Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the areas of skill development, employment, carbon credits, digital governance, and sustainable development. During a courtesy meeting at the Secretariat on Friday, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan and UNDP India Deputy Resident Representative Ms. Izabel Tschan held detailed discussions on various development initiatives.
The Chief Secretary said that for a hilly state like Uttarakhand, skill development and employment generation for youth are among the government’s highest priorities. He requested UNDP to provide technical assistance in skill development, livelihood promotion, carbon credits, and the expansion of digital services. He added that the state government is working on developing a digital tracking system for children from birth and strengthening online public services, where UNDP’s expertise could be highly beneficial.
He further noted that nearly 70 percent of Uttarakhand’s geographical area is covered by forests, giving the state immense potential in the field of carbon credits. Technical cooperation in this sector would not only support environmental conservation but also strengthen the local economy.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Ms. Izabel Tschan said the organisation is already providing technical support to Uttarakhand in areas such as good governance, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), public policy, entrepreneurship, information technology, monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, and private-sector partnerships. She added that under the broader Memorandum of Understanding signed with the state government, cooperation will continue in climate change, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, disaster risk reduction, skill development, the circular economy, and knowledge management.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Additional Secretary Narendra Singh Bhandari, and senior UNDP officials.
