UNDP sets up fund to fight poverty

A fund to promote poverty eradication and community development in Nigeria has been launched by the UN Development Programme. The Human Development Fund, the UN agency said on Wednesday, will target the most deprived areas of the country. Sirka Korpela, director of the UNDP division for business partnerships, described the initiative as an offshoot of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Compact. Working with other development partners, it seeks to support projects providing basic social infrastructure, such as clean water, sanitation, and basic health care. It also hopes to assist projects in job creation for youth and people in rural communities, functional literacy, and micro credit. The initiative is to be funded from national, state and local governments, the private sector, wealthy individuals and the international community. So far, the private sector and state governments have pledged more than US $2 million. UNDP Nigeria is providing US $6.3 million to support the initiative, the UN agency said. President Olusegun Obasanjo was quoted by the UNDP as commending the fund, saying: "The human development of Nigeria is a priority of this administration and we value our partnership with UNDP towards this goal." UNDP is already assisting more than 400 community development projects in the West African country, Mbaya Kankwenda, UNDP Resident Representative said, adding that donors can either support the fund's general mission or specify the project and state or locality where they want their donation put to use.