UNDP LATVIA

UNDP and Latvia – new period of cooperation

The United Nations Development Programme Country Office in Latvia (UNDP Latvia) started work in 1992. In 2006 Latvia will change its mode of cooperation with UNDP and the Country Office will cease operations.

UNDP Latvia existed for 14 years - a seemingly short, but intense period of time, bearing in mind the rapid pace of the transition from socialism to a market democracy.

You can read more about UNDP’s work in Latvia the publication: UNDP Latvia 1992 – 2005: Easing the Transition.

At the beginning of independence Latvia had to advance development in many different areas at once and was not always able to solve weighty issues on its own. UNDP could provide development support by offering experts and financial resources. UNDP Latvia supported the government in promoting democratization and human development, working in the following areas:
1. Human rights
2. Social integration
3. Strengthening civil society
4. Gender equality
5. Poverty reduction
6. Controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS
7. Strengthening the judiciary
8. Strengthening public administration
9. Global environmental management
10. Human development
11. Latvia and global development

UNDP Latvia has also informed the public about the UN and coordinated the UN system’s activities in Latvia. UNDP Latvia made use of a global cooperation network and the intellectual and financial support of many partners, both international and local. Over the years UNDP Latvia has mobilized more than USD 22,750,000 from its budget, national budgets and international organization funding to implement various projects. With UNDP’s mediation the world’s leading experts have been involved in addressing Latvia’s important issues, while Latvia’s experts have given advice to other countries.

Latvia’s accession to the European Union (EU) marks a new stage in its development. Membership gives Latvia the opportunity to harness EU resources to promote its development and signals Latvia’s readiness to become a donor country itself. This is why Latvia’s relations with UNDP have transformed as well.

As of 2006, Latvia will no longer receive UNDP budget financing to address domestic development challenges. UNDP and Latvia will continue to work together on projects to offer assistance to less developed countries.

Starting in 2006, Latvia will develop closer cooperation with the UNDP Europe and CIS Regional Bureau in Bratislava. This Bureau coordinates regional programmes and projects in the Baltic States, the Balkans, Central Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The UNDP Bureau in Bratislava will take over project support functions from UNDP Latvia, continuing implementation of several environmental projects in Latvia.

In the environmental sphere, close cooperation between Latvia and UNDP will continue even after 2005. Thanks to Global Environmental Facility financing, UNDP with the mediation of the Bratislava Regional Centre and project manager support in Riga will implement several projects until 2009. In this area UNDP and Latvia are embarking on a new phase of work to resolve problems like land degradation, environmental education and research, medical waste management, and protecting biological diversity.