About UNDP in the Arab States

The Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) based in New York serves as the headquarters for UNDP regional programmes and country offices in 17 Arab countries, with the 18th  located in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Bureau is headed by Ms. ٍSima Sami Bahous, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director.

UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

UNDP’s activities in the Arab States region build on UNDP’s five thematic priorities, with additional emphasis placed on addressing the main impediments to human development in the region as identified by the Arab Human Development Report series, namely freedom and good governance, knowledge, and women’s empowerment. Through its activities, the Bureau therefore seeks to promote and advance:

• Democratic Governance
• Poverty Reduction
• Crisis Prevention and Recovery
• Women’s Empowerment
• Knowledge Societies
• HIV and Development
• Energy and Environment
• Youth

The Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) based in New York serves as the headquarters for UNDP regional programmes and country offices in 17 Arab countries, with the 18th located in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Bureau is headed by Ms Sima Sami Bahous, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director.

Region-wide initiatives through the Regional Programme Division complement support to UNDP Country Offices  on daily policy and administrative support, through the Country Operations Division, and on policy advice and technical assistance through the Regional Center in Cairo.

The activities of the Regional Programme Division revolve around three main pillars: (1) MDG Achievement; (2) Democratic Governance; and (3) Building a knowledge society.

The Arab Human Development Reports remain the advocacy vanguard of the regional programme, while youth has been identified as a cross-cutting issue to ensure that this constituency is mainstreamed as a beneficiary of and catalyst for the socio-economic advances targeted. 

UNDP Country Offices receive daily policy and administrative support from the Country Operations Division. The Country Operations Division works closely with UNDP Country Offices to ensure quality programming, results-based management applications, and effective resource mobilization strategies.

In each country office, the UNDP Resident Representative normally also serves as the Resident Coordinator of development activities for the United Nations system as a whole.

The Regional Bureau for Arab States established the Regional Centre in Cairo (RCC), in 2008, to ensure effective, timely and responsive support tailored to the needs and priorities of its Country Offices.

The Centre is able to quickly mobilize support by connecting UNDP country offices and national partners to UNDP’s global network of development experts – both inside and outside the organization, and to United Nations specialized agencies.