| Overview : UNDP is the UN global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. It works with individual countries on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. The UNDP Lesotho Country Programme (2019-2023) is anchored on the NSDP II, the UNDAF (2019–2023) and guided by the UNDP Strategic Plan (2018–2021) through 3- programme pillars: (i) Governance, Accountability, Social Cohesion and Stability; (ii) Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth and (iii) Environmental Sustainability, Climate Change and Resilience. The programme is aimed at supporting accelerating strategies towards achieving the SDGs. In this regard, UNDP is working with the Government of Lesotho, development partners and other stakeholders in supporting the national preparation, response and recovery of COVID-19 .
In line with the objectives of the NSDP II, UNDP is implementing the Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth (SIEG) project, aimed at strengthening capacities of private and public sector stakeholders to create decent and sustainable jobs, promote economic diversity, and facilitate increased economic participation. These will be achieved through promoting innovative and technological interventions, collaborative and informative stakeholder engagement, policy advocacy and ensuring accountability for results. The project is aligned to the Pillar I of the NSDP II for creating inclusive and sustainable economic growth and job opportunities. Through this project, UNDP will also support the government of Lesotho to navigate the emerging socio-economic challenges brought about by COVID-19 and facilitate development of risk-informed response strategies that enable recovery from the pandemic.
In this context, UNDP will work with the Ministry of Development Planning to map out existing socioeconomic policies, to establish policy connections to both the NSDP and SDGs as well as enhance policy and institutional coherence in context of the national response and recovery plans to COVID19. The process is expected to create a system-wide understanding of extent to which the current policy framework will contribute to achievement of the SDGs and NSDP II objectives and identify gaps for accelerating delivery and economic recovery in light of COVID-19. This will further establish responsiveness and integration of policy to other key development programmes including Paris Declaration, Sendai Framework and Agenda 2063 among others. |
