UNCDF in Burundi




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The Challenge

The Republic of Burundi ranks 178th out of 187 countries in the 2012 Human Development Index. Two decades of conflict have resulted in grave social setbacks and decimated the local infrastructure. The crisis has had a direct effect on the governance system, which tends to be highly centralized, under-inclusive, and with low national and local capacities to provide security and essential services. As the country continues to work towards stabilization, the Government has responded to these challenges by devising initiatives that support a decentralization process. The goal of the decentralization process is to strengthen public services at the local level towards the goal of reducing poverty.

How We Are Helping?

Since 2006, UNCDF has been helping Burundi meet its development challenges. Through its programme Appui à la Reconstruction et au Développement Communal dans la province de Rutana project, UNCDF supports decentralization and poverty reduction. The programme works to strengthen local institutional capacity in public expenditure management piloted on the basis of a local development fund.

In Detail

Project

Appui à la Reconstruction et au Développement Communal dans la province de Rutana
Goal To support decentralization and poverty reduction.
How
  • By strengthening local institutional capacity in public expenditure management piloted through a local development fund.
Period 2006-2011
Partners UNCDF, UNDP, SDC, Government of Burundi.
Total project cost and UNCDF contribution USD 6,200,000
USD 2,237,556
Project

MicroLead
Goal To increase access to financial services, particularly savings, by supporting the expansion of microfinance savings-led market leaders in underserved countries.
How
  • Offering grants and loans that incentivize leading providers to start up new, or strengthen existing financial institutions that target low-income people, especially with savings, in underserved areas, particularly countries struggling to recover from crisis and conflict;
  • Through a competitive process to select leading indigenous microfinance providers from developing countries to expand their reach by implementing a variety of approaches including greenfields, transformations of MFIs to formally regulated deposit-taking institutions, and providing technical assistance to in-country MFIs;
  • Supporting technical advisors who work to help those providers to develop the institutional capacity to extend their reach.
Period 2008-2017
Partners UNCDF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Mastercard Foundation, LIFT Myanmar.
Total project cost and UNCDF contribution USD 58,562,939
USD 7,871,850