Little is known about the UNDP whose stellar achievements have been overshadowed by political and other activities at the United Nations. Set up in 1966, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), financed by voluntary contributions from its members, is a pre-eminent, universal and neutral organisation which provides Grants-Aid in the form of Technical Assistance to developing countries to foster institution building, capacity building, sustained human development, and eradication of poverty, especially in low income and least developed countries.

This book provides a simple, coherent and richly rewarding narrative of the UNDP's evolution since its inception. It explains major changes in policies and trends in performance. It highlights strong head winds encountered in resource mobilisation from major donor countries and discusses how these have transformed the UNDP today. This pioneering book is an indispensable guide to the history of the UNDP.

The present volume is a sequel to the author's much acclaimed earlier work, United Nations Development Aid: A Study in History and Politics, published in 2008 by Academic Foundation.