Berlin, 26 June 2019 - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and KfW, Germany’s national development bank, signed three landmark agreements to strengthen the effectiveness of their joint development efforts worldwide.  The new Statement of Intent frames the organisations’  partnership priorities to help countries to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); an MoU on professional training programmes aims to broaden staff awareness of each other’s practices and operations; and a standard financial agreement template will help increase the effectiveness of the organizations’ operational collaboration on the ground.

The historic strategic partnership between KfW and UNDP has dramatically strengthened over the past few years, making KfW one of the highest contributing financial Institutions to UNDP. From 2016 to 2018, the Republic of Germany through KfW contributed US$376 million to programs implemented by UNDP globally. In 2018, alone, KfW contributed US$173 million to UNDP towards Iraq’s Fund Facility for Immediate Stabilization; livelihoods and job creation projects in Syria and Lebanon; rehabilitation of infrastructure and recovery of critical businesses in Libya; Malawi’s Innovation Challenge Fund; and to support reconstruction and recovery in two Indonesian provinces heavily affected by the earthquakes and tsunamis of 2018.

“UNDP and KfW share a long history of successful collaboration, and we are committed to further strengthening this cooperation to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” stated UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

UNDP’s and KfW’s joint priority areas include supporting development efforts in fragile settings, supporting displaced and host communities, strengthening resilience to climate change.

"UNDP and KfW each bring their own valuable knowledge and experience to the cooperation, said Joachim Nagel, member of KfW´s Executive Board. "We deeply appreciate UNDP’s network and management capacities on the ground and we hope to enrich our collaboration even further by bringing additional technical expertise and quality assurances to the table."