Assessment of the UNDP (pilot program on poverty alleviation in urban and semi-urban areas)‎ in Morocco

Dissertant

Baamer, Faical

Thesis advisor

Shoup, John

University

Al Akhawayn University

Faculty

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

International Studies and Diplomacy

University Country

Morocco

Degree

Master

Degree Date

2007

English Abstract

Underdevelopment is seen today as a major problem causing various kinds of instabilities at the local, regional and international levels.

Promoting human development has become a major necessity to establish a more stable international system.

To reach this end, several international organizations have committed themselves to the promotion of human development programs in underdeveloped countries.

Yet, these efforts have not always achieved the intended goals and many problems that lead to underdevelopment persist.

This study is an attempt to look at the efficiency and social impact of an international organization, The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), approach in promoting human development in Morocco.

This study has the aim of determining the strengths and weaknesses of the UNDP developmental approach, at both national and local levels, and of assessing the impact of one of their sponsored programs.

A field investigation was conducted to achieve these aims.

This study investigated the impact of the UNDP Pilot Program on Poverty Alleviation in Urban and Semi-Urban Areas in the city of Tangier.

It investigates the impact of the program on four variables of human development: poverty, education, health and empowerment.

The findings of the study showed that the UNDP is not expected to be the direct implementer of the projects that are expected to have major impact on vulnerable groups.

The UNDP is responsible for creating and enhancing the adequate environment needed for sound developmental programs as well as for testing developmental approaches at the micro level.

These programs can then be implemented at the macro level.

Partnership and participatory approaches constitute the main framework within which the UNDP implements its programs.

These two approaches have wide focus because they mainly serve two duties: mobilization of resources and empowerment of local and national actors.

Although the introduced program and projects were innovative in dealing with poverty issues in Morocco, they did not have significant impact on the promotion of human development and improving vulnerable groups’ well-being at the local level.

Although the main focus of the program was to empower local actors, these entities are still facing a variety of constraints that limit their ability to effectively promote human development and poverty alleviation.

The field study showed that this outcome is mainly due to a variety of factors, such as: poor consideration to the multi-dimensional nature of poverty and human development; lack of institutional arrangements capable of sustaining the changes brought by the program; the small scale of the implemented projects; limited understanding of the various local stakeholders of the dimensions of human development; lack of human capabilities able to profit from the introduced approaches; civil society’s and grass-root movements’ limited ability to effectively promote sound developmental policies.

These factors have been advanced as the main constraints limiting local actors’ ability to promote sound development policies at the grass-root level.

Main Subjects

Engineering & Technology Sciences (Multidisciplinary)

No. of Pages

137

Table of Contents

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-590445