Iraq: In collaboration with the Iraqi Government and key Iraqi anticorruption agencies, UNDP partnered with UNODC and UNAMI to organize a high level conference on “International Compact with Iraq, Initiative on Good Governance and Anti-Corruption – UN Convention against Corruption” 17-18 March in Baghdad. The 175 delegates agreed to i) conclude parliamentary steps to ratify the UN Convention on Corruption, ii) review the country’s legal and regulatory structures and create a unified anti-corruption framework, iii) establish a public complaints system, and iv) take concrete steps to identify and recover stolen assets that were the product of corruption. UNDP continues to : i) provide the government with technical assistance to review its legal and institutional frameworks and develop a national anti-corruption strategy, ii) support initiatives of civil society that would form part of the strategy, iii) assist the government in developing tools and best practices for preventing and controlling corruption, iv) support anti-corruption bodies with their institutional capacity development, and v) pursue public-private partnerships to promote corporate ethics and integrity. The conference concluded in a spirit of commitment to building alliances to tackle the root causes of corruption and to create an environment of trust thus contributing to the promotion of dialogue and reconciliation in Iraq.

Decentralization in Yemen: In Yemen, UNCDF/UNDP supported a project operating since 2004 that has demonstrated the feasibility of fiscal decentralization in 48 districts, while producing a tested basis for a National Decentralization Strategy with a unified methodology and institutional framework. With a total budget of $12.5 million from nine development partners, the Programme has developed an efficient platform through which organizations seeking to support Yemen’s national local development agenda can channel their assistance – demonstrating, in essence, how the various agencies of the UN and other development partners can work together in greater coherence to achieve more effective development results at the local level.

Egypt: UNDP Egypt has supported the National Institute of Planning to publish 10 NHDR reports over the last decade. These reports have served as a vital platform for the discussion of critical human development issues on both the national and sub-national levels, and are now widely recognized as a reliable analytical tool that enriches policy dialogue and options on issues vital to Egypt. The NHDR on administrative, fiscal and political decentralization enabled the Government to start the process of decentralization including its introduction in the latest Egyptian constitutional amendments. Further, as a result of UNDP support to national policy dialogue, the Government has enacted the investment allocation is not made centrally only but governors are also empowered to decide on their allocation based on local needs.

Sudan Darfur: In, Darfur, UNDP’s focus has been on promoting rule of law, human rights and combating gender based violence. Through its Rule of Law programme in all the three states of Darfur, UNDP provides support to the victims of injustice among the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) and local communities to have access to justice through a network of 60 lawyers and 150 paralegals. Over the past two years, more than 1,000 cases have been taken up by the UNDP supported lawyers’ network and UNDP trained paralegals. This resulted in about 200 convictions of perpetrators, including some convictions of murders and 70 convictions of rape. Some of these rape convictions involved law enforcement and military personnel for whom the government, trough UNDP engagement, agreed to left immunity for prosecution.

Occupied Palestinian Territory (Opt): UNDP PAPP has co-launched along with the Palestinian Authority an ambitious Capacity Development Initiative aimed at ensuring Civil Service and Public Administration reform supportive of Palestinian statehood ambitions. This initiative targets the Prime Minister Office, main coordination ministries and selected sectoral ministries. The capacity development facility provides a two-track focus on a) institutional development for state building and b) capacity development process aimed at enhancing state institutions’ effectiveness. In addition, UNDP is also working on the ground to address the challenge of poverty. In partnership with Islamic Development Bank, UNDP is implementing a US$ 30 million programme with an outreach to 15,000 beneficiaries. The programme is considered a model poverty reduction scheme in the OPT.

Syria: In Jabal Al-Hoss, in Syria’s poor northeastern region, UNDP supported a project to promote local development and empower vulnerable groups through microfinance disbursed 13,000 loans to over 7,800 households, which saw their incomes rise by 20 percent. Nearly half of the borrowers were women, who also account for 46 percent of the 1,000 jobs created as a result of the initiative. Adult literacy programmes were set up throughout the area, along with two new kindergartens to allow women to attend classes while their children were being cared for. Inspired by the project and other similar initiatives in the country, a decree has been passed allowing for additional microfinance institutions to be established and maintained in Jabal Al-Hoss and beyond.

Morocco: A UNIFEM/UNDP supported project in Morocco focusing on making budget processes and policies more responsive to principles of gender equality and on allocating resources in line with poor women’s priorities, has led to annual gender reports which accompany the national budgets and spell out how the allocation of public resources through Government departments will address gender equality priorities. In 2007, 19 different departments detailed their plans in this gender report.

Somalia: In Somalia, a UNDP-supported rule of law programme helped ensure that an estimated 10 percent of the graduates of the police academy were women. In addition, the first Women Lawyers’ Association was established, providing legal assistance to victims of rape and domestic violence.

Gaza: As a rapid response to the emergency situation in Gaza and in preparation for an eventual early recovery phase, UNDP/PAPP has developed and launched a major programme throughout the Gaza Strip aiming at enhancing the resilience of the population through the provision of livelihood support utilizing emergency job creation schemes in areas like solid waste management, agriculture and fishery. The program also targets sustaining essential services provided by Civil Society Organizations to vulnerable groups in the society, support social cohesion and reduce social tensions.

POGAR worked closely in 2008 with Arab States to mobilize and crystallize political will and commitment to implement the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). A landmark achievement, ACINET, was officially established on 30 July 2008 at a regional conference promoted by POGAR and consisting of 120 participants from 17 Arab states. The Network includes specialized agencies and commissions, audit bodies, inspection bodies, ministries of justice, and ministries of administrative development, supported by the League of Arab States and other regional and international actors and bilateral and multilateral donors. See also: UNDP Anti-Corruption Regional Programmes

POGAR helped to consolidate the Arab Anti-Corruption and Integrity Network (ACINET) by creating the Arab Governmental Expert Group (AGEG), whose 20 members nominated by their respective governments are expected to improve the capacities of the governments to utilize UNCAC assessment tools and methodologies and to identify compliance gaps and technical assistance needs. The AGEG members piloted an in-depth assessment tool developed by POGAR in 2008 and are expanding in 2009, in cooperation with the Oslo Governance Center (OGC), to involve non-governmental actors as well in new assessment tools. See also: UNDP Anti-Corruption Regional Programmes