UNDP operates strictly in support, and within the framework, of national health plans and disease-specific national strategies, under the leadership of national health authorities and acknowledging the crucial role of civil society, the private sector and technical partners. Promoting national ownership, developing capacity and strengthening national systems is central to UNDP’s engagement. It therefore operates through existing country systems to promote national ownership, including national health information systems, procurement and supply chain systems, and public financial management systems. It helps national entities to design and implement capacity development plans, address priority gaps and build greater resilience and sustainability.

As part of promoting sustainability, UNDP does not implement health programmes itself, but rather supports implementation by national governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector entities. For example, in its role as interim Principal Recipient of the Global Fund grants, a primary focus is to build national capacities to enable the gradual and sustainable transfer of the Principal Recipient role to national entities while strengthening broader systems for health. Greater national ownership is also promoted by ensuring that programme performance indicators align with the objectives of national strategies.

This website details UNDP’s approach, processes, and tools for capacity development 1) within the context of health programme implementation and management, and 2) in support of building resilient and sustainable systems for health at national and sub-national levels. All UNDP support is complemented by capacity development. In some countries, UNDP’s support focuses only on strengthening systems for health, through the provision of technical assistance to ministries of health. For example, through government financing agreements with ministries of health in numerous countries, UNDP supports the procurement of health products while providing end-to-end capacity-building to enhance national supply chains.

UNDP’s support includes the development of frameworks for effective programme management, monitoring and oversight; the training of implementing partners, including civil society and national coordinating bodies; assistance with assessing capacity gaps and developing capacity development and programme transition plans; and the domestic financing of health programmes. Core focus areas for UNDP’s support to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of systems for health include support for the development of national strategies, health management information systems, procurement and supply chain management systems, public financial management and internal audit systems, and human resources for health and community systems, and support for environmental sustainability, harnessing innovation and digital solutions for health.

This multidimensional support for systems for health is all the more crucial in the context of emerging global health threats, humanitarian crises, fragility and other challenging operating environments. UNDP’s support is focused on countries that are characterized by weak governance and poor access to health services, and that require dedicated programmes to develop capacity. UNDP takes a risk-informed approach to help national entities improve performance and quality, reduce inefficiencies and raise transparency and accountability for better health outcomes. This includes leveraging its existing risk management tools and frameworks. The nature of UNDP’s core development mandate also enables it to connect sectors, stakeholders and levels of action, helping countries translate goals into concrete programmes and measurable impacts on the ground. Its work to bridge the nexus between humanitarian action and development likewise helps to eliminate silos and strengthens countries’ resilience to shocks. In this way, UNDP’s capacity development support for systems for health benefits from an existing network of multi-stakeholder partnerships, cross-sector policy engagement and implementation expertise, and the ability to tap into lessons learned at global level and resources while providing highly contextualized and evidence-based action on the ground.