In countries such as Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cyprus, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Myanmar, Nicaragua, the occupied Palestinian territory, Peru, Serbia, Somalia and Sri Lanka, UNOPS is supporting the EC’s efforts to provide physical infrastructure, justice and security sector reform, environmental management as well as social and economic development. In addition, UNOPS provides logistical, security and administrative support for Electoral Observer Missions in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Nicaragua and Peru.

In November 2008 UNOPS signed a Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement (FAFA) with the European Union (EU) facilitating future cooperation between the two institutions. Under this framework, UNOPS has signed projects with the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) which include transitional shelter construction in both Haiti and Sri Lanka as well as projects which facilitate access to occupied Palestinian territory for UN and international NGOs.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

With the support of the European Fund for Development, the Linking Relief Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) programme is designed to combine relief and development efforts. The rehabilitation of the main road between Kisangani, a major port city on the Congo River in the middle of the country, and Lubutu towards the fertile eastern provinces is essential for the flow of people and produce between the two regions. The programme has assisted with the reconstruction of 252 km of road and five bridges. It has also raised community awareness about the dangers of unexploded munitions. The EU fully funded this project with a budget of $10.3 million and the work was implemented by UNOPS.

Iraq

Since 2004, UNOPS Iraq office has implemented 36 projects with a total budget value of $224 million for the United Nations Development Group Iraq Trust Fund, the main mechanism for foreign funding of UN projects in Iraq. As the EU is a major contributor to the fund with donations totaling €495.6 million, a large part of these projects were either partially or fully funded by EU donations and UNOPS maintains close relations with the European Commission’s Delegation to Iraq.

The Promotion of Human Rights Culture in Iraq through Support to Human Rights Iraqi Civil Society Organizations project was created as part of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) of the European Commission. The project aimed to improve the delivery of justice and the protection of detainees’ human rights as well as to increase the capacity and visibility of institutions engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights.

Activities directly supported the physical, psychological, social and medical rehabilitation of torture victims as well as improving the capacity of 100 human rights organizations to provide outreach services. The project was funded with €2.6 million from the EU through UNDP.

Building on the Promotion of Human Rights in Iraq, under the umbrella project Support to the Rule of Law and Justice in Iraq, UNOPS is currently implementing the three year Programme for the Protection of Detainees and Torture Victims in Iraq (PPDT) in collaboration with UNDP, and the Human Rights Office of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq.

The PPDT has a wider geographical coverage and involves a larger number of organizations than the previous project. It aims to reach a larger number of torture victims and introduces complementary activities such as legal aid. Through strengthening close partnerships with key Iraqi rule of law institutions and ongoing international efforts to enhance the correctional system in Iraq, the PPDT works to improve protection and respect of detainees’ human rights throughout the country. The project is funded by the EU through UNDP.

Kosovo

UNOPS Kosovo office is supporting efforts to promote reconciliation within and between Kosovo’s ethnic groups. On behalf of the EC, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and the Government of the United States of America, UNOPS provides project management and administrative support to the Appointment of Judges and Prosecutors project. The project supports the establishment of an independent and professional judiciary and prosecution service to administer Kosovo’s justice system professionally and transparently, building public confidence and trust in public order and security. UNOPS administers merit-based vetting and selection of some judges and prosecutors across Kosovo.

Myanmar

The Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) is a multi donor fund of $100 million for the poorest and most vulnerable people in Myanmar. It is governed by a donor consortium including the Australian Agency for International Development, the UK’s Department for International Development, the EC and the governments of Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

A first round Call for Proposals was launched on 11 November 2009 for interested implementing partners including UN Agencies, international and local non-governmental organizations and professional associations authorized to operate in the prioritized areas. Geographical areas include prioritized townships of the Delta, Dry Zone, Shan State, Chin State, Rakhine State and Kachin State. LIFT is aligned to the National Medium-term Priority Framework and to the Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan for the Delta areas. Proposals will focus on community based interventions targeting the poorest and most vulnerable groups. UNOPS is the fund manager of LIFT, proving technical and financial management.

The Three Diseases Fund (3DF) a multi-donor initiative to reduce the human suffering caused by HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) in Myanmar. Responding to this growing crisis, a consortium of donors comprising the European Commission and the governments of Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom established a pooled funding mechanism to finance efforts to reduce the burden of the three diseases in Myanmar.

Its core aim is to provide a simple and transparent instrument to finance a nationwide programme of activities to reduce the transmission of HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria, and enhance care and treatment through access to essential drugs and related services. 3DF-financed projects target those most at risk, with particular focus on people with limited or no access to public health services due to geographic or security constraints or because of discrimination based on factors such as ethnicity, gender or financial status. UNOPS provides fund management services to the 3DF.

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Improving the resources of the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP) is essential to maintaining public order and security within the Palestinian National Authority territory. UNOPS is assisting the implementation of support to the PCP coordinated by the European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS). The upgrade of the existing Police Training Facility in Jericho is part of this assistance. The facility is being refurbished and upgraded in order to expand the capacity from 150 officers and cadets to 664 personnel.

The upgrade project is funded by the EC as well as by the Governments of Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. The project budget is $14 million and is being implemented by a full time UNOPS team of three international and nine local staff, all based in Jericho. The project will refurbish the four existing campus buildings and boundary fences, and provide new infrastructure for water, sewage, electricity and irrigation. New facilities being constructed include accommodation for both male and female cadets, training buildings such as an auditorium and class rooms, as well as a new podium, parade ground and a traffic training area.

The design has environmental benefits such as treatment of waste water on site to allow its re-use in washing facilities and for the irrigation of the newly landscaped areas. A procurement component providing vehicles and communications equipment to the PCP is also being supported by a number of EU member states and the EC. The programme is being coordinated by EUPOL COPPS and implemented by UNOPS and will improve law enforcement throughout the West Bank.

Pakistan

On behalf of the Delegation of the EU to Pakistan (DEUP), UNOPS is assisting with the procurement of non-military, counter-terrorism goods and services for civilian law enforcement agencies in Pakistan. The overall objective is to procure equipment and services that increase the proficiency and performance of bomb disposal units within the provincial police units of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces.

UNOPS is providing procurement assistance for the acquisition of non-lethal bomb disposal equipment including, a fully equipped bomb disposal vehicle, a bomb disposal trailer with a robot, one portable X-ray device and two sets of bomb disposal suits and helmets. This equipment will increase the capacity of these police units to detect, handle and dispose of improvised explosive devices (IED) resulting in increased public safety and greater public confidence in the police.

Sri Lanka

The 2004 tsunami rendered thousands of Sri Lankans in the Ampara district isolated, vulnerable and without sustainable livelihoods. The EU-funded Community Access Programme was established to rehabilitate and construct up to 400 km of durable, maintainable, paved all-weather roads as well as to replace and rehabilitate bridges and drainage structures throughout the region. The programme also includes the implementation of maintenance on 250 km of road surfaces by the rural councils throughout the district. UNOPS Sri Lanka was selected as an implementing partner by the EU to work with local authorities and the National Ministries on the programme, which has provided three million days of work for local people through labour based implementation. It also improved access to services that are fundamental to growth and poverty alleviation.

Another notable initiative being funded by the EU to help Ampara district to recover from the effects of the tsunami is the Environmental Remediation Programme (ERP). The ERP focuses on improving solid waste management throughout the region, improving surface water and urban storm-water drainage and planting trees in roadside, coastal and mangrove regions of the district. UNOPS is directly implementing much of this project and the solid waste capacity building and public awareness components are being implemented under contract. The project will involve local authorities and communities in each stage of the project from design to completion.

Support to European Union Electoral Observer Missions

Electoral Observer Missions (EOM) contribute to the promotion of democracy and human rights in the framework of a larger cooperation with partner countries, within the thematic European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). The presence of observers during the whole process of election is a way to ensure transparency and therefore strengthen the democratization process. Transparent elections are essential to effective democracy. The presence of the EOM reduces the possibility of fraud, manipulation, intimidation and improves the legal framework and conduct of future elections, as well as public confidence in the institutions. UNOPS has been providing logistical, security and administrative support for Electoral Observer Missions in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Nicaragua and Peru.