in pictures

Snapshots from UNDP’s work this year

In 2025, the global community notched important achievements for human well-being. But conflict, disasters and other crises clouded the skies over the development landscape.

As the numbers of armed conflicts made records, the United Nations observed an International Year of Peace and Trust to underscore the primacy of peace—essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration was a moment to celebrate progress on gender equality while throwing light on areas where more work is needed.

The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development advanced discussions to build a fairer global financial system. And as the year drew to a close, world leaders gathered at the Second World Summit for Social Development to recommit to eradicating poverty and reducing inequality.

Against strong headwinds, countries took determined steps towards realizing their visions for a sustainable development. And UNDP was at their side. Marking its 60th anniversary, UNDP continued to evolve to meet the complex challenges of the present while laying the foundations for a more resilient future.

Here are some snapshots from our work, with partners, in 2025.

A man pushing another man in wheelchair up a ramp into a small concrete-walled house with one window.
Pakistan: Building back better
Disaster response

In 2025 UNDP handed over 40 climate-resilient homes to residents of Pakistan still recovering from floods in 2022 that had left a trail of devastation, damaging over 250,000 houses and affecting about 1.6 million people in Balochistan province.

Built with support from Germany, the houses are made of locally sourced, climate adaptive materials which ensure long-term durability. They are the first of 800 homes putting the community on a path to long-term recovery and will ensure the Quetta district is more resilient to future disasters.

Photo:
UNDP Pakistan
A woman and a child sitting in a chair, and smiling. The woman holds up a small piece of braided plastic.
A woman sitting in a chair, braiding small stripes of plastic.
Uganda: A more circular economy
Livelihoods / Environment

In Uganda’s capital, Kampala, plastic bottles clog drainage systems which creates flooding that breeds disease and deepens cycles of vulnerability.

Specioza Nakate has chosen to change this reality. She has trained more than 200 young people, mostly women, in eco-design, digital marketing and climate leadership, equipping them to turn discarded materials into income-generating products.

What started as a clean-up campaign has become a full-fledged circular economy enterprise, that creates jobs and raises awareness.

Photo:
UNDP
Clara Wetzel
A woman with a smile holds a basket filled with eggs and flowers. There is a bright painted mural behind her.
Photo:
UNDP Colombia
Colombia: ‘Peace Corridors’
Peacebuilding

The Cauca Youth Peace Agenda is a space for political, social and cultural collaboration among young people in southwestern Colombia, attracting Indigenous people, farmers, Afro-Colombians, and rural and urban leaders.

Supported by the Government of Sweden, it works against a background of inter-ethnic conflicts that have historically revolved around land disputes.

Working in conjunction with the Peace Corridors initiative, the youth-led body has gained significant momentum. Its goal is to build the capacity for political advocacy among young people and to empower younger generations to transform conflict into trust.

A group of people, mostly women, and in in traditional Sudanese clothing sit on rugs under the shelter of a tin roof, with a view of a settlement. A mosque is visible in the background.
Aerial view of a city with mountains and a river running through it.
A woman dressed in traditional Sudanese clothing holds a baby in her arms.
Sudan: Finding their place
Displacement

The war in Sudan has forced over 12 million people from their homes, often into crowded, unsanitary and unsafe shelters, with little means to generate income. But earning a living can help maintain a sense of normalcy and agency against so much uncertainty.

Through small savings and loan associations, women pool their resources and support each other in starting and expanding small businesses. With seed funding and training from UNDP, the associations provide capital for farming expenses, like seeds and tools, which can be repaid when crops are harvested. Supported by the Kuwait Fund and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, UNDP also supports food, water and clean energy access for displaced families.

Around the world, internal displacement continues to rise at an alarming rate because of conflict, extreme weather and other shocks. Around 76 million people are displaced within their own countries, many for years or even decades.

Photo:
UNDP Sudan
Giles Clarke
A woman in traditional Peruvian dress stands outdoors, holding an embroidered alpaca rug.
Two women dressed in traditional Peruvian costumes stand in a field winding a skein of alpaca fibre.
A herd of alpacas walk through a green field. Some are wearing jackets.
Peru: Weaving past and future
Traditional knowledge

“I’ve always had alpacas. I love them like they’re my daughters, because they’ve been a part of my life, and I consider them part of my family,” says Nivia Cutipa.

In the Peruvian Andes, the women of the Sumac Vicuñitas Artisans Association of Central Umpuco-Palca are transforming alpaca fibre into beautiful clothing and fabrics while preserving their unique natural and cultural heritage.

Supported by UNDP and the GEF, they are continuing a tradition that pre-dates the Inca. Since ancient times, women have played a crucial role in this craft, preserving ancestral knowledge and contributing to the local economy through wool production and textile weaving.

Photo:
UNDP Peru
Rosa Fernández
A woman in traditional Kenyan dress holds two potted seedlings.
Photo:
UNDP
Equator prize
Kenya : ‘Nature and People as One’
Biodiversity

Nomadic pastoralists are combining traditional ecological knowledge with the latest satellite technology to preserve the lifestyles and dryland habitats of northern Kenya.

Nature and People as One is a women- and youth-led Indigenous organization and an Equator Prize laureate.

Through their stewardship, and with the backing of the GEF Small Grants Programme, more than 550 hectares have been restored. And with GPS being used to monitor biodiversity, more than 10,000 hectares are being managed by the community.

A man wearing a red and black first responders jacket stands on a city street.
A view from inside a car, looking through the windshield at a city street. A man's eyes are reflected in the rear view mirror.
Inside an ambulance a first responder takes the blood pressure of a woman lying on a stretcher.
Ukraine: Empowering communities
Crisis and conflict

As part of Ukraine’s ongoing health care reform, all ambulance drivers are required to qualify as emergency medical technicians. In Chernihiv, the first group of drivers was selected from the most motivated candidates. Anton Atroshchenko volunteered for the training, which was organized as part of the flagship EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine partnership between UNDP and the EU.

What Anton loves most about his job is coming home after a long shift, exhausted but with the feeling of having done his duty. “It’s as if the day wasn’t lived in vain,” he says.

Photo:
UNDP Ukraine
Giles Duley
A woman in traditional Bangladeshi dress is smiling while holding up two crabs.
Photo:
UNDP Bangladesh
Bangladesh: From hardship to leadership
Gender equality

For more than two decades after losing her husband, Oshima Halder’s days were defined by hardship. She worked as a day labourer and walked nearly four hours each day to fetch drinking water. Now she has turned her own struggles into a movement for change.

Elected leader of the 22-member Monpura Women Livelihood Group, she trained in climate-resilient crab farming and hydroponics, a programme which has given women financial independence and a stronger voice in family and community decisions.

Supported by the Green Climate Fund, women who had been confined to household chores are now running aquaculture businesses, work previously only done by men. Hydroponics have added more fresh vegetables to their diets, improving nutrition and reducing their cost of living.

A man standing on the debris of bombed buildings under a cloudy sky, surrounded by signs of destruction.
Gaza: Clearing a path to recovery
Rubble removal

Palestinian civilians in Gaza, especially women and children, have borne the brunt of two years of brutal war, deprived of their basic human rights to food, water, shelter and education.

Gaza is now one of the most devastated places on Earth.

From schools to hospitals to homes, 80 percent of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Removing the 61 million tonnes of rubble is a critical step towards rebuilding Gaza. UNDP technical experts on the ground estimate that this can be done within seven years, under the right conditions.

Supported by Norway, Japan and UNEP, UNDP adopts a comprehensive approach to rubble removal and debris management which covers the full cycle of treatment, from collection to crushing to recycling for use in reconstruction.

Photo:
UNDP PAPP
Abed Zagout
A woman in traditional Kazakh dress embraces a black horse that is wearing a decorative bridle and saddle.
A woman in traditional Kazakh dress sits astride a black horse that is wearing a decorative bridle and saddle.
Kazakhstan: Riding high
Inclusion / Conservation

Six years ago, Amina Yessina left a successful career at a prestigious company to pursue her childhood dream to work with horses and run her own stable.

"In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I started thinking about what I really wanted in life. After all, we only get one,” she says.

Amina established a hippotherapy operation, offering rehabilitation and social integration for people with disabilities. Working with UNDP and the GEF Small Grants Programme, she is also exploring ways to address the environmental footprint of her stable. One major challenge for farms is animal waste. Amina is testing methods of manure processing, using earthworms to produce vermicompost and bio-bacteria to make biohumus, which is then used to improve crop yields.

Photo:
UNDP Kazakhstan
Iris Mambur