Established in 1966, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the reduction of poverty and inequalities, and promote sustainable development. We are driven by the belief that the real wealth of nations is people and work to empower people and build the resilience of nations.

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of development that improves the quality of life for everyone. Together with national governments, non-government organizations, corporate enterprises, and other UN agencies, UNDP offers global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

As the lead UN development agency, UNDP is uniquely placed to help implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through our work on the ground. UNDP provides support to governments to integrate the SDGs into their national development plans and policies.

UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 shows its guiding principles and approaches in these turbulent times. The Strategic Plan is supporting countries towards three directions of change: structural transformation, leaving no-one behind, and building resilience; through six signature solutions: poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy, gender equality. Likewise, key corporate enablers for success and scalability include strategic innovation, digitization, innovative development finance, and partnerships. UNDP will work with countries on the basis of this strategic plan to expand people’s choices for a more just and sustainable future.

UNDP works with UN member states towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We strive for a world where people are unleashed from poverty, conflicts, despair and loss. We work hand in hand with countries, communities and people to empower vulnerable populations and strengthen their resilience in harmony with nature and environment. However, 9.2 percent of the world population is living on less than $2.15 dollars a day, and one in every four persons live in so-called fragile states where conflicts and instabilities prevail. The number of wars and violent conflicts is at the highest since the end of the second world war.

Together with Japan, UNDP has been upholding for the principle of “Human Security”. This is human-centered approach to development, whereby people are free from conflicts and disasters as well as threats for human and planetary health. People should have access to food, health care and education to fulfill their needs and potential. People have the right to live in dignity wherever you are.

However, at this mid-point to the SDG target year of 2030, the world is at a critical juncture. We are faced with the impact of climate change, inequalities, human rights violations and online harassments accompanied by digitalization, the war in Ukraine, increasing violent conflicts and rising prices of food and energy to name a few. In this globalized world, what is happening in another country inevitably impacts environment and livelihoods of other countries. Likewise, the destruction of nature will also negatively impact on economic sustainability elsewhere. It is ever more important therefore to have solidarity across borders for our common future. It is also necessarily for us, including development practitioners to be anticipatory to prevent multifaceted crises.

UNDP is a leading UN development entity, having our offices in over 170 countries and territories. Even in countries fraughted with crises and disasters, we are in the field to work closely with the governments and people in pursuit of sustainable development solutions tailored to each context.

Japan is one of the most important development partners for UNDP. Thanks to understanding of people of Japan and the valuable support from the Government of Japan and the private sector, we deliver sustainable development results on the ground. With UNDP and Japan’s support, millions of people have access to safe drinking water, rights to vote, livelihood opportunities so that people don’t continue to be dependent on humanitarian support. Many countries and communities are able to cope with effects of climate change and working on green transformation with renewable energies. Furthermore, in 2022 alone, UNDP enabled 110 million people in countries in conflicts and/or disasters, to restart their livelihood, and 49 percent of them were women. I would like to emphasize that the Government of Japan, the private sector, civil society, academia and youth, including students, are providing UNDP not only with valuable resources but also creative ideas and insights in realizing SDGs.

Together, the people of Japan and UNDP will continue our vital collaboration to anticipate and respond to multifaceted threats such as poverty, inequality and climate change, and to achieve the SDGs.