Pooling knowledge and expertise
When a crisis hits, we must act fast. We need the right set of people at the right time, and who have the skills and expertise to respond to immediate needs.
With the number of crises at an all-time high, from climate disasters to armed conflicts, ensuring these capacities becomes even more critical.
Complementing its own roster of crisis-ready experts, UNDP draws on the expertise of partner organizations.
We call these our Standby Partners.
UNDP has partnered with 13 organizations, including the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, NORCAP - Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Center for International Peace Operations, Folke Bernadotte Academy and RedR Australia. The deployments are often funded by the partners, who also help in identifying the right personnel, based on the technical and geographical experience required.
We are better when we work together, and the Standby Partnerships initiative is a great illustration of the power of partnerships. It allows for the pooling of knowledge and expertise of several organizations leading to better impact for the communities we serve.
In 2023, 30 Standby Partners were deployed to support UNDP global and regional teams and country offices. Their work in places such as Kenya, Papua New Guinea and UNDP HQ ranged from critical crisis response, such as helping life-saving supplies reach impacted communities, to longer-term development initiatives focused on democratic governance and climate resilience.
This was in addition to the 40 SURGE UNDP staff and almost 2,500 consultants deployed through our internal ExpRes roster.
UNDP Ukraine is leading on some of the largest early recovery initiatives including mine action, debris removal and energy programmes. Through the Standby Partners initiative, 10 staff from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agencies were deployed to support Ukraine last year.
From 2020 - 2023, Danish Refugee Council has deployed about 15 international police trainers to UNDP Iraq to deliver trainings and police courses on criminal investigations and effective policing. Since 2022, Norwegian Refugee Council has deployed three staff to the UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa in Nairobi, which covers 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, to support on resilience work around climate and data.
Here are some reflections from recent deployments on their experiences of working with UNDP.
Darren Wynn, RedR Australia, served as Logistics Officer with UNDP Solomon Islands from February to June 2024, and is now deployed with UNDP Papua New Guinea following this year's landslide.
"As a humanitarian logistics officer in Papua New Guinea, I've seen firsthand how crucial rapid deployment is during disaster response. UN agencies, such as UNICEF and UNDP, excel in response and early recovery phases by leveraging their Standby Partnership with RedR Australia. My duty is to deploy quickly, make rapid assessments, map out safe supply routes, and establish a logistics plan. The priority is always the lives of those affected."
Job Collin Duo, Norwegian Refugee Council, working as a Data Specialist for the UNDP Resilience Hub in Nairobi, Kenya.
"Getting into UNDP meant understanding how to apply my skills to social and development problems. One of my projects focused on leveraging data to help build resilience against the impact of cyclones in Mozambique. Our work was acknowledged by the government. We also got an opportunity to support projects on the migrant crisis in the Khartoum Process 2023 and Horn of Africa Drought Resilience Programme. Such a partnership reduces the burden of searching for quality talent."
Tatiana Monney, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, deployed to UNDP as a Senior Expert in Elections and Democratic Processes.
'These last three years with UNDP have been very special. We were looking at what is standing in the way of citizens and institutions and crafting tailormade solutions that can facilitate rebuilding this trust. I was also able to set up a course for which 8,000 participants registered asking how to embrace AI while protecting freedom of expression. I would highly encourage others to offer such experiences, especially to people from the global south."
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Johan Fredborn Larsson, Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sweden, seconded to UNDP HQ in New York as a Prevention Expert.
"The Standby mechanism represents a mutually beneficial partnership. I am particularly pleased about my work with the Crisis Academy where I contributed to the capacity-building of colleagues in both Eastern and Western Africa in conflict prevention. I am also glad to have worked on the UN Peacebuilding Fund - an effort to support peace in countries at risk of or recovering from conflict. In these turbulent times, I cannot overemphasize the importance of prevention and proactively addressing root causes of conflict."
