When IFIs, governments, and UNDP work together—everybody wins. Better projects, safer investments, stronger government capacity, and a global finance structure that is better aligned with sustainable development. 

Since 2010, UNDP has helped governments and IFIs deliver projects with a total value of $3.2 billion in IFI financing. Today, UNDP works with more than 20 of the world’s largest IFIs in over 75 countries and territories across five regions. Each year, over two-thirds of IFI financing channeled through UNDP is implemented in fragile and crisis-affected contexts.  

On the following pages of this brochure, you’ll learn about what UNDP does, how we add value, key IFIs we work with, and the benefits of collaboration. You’ll also see examples that illustrate our work in all regions of the world, all areas of development, and with diverse financing mechanisms, from grants to loans to green bonds and beyond, particularly in four areas: nature, climate, and energy; crisis and resilience, inclusive social and economic growth, and sustainable finance. 

Some examples of what is in the brochure: 

• Working with the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the governments of Peru, Tunisia, and Côte d'Ivoire on carbon pricing and carbon markets to help governments unlock innovative sources of climate finance. 
• The Africa Minigrids Program with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the African Development Bank, and the Rocky Mountain Institute aims to expand clean energy for half a billion people in Africa without access to electricity. The partnership supports policy, financing, business model innovations, and knowledge management to make solar-battery minigrids more financially viable and attractive to investors. 
• Improving access to water and water infrastructure in the borderlands of Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, Djibouti, Iraq, Turkiye, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan with partners such as the African Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and the World Bank. 
• Working on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus with KfW—the Development Bank of Germany in Chad, Iraq, Lebanon, UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen on projects that strengthen governance during transitions, improve vital infrastructure such as roads, energy systems, water and sanitation to restore basic public services, accelerate social and economic recovery, increase access to finance for entrepreneurs and social enterprises in critical sectors such as agriculture and food production—focusing on livelihoods for women and youth. 

• Thermal renovations for public buildings with the European Investment Bank in Ukraine. 

• Supporting women-led CSOs and NGOs to implement “quick impact projects” focusing on health, education, agriculture, and livelihoods in Afghanistan with the World Bank. 

• The Global NGO Empowerment for Poverty Reduction Program with the Islamic Development Bank—TADAMON—has equipped over 700 nonprofits with the skills needed for digital fundraising, raising $13 million to date. Additionally, the Skill Our Future (Y-DEEP) initiative aims to train 35,000 young people for the digital workforce across Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Maldives, and Pakistan in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank. 

• Supporting Cuba in implementing a CABEI-financed loan through procurement will help upgrade production facilities for medication, diagnostics, and equipment. This initiative aims to strengthen the country’s biopharmaceutical industry, enabling the production of affordable generic medications to treat COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. 

• Strengthening over 1,000 women-led businesses in West Africa’s rice value chain across Guinea, Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone with the Islamic Development Bank and the Women Entrepreneurs Initiative (We-Fi), a collaborative of 14 governments, eight multilateral development banks, and other public and private partners, hosted by the World Bank.  

• Supporting countries’ Integrated National Financing Framework processes such as SDG costing and budgeting with the International Monetary Fund and Namibia and supporting Gabon to transition from a brown to a green economy with the International Monetary Fund, UNEP, and UNECA. 
• Supporting the European Investment Fund to prototype impact management practices aligned with climate and SDG commitments and compatible with EU regulations. 
• Supporting the New Development Bank’s issuance of a $747 million SDG Bond in the China Bond Market to finance the country’s COVID-19 recovery.