UNDP Globally

Natural disasters impose an enormous toll on development and pose a significant threat to prospects for achieving the MDGs, in particular, the overarching goal of halving extreme poverty by 2015. Countries that face similar patterns of natural hazards – from earthquakes to floods and droughts -- often experience widely differing impacts when disasters occur. In worst case scenarios, these hazards can wipe out or reverse decades of development achievement. The impact largely depends on the kind of development choices countries have made.Through its global network, UNDP seeks out and shares innovative approaches to crisis prevention, early warning and conflict resolution to help bridge the gap between emergency relief and long-term development.

As an active member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) which brings together UN agencies as well as international NGOs with the purpose of strengthening humanitarian operations and the Cluster Lead for IASC’s Early Recovery Working Group, UNDP performs a key role in early recovery. In the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster, UNDP provides country-specific support to ensure national ownership of early recovery programmes, including restoring capacity for public service delivery and managing recovery aid coordination.

UNDP’s Support for Crisis Prevention and Recovery in the Islamic Republic of Iran