UNDP Strategic Collaboration Framework on Environment and Climate Change

UNDP has applied to Sida for funding of SEK 380 000 000 to carry out the "UNDP-Sida Strategic Collaboration Framework on Environment and Climate Change", a programme that will be implemented at the global, regional and country level during the period 2019-2023. It primarily aims at supporting the overall vision of UNDP's Strategic Plan 2018-2021: "to help countries achieve sustainable development by eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, accelerate structural transformations for sustainable development and build resilience to crises and shocks". This will be made possible by providing support for the programmes's two building blocks: 1) About 80 % in support of specific UNDP-implemented projects and initiatives in three selected program areas, aimed at strengthening both thematic work, as well as integration and synergies between the areas: (a) Sustainable management and use of ecosystems; biodiversity and natural capital; (b) Sustainable water and ocean governance and (c) Improved climate measures for sustainable development, as well as the nexus area of sustainable food systems where all programme areas are included, and 2) About 20 % of the support towards strengthening the organisational capacity and performance of UNDP to facilitate the transition to more strategic, integrated and programmatic practices that tie together all the projects in the area of environment and climate change and a stronger learning that put together are expected to lead to improved and more transformative results at the country level. The aim is to contribute to a programmatic approach making the whole larger than the sum of all UNDP-implemented environment and climate change projects and decrease fragmentation. The contribution implies that all global support from Sida to UNDP in the area of environment and climate change will be collected under one umbrella programme, including the two on-going contributions within water and oceans (Water and Ocean Governance och Ocean Innovation Challenge). All the programme areas are relevant to the strategy for Sweden's global development cooperation on sustainable environment, sustainable climate and ocean, and sustainable use of natural resources 2018-2022. In addition, the programme is fully in line with the government's strategy for cooperation with UNDP 2017 - 2021 and above all that UNDP should develop its activities in climate change, ecosystems, resilience and environmentally sustainable communities. Between 5-10 pilot countries will be selected jointly by Sida and UNDP, focusing on the poorest countries, to carry out the activities under the Programme's two building blocks. UNDP has proposed a preliminary list of 11 countries based on a number of agreed criteria. Thes include; country demand for the support, that UNDP has a large project portfolio in the country - NDC support including support from vertical funds, a strong focus on LDC's and Sida's partner countries and that at least one small island developing state and a conflict country are included. Sida is in agreement with the proposed countries and believes that in these countries there are opportunities for UNDP to link the various projects for better results. While UNDP will be Sida's agreement partner and is primarily responsible for implementing and coordinating the Collaboration Framework, a number of other partners (UN agencies - not least UNEP, NGOs, philantropy, private sector) will cooperate with UNDP in the implementation. An important reason why UNDP is considered the appropriate implementing partner is that UNDP has the UN operational mandate to support the partner countries in the area of "sustainable development", which Sweden has been a proponent of.