New York – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) remains the most transparent UN agency and ranks as the third most transparent development organization in the world, according to a leading global index published today.

The 2020 Aid Transparency Index, produced by the campaign for aid transparency Publish What You Fund (PWYF), rated UNDP with a score of 96.6 out of 100. Increasing its rating by 1.2 points since the index was last published in 2018, UNDP continues to be a leader in transparency - only topped by the Asian Development Bank (98) and the World Bank (97.1).

This is the seventh full Index report, which this year assessed 47 of the largest donors of aid and development finance. UNDP, which has remained in its highest category - “very good” - since 2013, is the only development organization that is not a finance institution among the top five in the Index ranking. Two other UN organizations assessed for the index, UNICEF (92.9) and OCHA (74), have also greatly improved their own ratings this year.

“We congratulate the rising number of organizations demonstrating their commitment to transparency,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “UNDP is proud of our continued improvement in overall performance and are reaffirmed in our leading role to continue encouraging progress towards aid transparency.”

COVID-19 transparency

As part of its commitment to transparency and its mandate to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and build resilience to crises, UNDP launched today its new COVID-19 page on the UNDP Transparency Portal. It provides key financial and project information on the organisation’s COVID-19 response work to partners and the wider public. 

“We are already hard at work, leading the socio-economic response of the United Nations to the pandemic. UNDP offers a pathway beyond recovery, towards 2030,” Steiner added.

The new COVID-19 page allows users to see how UNDP is channeling its resources and addressing the pandemic in three areas: supporting the health response including the procurement and supply of essential health products, strengthening crisis management and response and addressing critical social and economic impacts.

###  ###  ###

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.