UK Backs Global Crisis Response and Sustainable Development With £24.75 Million Deal

UNDP says its work reached 1.1 billion people worldwide in 2025, supported by continued collaboration with partners including the UK.

The United Kingdom has renewed its support for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a £24.75 million agreement, worth approximately US$33.30 million, covering 2026–2028. The funding is unrestricted, giving UNDP the freedom to direct resources towards urgent needs and development priorities across its global network. The three-year commitment provides financial certainty for work that depends on sustained support, from maintaining essential services to helping communities recover from conflict.

UNDP says its work reached 1.1 billion people worldwide in 2025, supported by continued collaboration with partners including the UK. Core funding helps sustain its permanent presence in more than 170 countries and territories, keeping teams close to the communities they serve. That presence allows staff to support local needs every day and respond quickly when a crisis puts lives, livelihoods and public services under pressure.

The agreement reflects a shared commitment to sustainable development and the connection between stronger communities and global security. Climate shocks, conflict and economic disruption can spread across borders, affecting countries far beyond the places where they begin. By helping countries address the causes of instability and build more resilient societies, the UK's investment contributes to reducing risks with consequences around the world.

Support for communities facing conflict and crisis

Flexible funding supports UNDP's delivery of essential services and emergency livelihoods in crisis settings such as Sudan, Lebanon and Gaza, where communities face severe disruption to daily life. In Ukraine, it helps restore critical energy infrastructure and advance demining efforts, supporting recovery in places affected by war. The ability to direct resources according to local conditions gives teams room to respond to immediate pressures and sustain work needed for longer-term recovery.

Connecting development priorities and improving coordination

UNDP uses core resources to bring related development challenges together, including work that strengthens local health systems through climate action and uses digital tools to advance gender equality. This approach recognises that progress in one area can support another, making coordinated programmes valuable for communities facing several pressures at once. Its coordination role extends across the UN system, with UNDP managing 136 UN common premises across 118 UN country teams to support efficiency and closer cooperation.

Making funding go further and supporting accountability

In 2025, every US$1 of core funding enabled UNDP to mobilise an additional US$10 from other sources, demonstrating how unrestricted contributions can attract resources beyond the original investment. Core contributions also support oversight and accountability functions that help programmes operate effectively, efficiently and transparently, with UNDP consistently ranked among the most transparent international organisations. The new agreement reinforces the UK–UNDP partnership and its shared commitment to a more just, stable and prosperous world.