Collaboration with UNDP for Sustainable Development

Agreements with UNDP

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) operates in more than 170 countries and territories with the aim of eradicating poverty, reducing inequality and exclusion. In particular, UNDP promotes and supports the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda on a global scale.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on 18 September 2017, the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Protection of the Territory and the Sea (MATTM) – today Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) – and UNDP signed an extensive agreement for cooperation in support of developing countries (Memorandum of Understanding of 18 September 2017) with the aim of addressing the challenges deriving from sustainable development in order to achieve the SDGs and in which the Parties committed themselves to:

promote sustainable development projects, initiatives and programs, also in the context of bilateral collaboration agreements already signed by the Ministry with many developing countries;
contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, encouraging the use of sustainable finance systems;
support developing countries with regard to access to multilateral funds; the implementation of the projects; exchanges of experiences at an international level and with other countries in the southern hemisphere; the dissemination of good practices, also in the context of major international events on climate and environment.

Subsequently, between 2017 and 2019, the Parties signed 14 agreements (Cost Sharing Agreements - CSAs) regarding the financing of joint sustainable development initiatives in specific thematic and territorial areas.

Below finds a brief description of the signed and currently in progress agreements.

As part of the 2017 G7 in Bologna, an agreement was signed between the Parties to support the institutional reform of UNDP (CSA No. 1) aimed at aligning the Organization's activities with the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda and improving its capabilities to respond to the requests of developing countries and to provide logistical technical support for the Ministry's bilateral cooperation initiatives and activities (CSA No. 3). (attivare link che si apre in una nuova finestra)
On this occasion, Italy also launched the initiative for the creation of a body that would carry out activities of connection (exchange of information, facilitation of synergies, mobilization of project finance and the private sector) of cooperation initiatives between countries G7 and African countries. An agreement was signed on this proposal for the creation of the Centre on Climate Change and Sustainable Development for Africa (African Centre for Sustainable Development - ACSD) (CSA No. 4) (attivare link che si apre in una nuova finestra). To this end, a trust fund was created to finance cooperation projects in Africa (ACSD Trust Fund - CSA No. 2). A trust fund was also signed to specifically support the United Nations Secretary General's initiatives for sustainable development in the Sahel Region (Sahel Support - CSA No. 5)
Subsequently, between 2018 and 2019, the MATTM and UNDP intended to strengthen cooperation with the ACSD through specific agreements (CSA no.9, CSA no.12) which led to a change in the governance of the Centre, to ensure a deeper action of the Ministry internally, to an extension of its mandate in terms of themes and to the extension of the geographical scope of operations even outside the African continent. ACSD was therefore given the new and current name of Rome Centre for Sustainable Development (RCSD).

As part of the collaboration with UNDP, additional CSAs were signed with which, thanks to the financial contributions made available by the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition, UNDP was entrusted with the implementation of following specific environmental cooperation projects.

The agreements identified as Strategic Acceleration Partnership provide for multiple sustainable development initiatives including the creation of a trust fund for the promotion of renewable energy solutions (CSA No. 8) to support bilateral cooperation initiatives. Specific agreements provide for the opening of a Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development in the Asia and Pacific region (CSA No. 7) and a similar Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development in the Latin America region and Caribbean (CSA No. 6). Both Centres will have the task of providing a general overview of actions on climate, climate smart agriculture, access to water, generation of clean energy.
Specific agreements in support of cooperation between UNDP and IRENA (International Agency for Renewable Energy) assist projects to promote the development of renewable energy in the Asia and Pacific region (CSA No. 10) and in the Latin America region and the Caribbean (CSA No. 11).
A specific project called SDG Accelerator Labs (CSA No. 13) has been identified for the African continent and the Sahel region in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. The implementation of this project focuses on the SDGs as guidelines for the implementation of sustainable development in the geographical area of ??reference, with the aim of generating a deeper understanding of companies on all SDGs and translating them into relevant innovations for the business.
An agreement to identify innovative solutions in the field of climate change and sustainable development aims to support the reform of the UNDP under the new leadership, as part of the realignment of the United Nations development system, and in particular to promote innovative solutions in the field of climate change and sustainable development (CSA No. 14).