In line with the UN Secretary-General’s Funding Compact, the Funding Windows are UNDP’s primary vehicle for flexible thematic non-core funding, an important complement to core contributions. These resources allow UNDP to remain agile while advancing sustainable development gains in an ever-changing global context.

As we reach the midpoint of the UNDP Strategic Plan for 2022–2025, we stand at a crucial juncture to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2023, amidst escalating conflicts and crises, increasing climate change impacts, widening inequalities and growing social tensions, the UNDP Funding Windows provided countries around the world with critical support to address these intersectional development challenges and drive transformational change. The results and stories in this report showcase our impact on the ground and the valuable lessons we have learned.

Together with our partners, the Funding Windows delivered over US$112 million in 2023 to tackle multidimensional poverty, promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, strengthen accountable and inclusive governance, and build resilience to crises and climate change in 119 countries and territories. Of these resources, 35 percent was invested in fragile contexts and 30 percent in least developed countries (LDCs). Digitalization and innovative solutions were leveraged using pooled resources to amplify impact in over 30 countries, working hand in hand with 22 UN organizations, as well as programme country governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, international financial institutions and other partners.

Our endeavours could not have been achieved without the timely support and collaborative action from government partners comprising the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom. We highly value the engagement of all Advisory Group members and partners. They are strong advocates of the strategic value of the UNDP Funding Windows to achieve impact as envisioned in the Strategic Plan. We look forward to jointly raising the ambition of the Funding Windows as we continue to support developing countries to achieve their national development objectives and the SDGs.