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64-615: The Forum was presided over by Professor Abdoulaye Bathily , Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Central Africa. More than 600 participants represented the government, civil society, political parties, the media, the diaspora and faith-based organisations. The purpose of the Bangui National Forum was to bring together Central Africans from all regions and backgrounds to find lasting solutions to years of recurrent political instability in

128-444: A banned protest regarding the delaying of parliamentary elections until June. After the formation of a government that included Wade's son Karim on 1 May 2009, Bathily denounced Wade for running the country through "family management", and he said that "Senegal beats all records in terms of bad governance. I am ashamed of my country." In addition, he criticized plans to introduce the office of vice-president, saying that this office

192-910: A diplomat for the United Nations , and since 2014 he has been Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Central Africa. Bathily was born in Tiyabu in Bakel Department . He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham and Doctor of State from University Cheikh Anta Diop . He has written and published multiple works on African history and politics, including Mai 68 à Dakar la révolte universitaire et la Démocratie in 1992 and The Military and Militarism in Africa (co-edited with Eboe Hutchful ) in 1998. After serving as

256-461: A greater voice for the poor. It also works at the macro level to reform trade, encourage debt relief and foreign investment, and ensure the poorest of the poor benefit from globalisation. The UNDP International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) in Brasília, Brazil, expands the capacities of developing countries to design, implement and evaluate socially inclusive development projects. IPC-IG

320-494: A person could be registered more than once, and that the ink used in voting, which was supposed to be indelible , could be washed off. Along with Socialist Party candidate Ousmane Tanor Dieng , Bathily filed an appeal regarding the election, but their appeals were rejected by the Constitutional Council. He was briefly detained by police in late January 2007, along with other opposition leaders, after participating in

384-616: A surprise move, both men agreed to recognize the recommendations of the Brazzaville ceasefire conference of July 2014 and to support the Bangui Forum. This enabled representatives of the two main armed groups, the Séléka and Anti-Balaka, to participate at the forum and for security to be respected during the week that it was held. A declaration by armed groups to stop enrolling children into their ranks and to release those already in their possession

448-541: A three-phase plan to reconcile the country, including a ceasefire conference in Brazzaville in July 2014, popular consultations and the Bangui National Forum. The initial idea for the Bangui Forum stemmed from a workshop organized by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) in June 2014, that had gathered 30 Central African participants from varying backgrounds to analyse and openly discuss

512-534: Is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development . The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towards long-term self-sufficiency and prosperity. Based at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, it is the largest UN development aid agency, with offices in 177 countries. The UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states . The UNDP

576-448: Is a global forum for South-South policy dialogue and learning, having worked with more than 7,000 officials from more than 50 countries. A 2013 evaluation of the UNDP's poverty reduction efforts states that the UNDP has effectively supported national efforts to reduce poverty, by helping governments make policy changes that benefit the poor. Nevertheless, the same evaluation also states there

640-602: Is a strong need for better measurement and monitoring of the impacts of the UNDP's work. The UNDP's Strategic Plan from 2014 to 2017 incorporates the recommendations of this poverty evaluation. UNDP works to reduce the risk of armed conflicts or disasters, and promote early recovery after crisis have occurred. UNDP works through its country offices to support local government in needs assessment, capacity development, coordinated planning, and policy and standard setting. Examples of UNDP risk reduction programmes include efforts to control small arms proliferation , strategies to reduce

704-729: Is appointed by the Secretary-General of the UN and confirmed by the General Assembly for a term of four years. Achim Steiner is the current Administrator. The five countries on the UNDP board have some influence over selection of the administrator. The first administrator of the UNDP was Paul G. Hoffman , former head of the Economic Cooperation Administration which administered the Marshall Plan . Other holders of

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768-601: The Equator Prize to recognize outstanding indigenous community efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and thus making local contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Between 1996 and 1998, the UNDP sponsored the deployment of 45 Multifunction Platforms (MFP) in rural Mali . These installations, driven by a diesel engine, power devices such as pumps, grain mills and appliances. By 2004,

832-654: The Global Environment Facility (which funded the project) its "entire management fee" as "restitution" and proposed "ongoing efforts to achieve changes in the work culture that reward greater transparency and remove fears of unfair reprisals" aimed at whistleblowers. Concerns over UNDP's failure to handle the Russia controversy in a satisfactory manner led to the government of the Netherlands withholding some 10 million euros in funding in early 2021 . In February 2022,

896-686: The Environment and the Protection of Nature from 1993 to 1998 under President Abdou Diouf . Bathily was re-elected to the National Assembly in the 1998 parliamentary election . He and the LD/MPT backed opposition candidate Abdoulaye Wade in the 2000 presidential election , and following Wade's victory Bathily was named Minister of Energy and Hydraulics in April 2000, remaining in that post until May 2001. He

960-623: The Forum and for the commitment of the candidates in the upcoming presidential elections to uphold them. To address concerns that the outcomes of the Bangui Forum might not be fully implemented, the President of the Central African Republic, Catherine Samba-Panza announced in her closing address that a monitoring committee would oversee the full implementation. A disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation of ex-combatants (DDRR)

1024-1071: The IATI Registry website that the data covers 100% of development flows. UNDP topped the Aid Transparency Index published by Publish What You Fund in 2015 and 2016, with an excellent score of 93.3%. UNDP links and coordinates global and national efforts to achieve the goals and national development priorities laid out by host countries. UNDP focuses primarily on five developmental challenges: UNDP supports national democratic transitions by providing policy advice and technical support, improving institutional and individual capacity within countries, educating populations about and advocating for democratic reforms, promoting negotiation and dialogue, and sharing successful experiences from other countries and locations. UNDP helps countries develop strategies to combat poverty by expanding access to economic opportunities and resources, linking poverty programmes with countries' larger goals and policies, and ensuring

1088-672: The Innovation Facility has fostered innovation labs across all five regions to better deliver and monitor the SDGs . In 2015, the Innovation Facility invested in 62 initiatives across 45 countries to achieve 16 SDGs. Documents of Edward Snowden showed in December 2013 that British and American intelligence agencies surveillance targets with the United States National Security Agency (NSA) included organisations such as

1152-627: The LD/MPT ministers from the government in March 2005 and the party left the Sopi Coalition, going into opposition. Bathily ran again in the February 2007 presidential election as the candidate of the Jubbanti Sénégal coalition, taking sixth place with 2.21% of the vote, according to official results. Bathily's campaign rejected the results and alleged that there were flaws in the voting, saying that

1216-503: The New Zealand media. In January 2021, this independent report into the matter as requested by the donors was published, ' Systems and Silos '. This independent review found "irregularities" and concluded the project in question was not managed "either efficiently or effectively" by UNDP and that a number of individuals were able to 'game the relatively weak systems of governance and technical capacity.' It suggested UNDP consider returning to

1280-601: The Oslo Governance Centre, and the Singapore-based Global Centre for Public Service Excellence (GCPSE) that issues the "Raffles Review" email newsletter on developments in public administration research. UNDP plays a coordination role in the UN's activities in the field of development. This is mainly executed through its vice-chair role of the UN Development Group and integrator function, within

1344-603: The Secretariat to the Group. The UNDG develops policies and procedures that allow member agencies to work together and analyse country issues, plan support strategies, implement support programmes, monitor results and advocate for change. The Resident Coordinator (RC) system coordinates all organizations of the United Nations system dealing with operational activities for development in the field. The RC system aims to bring together

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1408-1199: The Taliban , the UNDP took responsibility for funding most essential health services in the country, including the salaries of over 25,000 health care professionals. This was observed as being outside the organization's usual development activities, and was facilitated by special licencing by the United States government. As the poor are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and lack of access to clean, affordable water, sanitation, and energy services, UNDP seeks to address environmental issues in order to improve developing countries' abilities to develop sustainably, increase human development and reduce poverty . UNDP's environmental strategy focuses on effective water governance including access to water supply and sanitation , access to sustainable energy services, Sustainable land management to combat desertification and land degradation , conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity , and policies to control emissions of harmful pollutants and ozone-depleting substances. UNDP's Equator Initiative office biennially offers

1472-628: The Third Secretary of the Democratic League in charge of the press and external relations, he was elected as the party's Secretary-General at its First Congress on 6–7 April 1984, succeeding Babacar Sané . He was the LD/MPT's candidate in the February 1993 presidential election , taking fourth place with 2.41% of the vote. In the February 1993 parliamentary election , he was elected to the National Assembly ; he then served as Minister for

1536-416: The UN , which reported on whistleblower cases across the UN system, including John O'Brien's case. It reported that O'Brien was fired from UNDP in March 2022 several days after his BBC interview. The documentary was described by The Guardian as exposing "a toxic culture" where senior UN leaders hide " behind a cloak of saintliness ". As of mid-2024, there has been zero accountability for the stealing or for

1600-596: The UN drawing on the support and guidance of the entire UN family. It is now coordinated by the UNDG. The UNDP established the Innovation Facility in 2014, with support from the Government of Denmark , as a dedicated funding mechanism to nurture promising development interventions. The Innovation Facility offers technical assistance and seed funding to collaborators across 170 countries and territories to explore new approaches to complex development challenges. Since its inception,

1664-500: The UN support mission, UNSMIL . He resigned from his position on 16 April 2024, citing a "lack of political will and good faith" by Libyan politicians. Bathily is a distinguished member of the Advisory Board of NatureNews, Africa's foremost independent newspaper that is focused on Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Earth. United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP )

1728-748: The UNDP GEF Energy Efficiency Standards and Labels project in Russia with a budget of US$ 7.8 million, did not meet its goals and had "strong indicators of deliberate misappropriation" of funds. The Foreign Policy article reported that concerns raised by whistleblowers Dmitry Ershov and John O'Brien and multiple other consultants to the project over many years about irregularities in the programme — which were first reported internally as far back in 2011— were largely dismissed or ignored for several years by their superiors in Istanbul, New York, and Washington, as well as by donor governments, including

1792-718: The UNEG has 43 members and 3 observers. The UNDP runs six Global Policy Centres, including the Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) on partnerships, the Nairobi Global Policy Centre on Resilient Ecosystems and Desertification (GPC-Nairobi), the Singapore-based Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development (GC-TISD), the Istanbul International Centre for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD),

1856-653: The United Nations Economic and Social Council asked the Secretary-General to consider the merits and disadvantages of merging UN technical assistance programmes and in 1966, the EPTA and the Special Fund merged to form the UNDP. In 2022, UNDP's budget was US$ 6,737.92 million. The following table lists the top 15 DAC 5 Digit Sectors to which UNDP has committed funding, as recorded in its International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) publications. The UNDP claims on

1920-722: The United Nations Development Programme, the UN's children's charity UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In August 2016, Israel's Shin Bet security agency publicized the arrest of Wahid Abdallah al Bursh, a Palestinian engineer employed by the UNDP, stating he had confessed to being recruited in 2014 to help Hamas , the dominant Islamist group in Gaza. Among "various assignments" Bursh performed on behalf of Hamas

1984-758: The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali ( MINUSMA ). Less than a year later, on 30 April 2014, Ban announced Bathily's appointment as his Special Representative for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) in Libreville , Gabon . Prior to an opposition protest in Libreville on 20 December 2014, Bathily called for dialogue, warning of

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2048-562: The United States for irregularities in its finances in North Korea. Artjon Shkurtaj claimed that he had found counterfeit US dollars in the programmes' safe despite staff being paid in euros. The UNDP denied keeping improper accounts and any other wrongdoing. In mid-2006, as first reported by Inner City Press and then by New Vision , UNDP halted its disarmament programmes in the Karamoja region of Uganda in response to human rights abuses in

2112-422: The United States. The Foreign Policy article reported that a 2017 confidential audit appendix prepared by final evaluators found "strong indicators of deliberate misappropriation" of millions of dollars in funds from the project between 2010 and 2014. This led in March 2020 to 12 donor governments writing a letter to UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner demanding from UNDP an independent review of UNDP's handling of

2176-578: The agreement. The DDRR agreement outlines that ex-combatants should be relocated to designated camps for identification and awareness sessions. They will be either integrated into the security agencies under the National DDRR Programme; returned to their communities and included in various income-generating programmes funded by MINUSCA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other international partners; or in

2240-533: The annual Human Development Index . The Gender Inequality Index is one such topic discussed in the Human Development Report. The UNDP spends about 0.2% of its budget on internal evaluation of the effectiveness of its programmes. The UNDP's Evaluation Office is a member of the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) which brings together all the units responsible for evaluation in the UN system. Currently

2304-727: The auspices of the World Bank . The concept of SUNFED was dropped to form the Special Fund. This Special Fund was a compromise over the SUNFED concept: it did not provide investment capital but only helped to bring pre-conditions for private investment. With the US proposing and creating the International Development Association within the World Bank's umbrella, the EPTA and the Special Fund appeared to be conducting similar work. In 1962,

2368-653: The broader the Resident Coordinator System. The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) was created by the Secretary-General in 1997, to improve the effectiveness of UN development at the country level. The UNDG brings together the operational agencies working on development. The Group is chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, with the Administrator of UNDP serving as vice-chair. UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) provides

2432-546: The case of foreign fighters, not suspected of committing war crimes, they will be repatriated to their home countries. The agreement was well received by national and international public opinion as a milestone in the search for peace in the country. A contributing factor to the achievement of the Bangui Forum and of the DDRR agreement was the signing of peace declarations in Nairobi by former presidents Bozizé and Djotodia in April 2015. In

2496-414: The corruption problems at UNDP and the failure to protect whistleblowers remain, and have not been fixed. The Guardian Newspaper article reveals very similar themes of widespread kickbacks and corruption, staff who are scared to report wrongdoing, and almost no protection for whistleblowers who are scared to come forward in case they are retaliated against and/or lose their jobs. The UNDP Administrator has

2560-533: The country. The latest episode of conflict broke out in December 2012 when an armed rebellion was launched by the Séléka Coalition, led by Michel Djotodia , a former defence minister. It resulted in the overthrow of the government of François Bozizé in March 2013. However, the takeover by the Séléka Coalition did not end the violence taking a sectarian angle between the pro-Muslim Séléka Coalition and

2624-602: The cover up of corruption among senior officials at UNDP. The only two persons at UNDP who lost their job after years and years of alleged UNDP corruption and cover up were the two whistleblowers. In on 22 January 2024, the Guardian Newspaper reported here that the US$ 1.88 billion funding facility for stabilization was riddled with corruption. The Guardian discovered that there had been some 136 corruption allegation cases to its Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI) in relation to

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2688-405: The different UN agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities at the country level. Resident Coordinators lead UN country teams in more than 130 countries and are the designated representatives of the Secretary-General for development operations. Working closely with national governments, Resident Coordinators and country teams to advocate the interests and mandates of

2752-427: The energy efficiency standards and labels project in Russia, as reported again in Foreign Policy magazine in December 2020 where it was revealed that these donors had blasted UNDP for resisting appeals to fight corruption and further reports by the Financial Times about the 'systemic nature' of the problems and also reports by various other media outlets such as Climate Change News , Passblue and in Newsroom in

2816-407: The extension of the mandate of the transitional government to provide adequate time for the planning of fair elections. The recommendations issuing from the Bangui Forum are contained in a Republican Pact for Peace, National Reconciliation and Reconstruction in the Central African Republic, which was adopted at the end of the Forum. The Pact calls for the immediate implementation of the resolutions of

2880-449: The idea of a Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development (SUNFED) (which was initially called the United Nations Fund for Economic Development (UNFED). Countries such as the Nordic countries were proponents of such a United Nations (UN) controlled fund. However, the fund was opposed by other developed countries, especially by the United States, which were wary of the Third World dominating such funding and preferred it to be under

2944-445: The impact of natural disasters, and programmes to encourage use of diplomacy and prevent violence. Recovery programmes include disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, demining efforts, programmes to reintegrate displaced persons, restoration of basic services, and transitional justice systems for countries recovering from warfare. Following the suspension of most foreign aid to Afghanistan due to its takeover by

3008-425: The independent review on the failure by UNDP to carry out John O'Brien's whistleblower case in a satisfactory manner. According to the 2019 Foreign Policy article, Ershov claimed he was "pushed out of his U.N. job" after raising concerns about procurement irregularities and project conflicts of interest way back at the end of 2014. In June 2022, BBC Two broadcast a 90-minute documentary, The Whistleblowers: Inside

3072-410: The leaders of three leading NGOs in the fight against corruption, Transparency International , the Whistleblower International Network or WIN , and the Government Accountability Project wrote a public letter to UNDP's administrator Achim Steiner , expressing their serious concerns about the lack of whistleblower protection for John O'Brien and Dmitry Ershov by UNDP and highlighting the conclusion of

3136-416: The most suitable finance solutions to achieve national biodiversity targets. UNDP works to help countries prevent further spreading of and reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS , convening The Global Commission on HIV and the Law which was reported in 2012. Major programmes underway are: Since 1991, the UNDP has annually published the Human Development Report , which includes topics on Human Development and

3200-474: The number of MFPs in Mali reached 500. In 2012 the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) was established. BIOFIN brings 30 countries together to develop and implement evidence-based finance plans to safeguard biodiversity. BIOFIN has developed an innovative and adaptable methodology to guide countries to analyze the policy and institutional context for biodiversity finance; measure the current biodiversity expenditures; assess future financial needs, and identify

3264-449: The parallel forcible disarmament programmes carried out by the Uganda People's Defence Force . In 2019, reports alleging possible misappropriation of funds for UNDP projects in Russia began to appear in the mainstream media. An article called "Greed and Graft at U.N. Climate Program" in August 2019 in Foreign Policy reported the findings of a 2017 final evaluation that a UNDP Global Environment Facility greenhouse gas reduction project,

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3328-400: The position have included: Bradford Morse , a former Republican congressman from the U.S. state of Massachusetts; William Draper , an American venture capitalist and friend of George H. W. Bush who saw one of the UN system's major achievements, the Human Development Report , introduced during his tenure; Mark Malloch Brown of the UK, who was previously Vice President of External Affairs at

3392-487: The potential for "a deep crisis". In May 2015, Bathily presided over the Bangui National Forum , a national reconciliation conference organized by the transition government of the Central African Republic to bring together Central Africans from all regions and backgrounds to find lasting solutions to years of recurrent political instability in the country. On 2 September 2022, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Bathily as special envoy for Libya and head of

3456-459: The predominantly Christian anti-Balaka militias. Several peace initiatives, driven by regional governments, were prompted by the deteriorating security and human rights situation in the country. This included the Summit of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) leaders which took place in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on the side lines of the 23rd Ordinary Summit of the African Union in June 2014. The ECCAS leaders agreed to establish

3520-437: The rank of an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations . While the Administrator is often referred to as the third highest-ranking official in the UN (after the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General ), this has never been formally codified. In addition to his/her responsibilities as head of UNDP, the Administrator is also the vice-chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group . The position of Administrator

3584-455: The reconstruction programme – the majority of which were against suppliers rather than employees. Then on 5 February 2024, the Guardian Newspaper reported here that UNDP had commissioned an internal management review of the Iraq corruption problems. It also reported that several donors had requested an independent review which exactly is what happened in the case of the UNDP GEF Russia corruption scandal. The Guardian articles clearly show that

3648-495: The sources of contention which had led to the conflict. This initiative was the first to be held after the 2013 episodes of violence in CAR. The recommendations resulting from the popular consultations held early 2015 were compiled into four thematic reports and were put forward for debate at the Forum in four thematic sub-committees (Peace and security, Justice and Reconciliation, Governance and Economic and Social Development) and at plenary sessions. The deliberations benefited from

3712-435: The technical support of foreign expertise provided by organizations including the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie , ECCAS and the African Union (AU). Among others, the following recommendations were adopted during the forum: The delegates also agreed on

3776-418: Was "using UNDP resources" to build a maritime jetty for its fighters; no further details were provided on this claim. Shin Bet also claimed Bursh had persuaded his UNDP superiors to prioritize neighbourhoods with Hamas operatives when earmarking reconstruction funds for Gaza, which was devastated by the 2014 war with Israel . The UNDP had been criticised by members of its staff and the Bush administration of

3840-487: Was again elected to the National Assembly of Senegal in the April 2001 parliamentary election from Bakel Department as a candidate of the ruling Sopi Coalition , and he became the Third Vice-president of the National Assembly. Subsequently, the LD/MPT grew increasingly at odds with Wade, and Bathily led a vote in the National Assembly against an amnesty for individuals implicated in the 1993 killing of Constitutional Council Vice-president Babacar Sèye . Wade dismissed

3904-591: Was also signed at the end of the Forum by nine out of ten armed groups: the Front Populaire pour la Renaissance de la Centrafrique (FRPC), the Rassemblement Patriotique pour le Renouveau de la Centrafrique (RPRC), the Union des Forces Républicaines Fondamentales (UFRF), the Seleka Rénovée, the Mouvement des Libérateurs Centrafricains pour la Justice (MLCJ), the Coordination des ex-combattants Anti-Balaka, The Unité du Peuple Centrafricain (UPC), Révolution et Justice, and Unité des Forces Républicaines. The Front Démocratique pour le Progrès de la Centrafrique (FDPC) did not sign

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3968-494: Was also signed on the margins of the Forum. UNICEF reported the release of 357 children by these groups one week after signature. Abdoulaye Bathily Abdoulaye Bathily (born 1947) is a Senegalese politician and diplomat. Bathily, the long-time Secretary-General of the Democratic League/Movement for the Labour Party (LD/MPT), served in the government of Senegal as Minister of the Environment from 1993 to 1998 and as Minister of Energy from 2000 to 2001. Later, he worked as

4032-403: Was founded on 22 November 1965 with the merging of the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance (EPTA) and the Special Fund in 1958. The rationale was to "avoid duplication of [their] activities". The EPTA was set up in 1949 to help the economic and political aspects of underdeveloped countries while the Special Fund was to enlarge the scope of UN technical assistance. The Special Fund arose from

4096-482: Was unnecessary and senseless; he argued that it would merely be used by Wade "to ensure a monarchical succession". Bathily supported opposition candidate Macky Sall in the 2012 presidential election . Sall won the election; a few months after taking office, he appointed Bathily as Minister of State at the Presidency on 1 August 2012. On 8 July 2013, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Bathily's appointment as his Deputy Special Representative in

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