country-level economists published an analysisof the root causes of conflict in the sub-region.

RBA has been supporting efforts to address threatsto peace, development and stability in the CentralAfrica region, many of them exacerbated by theconflict in the Central African Republic (CAR). Acrossthe region, Resident Coordinators and UNHumanitarian Country Teams increased theircoordination and communication on humanitarianissues. A regional peace and development advisor isnow on the ground to analyze the impact on the sub-region of the crisis in CAR and increased violencefrom Boko Haram in Nigeria. Based on emerginganalyses, RBA will design regional programmes toaddress peace, stability and development.Preparations for a UN-wide regional consultation onpeace, security and development in Central Africaare now underway.

The RBA Director took part in a visit of the UNSecretary-General and the World Bank President tothe Great Lakes. The visit took them to Ethiopia,Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya and led to pledges ofpolitical support and major new financial assistancefor countries in the region. RBA will be building thecapacities of the Intergovernmental Authority onDevelopment (IGAD) secretariat to help preventconflict, and promote resilience and stability.

Assuming a strong leadership role in UN decision-making circles, UNDP has been helping countriesand regional agencies to implement the UNIntegrated Strategy for the Sahel, while scaling upcountry-level activities in support of that objective.

Some of the most vulnerable regions in Africa, suchas the Sahel and the Great Lakes region, arecharacterized by chronic poverty, hunger andconflict. These are compounded by transnationalissues, such as extreme weather, migration andterrorism. In 2014, UNDP deepened its regionalapproach to tackle fragility more effectively in suchregions.Great Lakes

Central Africa

Sahel

Horn of Africa

In 2014, RBA established a facility to support UNCountry Teams as they help governments toarticulate their resilience strategies, aligned withthe objectives of the UN and the European Union’sGlobal Alliance for Resilience Initiative (AGIR).Several studies are being prepared, including smallarms surveys and perception studies on the driversof insecurity, radicalism and violent extremism.

In 2014, countries experiencing violence, politicalinstability and other crises received special supportand guidance.

Since the creation of the UN Mission for the EbolaEmergency Response (UNMEER) in September, RBAsupported the Country Offices in Guinea, Liberia andSierra Leone to reconfigure their programmestoward tackling the epidemic, helping to deploySURGE specialists and other experts, and tomobilize resources for the response.

In addition, implementing a key element of the newStrategic Plan, RBA co-chaired with BPPS aDevelopment Solutions Team (DST) that is workingacross units and bureaus to respond to the crisis inan effective and coherent manner. With DST support,funding has been secured from the Multi-PartnerTrust Fund on Ebola for the payments work, andfrom bilateral donors for deployment of medicalwaste sterilizers known as "autoclaves".

UNDP took the lead role in the payment of EbolaHealth Workers in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberiaby providing the governments with technical adviceon payments and coordinating among agencies andNGOs on the ground to ensure payments of EbolaResponse Workers. Over 97 percent of all registeredEbola workers are linked to payment mechanismsand 90 percent of registered Ebola workers havebeen paid on time. As of the end of December 2015,payment projects have mobilized USD 5.5 millionfrom the Ebola Multi-Partner Trust Fund as well asUSD 1 million from the Crisis Prevention andRecovery Fund.

In the Central African Republic, UNDP took steps toresume the payment of salaries of civil servants. Aspart of its efforts to safeguard core governmentservices in the capital Bangui, UNDP transferred USD4.6 million from the United Nations Peace-buildingFund to the Bank of Central African States, covering3,417 police and gendarmerie salaries from May toAugust. UNDP also launched a comprehensive newprogramme to promote peace-building and recoveryacross the Central African Republic and will besupporting the presidential elections of 2015.

Country support

10

In 2014, RBA supported the implementation of theAfrica Adaptation Initiative in Burkina, Niger, Malawi,Mozambique and Tanzania, helping those countriesto improve data, manage information, measureclimate risk and attract climate finance.

UNDP, through its regional environment project,completed climate finance readiness assessmentsin Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania,and Zambia. The studies found five elements as keyto attracting and investing climate finance:coordination, alignment of climate and developmentpriorities with investor requirements, mobilizationand outreach to stakeholders, transparency ofclimate finance expenditure and creation of a soundenvironment for domestic investments. (Photo: NeilPalmer/CIAT)

Preparing for climate change

11

In 2014, UNDP helped to further define Africa’semerging position and priorities for development. Tothat end, the regional bureau played a key role infinalizing the Common African Position on the post-2015 development agenda. National consultationswere also held, supported by a UN task team towhich RBA participated. The consultations looked ata wide diversity of topics, including localizing thepost-2015 agenda, strengthening capacities andinstitutions, and mobilizing partners such as theprivate sector.

the African Union Commission, ECA and AfDB. Whilean increasing number of Africans are enjoying higherliving standards, countries in Sub-Saharan Africashould redouble efforts to ensure crises such as thecurrent Ebola outbreak in West Africa do not reversedevelopment achievements, says the report.

Mining in Eastern DRC. Managing extractives is seen as key to inclusive growth and development on the continent (Photo: Benoit Almeiras)

In 2014, RBA continued to produce knowledgeproducts that have served as a reference for policy-makers in and outside of the region.

In June, UNDP jointly produced and launched the2014 African Economic Outlook in partnership withthe African Development Bank (AfDB), theOrganization for Economic Development andCooperation (OECD) and the United NationsEconomic Commission for Africa (ECA). The reportsays that by participating more effectively in theglobal production of goods and services, Africa cantransform its economy and achieve a developmentbreakthrough.

Focus on the Post-2015 agenda

In November, UNDP launched the 2014 edition ofAssessing Progress in Africa Toward the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs), jointly prepared with

Engaging Africa in global debates

A leading role for the African Union

UNDP has been working to structure its relationshipwith the African Union (AU), supporting theorganization as it sets the vision for peace anddevelopment in Africa over the next 50 years.

In September, UNDP signed a strategic frameworkagreement with the African Union Commission(AUC), aimed at strengthening UNDP and the AU'scollaboration on conducting policy analysis andprogramming, and developing a wide range ofknowledge products. The strategic frameworkhighlights eight key areas of cooperation betweenUNDP and the AUC. These include: Inclusive andsustainable economic growth and development;democratic governance; the rule of law andaccountability; conflict prevention; disaster riskmanagement; developing capacities to buildresilience; climate change; and the Post-2015Agenda.

Under the new regional programme, RBA willendeavor to strengthen its cooperation withRegional Economic Communities (RECs). RBA metwith the Executive Secretary of SADC to discusspossible areas of cooperation in the area ofeconomic integration and industrialization.

Promoting regional knowledgeHelp to incorporate the agenda in nationaldevelopment plans and policies , monitor itand mobilize people.

UNDP's role on the post-2015development agenda

Introduce action plan similar to the MDGAcceleration Framework, right from thebeginning of the SDGs.

Work with regional organizationson “scorecard”, regional and sub-regional consultations andproject Africa's voice globally.

12

UNDP has been a strong advocate of Africandevelopment issues internationally. In June, theinternational community pledged 1.8 billion dollars tofill Chad's funding gap for 2014 and 2015 in aroundtable supported by UNDP. The Government ofChad is aiming for double-digit growth in 2014 and2015. That same month, UNDP also helped toorganize a roundtable on Benin that mobilized USD11 billion for the small West African nation. Inanother successful effort, UNDP supported aroundtable of donors led by Senegalese PresidentMacky Sall, mobilizing 7.5 billion dollars to boost theSenegalese economy and far exceeding the goal thecountry had set for itself.

UNDP has also been mobilizing partners in the South(including from the continent) in support of Africa'sdevelopment priorities. In November, for instance,following the Africa-China Poverty ReductionConference in Addis Ababa, UNDP and theInternational Poverty Research Centre in China(IPRCC) discussed the possibility of training Africangovernment officials on structural transformationand poverty reduction. Researchers, members of theprivate sector and decision-makers discussed therole of innovation during the African EconomicConference, also held in November. Innovation andtechnology can serve as a springboard for economictransformation provided they are driven by people,said participants at the event.

Abdoulaye Mar Dieye at a conference on Least Developed Countries in Benin

Building strong bonds withbilateral partners

In 2014, TICAD held a ministerial meeting inYaoundé, Cameroon, bringing together 52 Africancountries, representatives from outside the region,international organizations, and civil society groups,raising awareness of where Africa stands on theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) and thecontinent’s priorities for after 2015.

Japanese funds being channeled through UNDP inAfrica now total USD 56 million. Since TICAD V, heldin June 2013, UNDP and the government of Japanhave expanded their regional programme on climatechange and deepened their collaboration in theSahel. Projects of support for police and securitysupported by JICA are on-going in Côte d’Ivoire, Maliand Niger. In addition, thanks to a programmeinitiated in 2013, Japanese companies and localrepresentatives are now working together to boostpublic-private partnerships in Kenya, Mauritania andSouth Africa. A possible supplementary contributionof USD 70 million is under consideration.

In 2015, RBA will be supporting the preparation ofTICAD VI.

In focus: Deepening Japan'sengagement with Africa

Mobilizing the private sectorBecause achieving the MDGs requires themobilization of all stakeholders, UNDP has beenstrengthening its ties with the private sector.

UNDP produced a study on engaging the privatesector to make extractive industries in Africa moreinclusive, identifying models, innovations andpartnerships that can unleash the potential of theprivate sector to contribute to the implementationof the African Mining Vision and other extractiveindustry frameworks, including the AUC's Vision2063.

UNDP supported over 10,000 small-holders in thedevelopment and marketing of products derivedfrom soybean, sorghum, dairy, onion, mango andgroundnuts, in partnership with EAC, ECOWAS andCOMESA.

Private sector organizations have stepped up theirsupport to UNDP’s Ebola response, donatingequipment and delivering services that will bothbenefit communities immediately and serve themlong after the epidemic has ended. The companiesinclude Mediclave, which produces eco-friendlysterilizing machines for Ebola Treatment Units(ETUs); Panasonic which has donated solar lanternsto health workers in Monrovia, allowing them towork at night; and Ecobank, which has worked withUNDP and the World Bank on paying Ebola responseworkers.

Working closely with UNDG

In view of the increasing number of African countriesthat are graduating from LDC status, the regionalUNDG team worked with UNCTs to draft a strategyfor providing targeted policy and programmaticsupport to UNCTs in middle income countries.

The regional UNDG teams also continued to support2013 and 2014 UNDAF roll out countries, reviewingand guiding UNDAF preparation, facilitating StrategicPlanning Retreats (SPRs), and reviewing draftUNDAF/One Programme documents. UNDG inEastern and Southern Africa also helped to roll outStandard Operating Procedures on Delivering as Onefor Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams.

In addition, the regional UNDG team commissioned acomprehensive study to assess the socio-economicimpact of the Ebola crisis in the west Africa region. 13

Building on its new regional programme to empowerwomen politically and economically, UNDP has beenstepping up its support for gender issues.

During the 58th Session of the Commission on the Statusof Women, held in New York in March, UNDP, working withthe Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), helpedto develop priority messages for negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda. These covered a number ofthemes -- from violence against women to economicempowerment -- and they were endorsed by large numbersof African leaders, as well as AU and UN representatives.

Working with UNECA, the AU and UN Women, UNDP alsoassisted 51 African countries in the production of nationalreports on gender and facilitated their participation in theregional conference on Beijing +20. The reports wereconsolidated into a single document validated by theMinisters in charge of Gender in Africa.

Boosting the participation of women

In Burundi, UNDP announced the scaling up of a recentinitiative designed to help Burundian women exportnaturally dyed baskets, bracelets and jewelry to marketsin the United States and elsewhere. The programme is toreceive an additional USD 900,000 financing, havingstarted with USD 150,000. Having successfully helped 80women from communities in the South of Burundi tomanufacture and export their handicrafts, UNDP willextend its collaboration with Opportunities Across Africa(OAA), a non-profit organization operating in East Africa,for another period of two years. The products can now bepurchased at Costco in the United States.

Boosting women's politicalleadership

In collaboration with the African Union Commission and anumber of judicial organizations, UNDP rolled out aninitiative to increase the number of African women judgesand magistrates and to improve their standing in nationaland regional institutions.

UNDP also took women parliamentarians from the GreatLakes and the Sahel Regions to Kigali, allowing them toshare experiences with local women MPs on how toinfluence decisions and promote gender equality andwomen’s empowerment among their constituencies.

In May, the people of Malawi voted for the first time fortheir local governments, members of parliament andpresident in a single election. The country embarked on a50:50 campaign, led by the Ministry of Gender, Children andSocial Welfare, aiming for a 50 percent femalerepresentation in decision making positions across thecountry. UNDP helped train almost 700 women who wereparticipating in the elections as Members of Parliament orlocal representatives.

Encouraging women's economicempowerment

Over the summer, 150 women were trained on how tostrengthen their agribusinesses, develop value chains andreposition themselves as leaders. Working with NEPAD,UNDP also launched an online directory of businesses andorganizations run by youth and women.

Empowering women within UNDPIn 2014, 10 Country Offices in Africa participated in theUNDP Gender Equality Seal initiative, which recognizescontribution to women’s empowerment and genderequality in areas including management accountability andgender mainstreaming. Significant improvements havebeen registered in these offices. The remaining ones havebeen invited to carry out an online self-assessment andwill go on to complete the same exercise.

In addition, the HR team has continued implementingRBA’s talent management programme for women. To date,12 of the 23 women who attended the training wereplaced in higher positions across different parts of theorganization, with the addition of three being offered detailassignments and nominated for the Deputy CountryDirector (DCD)/Deputy Resident Representative (DRR)candidate pool assessment.

In C

ibito

ke, B

urun

di, a

wom

an s

mile

s as

she

take

s pa

rt in

a U

NDP

was

te d

ispo

sal

prog

ram

me

14

Looking ahead, our work in Africa in 2015 will focuson positioning UNDP on the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs), while the bureau willassist 15 countries as they formulate their nationaldevelopment plans and UNDAFs.

UNDP will implement an ambitious programme ofrecovery in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. RBA’ssocio-economic impact studies will inform theseefforts, and our experience in making payments toEbola Response Workers will pave the way for anextended package of support for survivors andaffected families.

With 15 sub-Saharan countries organizing electionsin 2015, RBA will also increase its support to ensurepeace and security, transparency, fairness andinclusion are met. Finally, we will strengthen oursupport to countries in crisis situations, throughscenario planning and the deployment ofdevelopment solution teams (DSTs).

In addition, UNDP will focus on ensuring that theRegional Service Center in Addis Ababa is fullyequipped to support Country Offices. Strongemphasis will also be placed on positioning RBAstrategically to closely follow up on theimplementation of sub-regional initiatives such asthe Great Lakes Peace and Security Strategy;implementation of the UN integrated strategy forthe Sahel; supporting IGAD in the implementation ofthe Horn of Africa Peace, Security and Developmentstrategy; and the AUC/UNDP Strategic FrameworkAgreement, which will entail operationalizing thefour plus one UNDP regional projects in Africa.

Looking Ahead to 2015

Further, the second Africa Human DevelopmentReport will look at the political economy of genderinequality and women’s empowerment in Africa hascommenced. Consultations on the concept notewere held in July and October, and backgroundpapers will be commissioned in January 2015. Thelatter will be used to promote dialogue in a numberof events throughout 2015, designated by the AUCas the “Year of Women’s Empowerment andDevelopment towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

UNDP will continue to strengthen and mobilize itsnetworks to accelerate Africa's transformation,promoting South-South exchange, soliciting newpartners and empowering African institutions topromote change. In addition, full use will be made ofthe innovation facility, funded by Denmark toencourage projects that support social innovators,position UNDP strongly in the development arenaand increase understanding of the role and value ofinnovation for development.

15