The following are some examples of recent activities:

Rural development

UNOPS-supported projects in rural areas provide local communities with income-generating opportunities and encourage sustainable development.

The Government of Italy's Fund for Fighting Poverty in the Sahel specifically aims at combating desertification by promoting sustainable use of natural resources in the Sahel regions of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal.

Tangible results are achieved through training and capacity development of local beneficiary groups, based on four distinct project modules: organization and community dynamics, financial management, procurement within the rural community and local development.

Procurement

For the last 20 years the Government of Japan has supported agricultural and industrial development in West Africa with its Japanese Procurement Programme. As part of the programme, UNOPS in Senegal manages the procurement and distribution of equipment necessary to the development of these sectors on behalf of the Governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, Sao Tome and Príncipe, and Senegal.

Environmental protection

On behalf of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNOPS in Senegal manages various projects in eastern and central Africa that address biodiversity and sustainable use of land and other natural resources.

In Cameroon, Gabon and the Congo, UNOPS in Senegal assists the national governments in implementing a landuse management plan that protects the unique biodiversity of the Congo Basin. In the three countries' cross-border zone commercial logging and hunting for wildlife pose significant threats to the environment.

The project is developing local capacity to regulate these activities and control the use of natural resources. UNOPS in Senegal is helping establish an effective law enforcement system and participatory management approaches that involve the indigenous communities.

Governance

UNOPS delivers services in the area of elections and governance to facilitate the transition to democracy and ensure transparency in the public sector.

UNOPS in Senegal helped the authorities of Cameroon implement legislative elections in 2007. In less than two months UNOPS in Senegal procured election materials including 25,000 ballot boxes. Staff were recruited and trained to oversee the process on election day, especially important given the extensive use of IT technology. The UNOPS in Senegal-supported establishment of an independent electoral commission strengthened the electoral process as a whole.