Working in partnership and building capacity for development in Asia & the Pacific


UNDP in the Asia & the Pacific region is responsible for delivering UNDP's country and regional programmes through 24 UNDP Country Offices in the region.

We work in a diverse environment: a region that is fastest growing in the world while at the same time it is home to half of the world's poor: a region that houses countries experiencing economic transition (China, Mongolia, Viet Nam), two of the world's largest economies (China, India), middle income countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand), and countries facing or recovering from conflict (Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste). Out of the 14 Least Developed Countries in our region, four are landlocked - Afghanistan, Bhutan, Lao PDR and Nepal - while seven are island developing countries-Kiribati, Maldives, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu and Vanuatu (the other three LDCs are Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Myanmar).

UNDP in the region also has a Regional Centres located in Bangkok with an office in Suva, Fiji. They deliver the regional programme and provide policy advisory and knowledge management services.

New UNDP project zeros in on gender inequality in Afghanistan


Kabul, Afghanistan, 16 November 2012 -- On a two-day visit to Afghanistan this week, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan launched a US$ 30 million project to promote gender equality by improving access to legal services and economic opportunities for women as well as strengthening the Government’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs’ efforts to improve the situation of women in Afghanistan.

In a meeting with the Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs, Ms. Hussn Banu Ghazanfar, and representatives from Afghan women’s associations, Grynspan listened to the concerns of women in the conflict-ridden country.

They pinpointed better security, legal protection from violence and discrimination as their top concerns. Economic opportunities, political participation, better access to education and other basic community services were also high on the agenda.  Click to read full article

“Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan, with the Afghan Minister of Women’s Affairs, Ms. Hussn Banu Ghazanfar at the signing of the Gender Equality Project in the Minister’s office in Kabul.”

What We Do at a Glance


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Recent Publications from UNDP Asia-Pacific


"Transforming Lives and Building Resilience in Asia and the Pacific - A collection of transformational success stories from 2009-2012"
Down load the full report (PDF, 3.40 MB).
"Towards an 'Energy Plus' Approach for the Poor"
Down load the full report (PDF, 1.12MB).
"UNDP in Asia-Pacific 2010 Results Report: Empowering Lives and Building Resilience"
Down load the full report (PDF, 1.44MB).
"Asia-Pacific MDG Report 2010/11 - Path to 2015: MDG Priorities in Asia and the Pacific"
Down load the full report (PDF, 2MB).
"UNDP in Asia-Pacific: 2009 Results Report"
Down load the full report (PDF, 2MB).
Asia Rebounds But Lasting Recovery Needs New Paradigm - A Synthesis Study Incorporating Evidence from Country Case Studies Down load the full report (PDF, 3MB).

Asia-Pacific Human Development Report: POWER, VOICE and RIGHTS

The report was launched on 8 March 2010 in India.
See RBAP Director Ajay Chhibber's interview on gender.
Read more about the Report.
Down load the full report (PDF, 14MB).

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