Senior UN official pledges continued support for Afghan development agenda

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which has been working in Afghanistan for over 50 years, is committed to staying for the long haul to help the country tackle the host of challenges it faces, a senior official said today.

Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan wrapped up her three-day visit to Kabul by pledging UNDP's continued support for Afghanistan as it strives to meet its development goals, including reducing poverty and building up its institutions.

“UNDP commits to continue building capacity of national and sub-national institutions to ensure that they take the reins of the development agenda,” she stated. “Partnering with all levels of Government, civil society organizations and the international community, we will continue to build on the progress made so far.”

Afghanistan has become the largest programme globally for UNDP, which is on the ground in 177 countries and territories.

The agency operates in all 34 provinces and its programmes focus on three areas of assistance: crisis prevention and recovery, democratic governance and poverty reduction.

As part of her visit, Ms. Grynspan met with the country's First Vice President, Mohammad Qasim Fahim, as well as a group of women leaders, including high-level government officials, parliamentarians and lawyers.

She noted that the advancement of women remains a “central” challenge for Afghanistan. “The country cannot improve human development – one of the lowest in the world – without significant progress in women's rights.”