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Add to Preferred SourcesThe United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched two global initiatives designed to help developing economies attract investment, strengthen business environments and create more and better-paid jobs, according to a press release. The Investment Accelerator and the Jobs for Prosperity Facility were announced on October 13, 2026, in Bangkok during the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings. Both initiatives will be backed by expanded partnerships with the World Bank Group, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). They form part of UNDP’s five new corporate flagship initiatives supporting its Strategic Plan 2026–2029. Together, they aim to connect national priorities with the finance and expertise needed to turn investment into employment and higher incomes.
The initiatives respond to a growing jobs gap across developing economies. An estimated 1.2 billion young people will enter the workforce over the next decade, while only 400 million jobs are projected to be created. Closing that gap will require significantly greater investment and stronger links between economic policy, finance, business development and labor markets. UNDP already supports more than 100 countries in strengthening financing frameworks and advancing sustainable finance. Since 2022, UNDP-supported work has helped align or leverage more than $920 billion in public and private finance for the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Investment Accelerator will support governments in improving investment policies and regulations, developing investment-ready projects and pipelines, engaging investors and moving projects from preparation to implementation. The Jobs for Prosperity Facility will focus on translating economic growth into employment by helping countries identify sectors with strong job-creation potential, aligning skills with employer demand and addressing barriers to business investment and hiring. It will also support the development of sector-specific pipelines capable of creating more and better-paid jobs. UNDP has identified more than 700 SDG investment opportunity areas across over 50 countries. Together, the two initiatives aim to strengthen businesses, expand productive capacity and sustain employment growth.
UNDP recently signed a Cooperation Framework with the World Bank Group, with pilot initiatives already underway in Nepal, Yemen, Haiti, Lebanon and Ghana. During the Annual Meetings, UNDP will also sign memoranda of understanding with the EIB and the EBRD to deepen cooperation on investment and development priorities.
“Developing countries have enormous economic potential and ambitious plans for growth and job creation. Our role is to support those ambitions and help turn them into real results for people,” said Alexander De Croo, Administrator of UNDP.
He added that the new initiatives will help connect country priorities with finance and expertise, working with governments, development banks and private investors. These agreements build on established partnerships, including UNDP’s work with Generali and with Italy and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) through the Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance (PISTA).
The launch dialogue, co-hosted by the Office of the Italian Executive Director at the World Bank Group and Generali, featured opening remarks by World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and brought together De Croo, Generali Chairman Andrea Sironi and Dr. Santitharn, Thailand’s Vice Minister of Finance. Discussions highlighted the role of insurance and risk finance in attracting investment. In 2025, natural catastrophes in Asia caused $65 billion in economic losses, of which only $5 billion was insured, leaving governments, businesses and households to absorb the remaining 92 percent. Since 2022, UNDP and Generali have worked together to strengthen small-business resilience in Asia, develop sovereign risk-financing solutions in Viet Nam and support coffee value-chain resilience in Uganda alongside the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The partnership was renewed in 2025 for another three years.