Capacity Development: A UNDP Primer (UNDP, 2009)

Purpose

This primer addresses the basic elements of the UNDP approach to capacity development. It provides a simple, cogent and accessible illustration of the UNDP Capacity Development Approach for the benefit of development practitioners both within and beyond the UN development system – a real-world guide to real-world applications to strengthen and contribute to national capacities for development. It focuses in on smart institutions, visionary leadership, access to knowledge and public accountability mechanisms as the drivers of capacity change, and draws from evidence and policies from across regions, synthesizing country-led experiences and institutional lessons with global research. The Primer refers, and offers ready access, to these resources, but it does not purport to capture all knowledge, views and practice in this extensive field. However, we hope it provides a convincing and enticing initiation into an area of development knowledge and practice that is at the heart of what makes human development results sustainable over time.

Capacity Development: A UNDP Primer, editor: Kanni Wignaraja, kanni.wignaraja@undp.org