§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the progress of the work of the United Nations Development Programme in crisis prevention and recovery. [64976]
§ Clare ShortCrisis prevention and recovery has been identified as one of the six core practice areas within the UNDP mandate. The former Emergency Response Division which deals with these issues was upgraded to a Bureau in November 2001 and now has greater authority to engage in the inter-agency processes such as the Executive Committee on Peace and Security, and to develop its role in peace building in relation to that of the UN Department for Political Affairs. These are very welcome developments, through which UNDP is attempting to realise the "untapped" potential of the organisation in crisis and conflict situations, as noted in the Report of the Panel on UN Peace Operations (the Brahimi report), published in August 2000.
My Department has observed that strategy and policy development over the past 12 months is starting to deliver demonstrable benefits at the country level. UNDP's transition recovery programme, developed in the aftermath of the earthquake in Gujarat in January 2001, is a positive example of a community-led recovery process which builds on local traditions and capacities. UNDP has also played a key role in drafting the UN's five-year strategy for mine action. The pivotal role of UNDP is clearly recognised by the relevant players in this field, since it has been tasked to lead on 10 of the 40 strategic objectives.
Crucially, UNDP is also beginning to develop policy and tools to deliver conflict-sensitive development programmes. My Department is encouraging UNDP to incorporate conflict assessment into planning and management processes such as the common country assessment and the UN development assistance framework.
However, there is still a considerable amount of progress to be made, before UNDP's role in crises and conflicts will be universally accepted and welcomed by the United Nations family and the broader international community. It is essential that UNDP capitalises on the opportunities which now present themselves and focuses on successful implementation at the country level across 549W the full range of technical areas. My Department will continue to work with UNDP's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery and encourage a continued focus on improving delivery at the field level.