UNDP Lesotho works in the Kingdom of Lesotho helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. They help Lesotho to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

What they do

UNDP in Lesotho supports Basotho to build resilience at every level to help achieve long-term Sustainable Development Goals. They provide assistance in the following focus areas: poverty reduction; promotion of transparent, accountable and effective governance at all levels; and managing environmental changes by adopting an integrated approach to sustainable management of natural resources. Their collaboration and support to the Government and people of Lesotho is governed by the Country Programme Document 2019 -2023; Lesotho United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2019 – 2023) based on the priority needs of the country expressed in the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDPII 2018/19 – 2022/23.

What do they want to accomplish

They are committed to building on and sharing experiences with our wide range of partners, to maximize the impact of development initiatives of the Government of Lesotho and other partners. Their work in Lesotho is in three focus areas:

• Acceleration of Economic Growth - The aim is to support the economy to be more resilient to external shocks and volatility through generation of inclusive employment. UNDP aims to facilitate private sector development and engagement with focus on growing medium-sized, small and micro enterprises based on access to technical and vocational skills as well as targeted financial products from micro finance institutions.
• Sound Environmental Management for Sustainable Development - UNDP assistance emphasizes three inter-locking issues that will enable adaptation to climate change and increase resilience – a low-carbon economy, conservation of natural resources to secure livelihoods and production, and better management of risks related to natural disasters.
• Good Governance and Accountable Institutions – The aim is to boost institutional leadership, performance and accountability, citizen participation and mechanisms for maintaining social peace, targeting core democratic institutions such as the Independent Electoral Commission, Officer of the Ombudsman, Parliament, Human Rights Unit and Ministries critical to policy and institutional reform. The key principles of implementing UNDP Programmes are to ensure national ownership and leadership, build long-term capacities and collaborative approaches.