The mission of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) is "to enhance UNDP's efforts for sustainable development, working with partners to reduce the incidence and impact of disasters and violent conflicts, and to establish the solid foundations for peace and recovery from crisis, thereby advancing the UN Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction."
Many countries are increasingly vulnerable to violent conflicts or natural disasters that can destroy decades of development and further entrench poverty and inequality. Through its global network, UNDP develops and shares innovative approaches to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, disaster mitigation and post-crisis recovery. UNDP's presence in almost every developing country means that we are on hand to operationalise crisis prevention and recovery and to help bridge the gap between emergency relief and long-term development.
Working with UNDP Country Offices, BCPR strives to:
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ensure that UNDP plays a pivotal role in transitions between relief and development
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promote linkages between UN peace and security and development objectives
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enhance governments' responsibilities and technical and national capacities to manage crisis and post-conflict situations
- support the Secretary-General's agenda in conflict prevention through building capacities of governments and civil societies to analyse potential risk factors that could give rise to violent conflict and through developing strategies to address structural root causes.
Drawing heavily on its work in areas such as support for democratic governance and poverty reduction, UNDP has a well-established track record in building, consolidating and preserving the peace. From Mozambique and Afghanistan to Guatemala and Albania, UNDP has played a major role in helping countries make the transition to a development- oriented agenda by promoting the rule of law and good governance; establishing justice and security; demobilising soldiers; reducing the flow of small arms; supporting mine action; and providing war-affected populations with alternative livelihoods.
Specifically on reintegration of displaced populations, UNDP works closely with UNHCR, OCHA's Internal Displacement Unit, UNICEF, other relevant UN agencies, NGOs, civil society, the World Bank and other development banks to ensure that the longer-term needs of returning refugees, IDPs, ex-combatants and their communities are met and included in national development plans. UNDP's expertise in capacity building of local government strengthens the ability of authorities to provide social services and respond to the needs of communities and supports the necessary linkage that must be made between the grassroots and central-level government.
BCPR's Mine Action programme, in coordination with the UN's Department of Peace-Keeping Operations (DPKO) and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), develops national management infrastructures for mine action. Mine Action Centres build local capacity to organise, coordinate, and implement mine action strategies. The ability of a government to address its landmine problem often has a direct impact on reintegration and livelihoods of populations displaced from conflict areas.
In responding to natural disasters, UNDP has worked from Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Gujarat, India, to pick up where humanitarian relief leaves off and put in place early recovery initiatives that can be sustained by attention to disaster mitigation and preparedness in the rebuilding process. These development responses are at the heart of the UNDP mandate for poverty elimination and democratic governance. UNDP is also mainstreaming the crisis prevention perspective into all of its development work through policy dialogue, staff training and knowledge networking.
Our structure
BCPR is headed by a Bureau Director (Assistant Administrator) at the Assistant Secretary-General level. Three units - Recovery, Natural Disaster Reduction and Small Arms Reduction, Disarmament and Demobilisation - are located in Geneva and another three units - Strategic Planning, Mine Action and Operations - are located in New York. BCPR also has staff outposted to UNDP offices in Rome and in many crisis and post-crisis countries.
For further information, visit the BCPR website at: www.undp.org/bcpr or contact the BCPR offices: New York, tel: + 1 212 906 6096, fax: + 1 212 906 5379; Geneva + 41 22 917 8302, fax: + 41 22 917 8060.