The UNDP Resident Representative to Namibia, Alka Bhatia, says Namibia's development priorities are the same as those of the UN, and these are aligned with the UNDP country programme. 

Bhatia and her deputy paid a courtesy call to President Nangolo Mbumba at State House, where she provided an overview of some of the activities.

The work of the UNDP in Namibia is premised on pillars under its strategic framework, including the reduction of poverty and inequality.

The collaboration with various government ministries, agencies, and communities aims to further accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

"Apart from this, we also work a lot on sustainable financing, which is really critical in having the required resources to achieve the SDGs and Agenda 2030, and obviously on youth unemployment, youth empowerment, MSMEs, and the private sector, so there are a whole host of issues, governance, and what is happening now with drought and the groundwork we have done in some of the very degraded areas. We've refurbished a number of boreholes and handed them over to the Ministry of Agriculture," said Bhatia.

President Mbumba acknowledged UNDP's support for Namibia over the years.

The Head of State, however, appealed to development partners alongside the relevant government to concentrate on practical programmes that will solve the real problems that citizens face.

"We appreciate the work that you have been doing and also recognise the historical cooperation before we even had a government. The most important thing that we want to concentrate on is that all international organisations are ready to give advice. This should be done this way, but we really want, as governments, as UN systems, and as ministries, to concentrate on things that people can see and touch because sometimes everything is a document. The Summit of the Future is a document, but where are the resources? Everybody who comes is telling you that we can find some softer loans, but those are loans."