The United Nations resident  coordinator madam Chinwe Dike has said that the new United Nations  Development Assessment Framework (UNDAF) will continue to work closely on three national development priorities: poverty reduction and social protection, basic social services and governance, and human rights.
Madam Dike was speaking at the launch of the new (UNDAF) 2012-2016 on Wednesday in collaboration with the government of The Gambia at the Atlantic Hotel in Banjul.
Guided by the 2000 millennium declaration and goals, the UNDAF provides the operational framework and strategic guidance between the government of The Gambia and the United Nations system in The Gambia.
According to her UNDAF 2012-2016 seeks to support the national development priorities identified in the programme for accelerated growth (PAGE). The identified programme areas are agriculture, strengthening government institutions and strengthening public financial management.
The UN resident coordinator prayed for government’s treasured participation in the UNDAF. “We hope that for the next UNDAF, the government will take complete leadership and ownership of the process.”
She said the UNDAF task force has been primarily responsible for drafting the document, discussing and validating the detailed outputs in the results matrix; agreeing on the indicators that form the monitoring and evaluation framework.
In addition, “these three pillars are also targets in the national development programs for accelerated growth and employment (PAGE) 2012-2015, which replaces the poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) 2007-2011,” said madam Dike.
She also said that, preparation of the current UNDAF has undergone thoroughly participatory process, consisting of consultative workshops with donor groups, civil society and stakeholders.
“Based on an earlier common country assessment (CCM), this UNDAF document  is not only in line with the national development priorities outlined  in the PAGE, but it is also aligned to universally accepted principles, as adopted by UN,” she revealed.
“For example, a human rights-based approach, gender equality and the development of national capacities. In general it strives towards the attainment of the management development goals (MDGs).” nothing that the United Nations in The Gambia is part of The Gambian Family.
The general secretary and head of the civil service Njogu Bah on behalf of the Government of The Gambia, said a number of UN workers have worked together with the government of The Gambia. “We have been working together for the past five years for the development of the country,” he said.  
“As a government I’m without doubt that we cannot still maintain the development of the country and archive our national goals in the years to come.  He promised that the government will work together with the United Nations team in The Gambia for the development of the country.