01 May 2008
Annual Report 2007
The Annual Report 2007 is a snapshot
of flagship products and services which the Democratic Governance Group (DGG) delivered in the past year. UNDP is now one
of the largest providers of democratic governance technical cooperation globally, spending over $5.13 billion in the period
2004-2007. As such, democratic governance continues to be one of the most important priority development areas for UNDP.
The report highlights UNDP's pioneering initiative on improving access to information and strengthening media in post-conflict
situations. Initial work in Sierra Leone with the UN Peace Keeping Operations illustrates this. The UN peacekeepers dispatched
to Sierra Leone in 1999 set up a radio station. Its importance in peace-building and democratization has been widely recognized
by domestic and external observers. With the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIOSIL) slated to shut down in September 2008, UN Radio
will close. A national successor to UN Radio is vitally important to continue nonpartisan information services to the entire
citizenry. To assist this
process,
the Democratic Governance Group offered to undertake an independent analysis of UN Radio and organised a number of consultations
to discuss different transition options.
UNDP also takes pride in being part of the founding of iKNOW Politics
Network, which took place at UN Headquarters in February 2007, together with the International Institute for Democracy and
Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
(NDI) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). iKNOW Politics provides free and easy access to resources
specifically designed to help women run political parties, fundraise, work with media and voters, advocate and lobby for women’s
issues, and more. Over the first twelve months of its existence, the iKNOW Politics membership base has been steadily increasing
and now includes almost 2,000 members from over 150 countries spanning every continent. The iKNOW Politics website has received
more than 9 million hits and hosted over 850,000 users worldwide with an average of 2,256 
visitors per day.
In addition, the Democratic Governance Network
(DGP-Net), which connects practitionners and drives change through interactive knowledge sharing, was one of the most active
knowledge networks in UNDP, responding to 145 queries and requests from the larger Community of Practice and offering demand
driven knowledge services. DGP-Net conducted three e-discussions in the past year, including a broad consultation on the UNDP
Strategic Plan, the Democratic Governance Strategic Initiatives (Inclusive Participation, Responsive Institutions, and International
Principles), and on ‘Local governance and Development’. DGP-Net continues to promote the development of new knowledge products
on thematic issues, capacity development initiatives and learning. The gradual DGP-Net expansion aims to foster better knowledge
sharing, working towards a “One UN” approach through inclusion of experience and expertise from interagency colleagues working
in similar fields.
In the coming years, UNDP will focus on three key areas: 1) fostering inclusive participation,
2) strengthening accountable and responsive
governing institutions, and 3) grounding democratic governance in
international principles. To consolidate and deepen democracy, free and
fair elections must go hand in hand with efforts to ensure that all
people have the opportunity to participate in the decisions affecting
their lives. Local, regional and national governments need the capacity
and resources to deliver effective policies and manage the public
services that citizens expect. Governance needs to be grounded in the
principles of human rights, transparency and honesty, and gender
equality. These three integrating factors will shape also the services
we will provide as global programmes (elections, parliaments, access to
justice, human rights, public administration, local governance,
anti-corruption and governance/ media/ access to information).
The UNDP Democratic Governance Group (DGG) hopes
to build upon its achievements in 2007 to provide more effective support to Country Offices by learning from experiences on
the ground and using these lessons to enrich policy advice, working with and through the regional centres and their Bureaux.
The full report can be downloaded here.
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