UNDP to grant Nicaragua $292.5m

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will earmark 292.5 million U.S. dollars in aid for Nicaragua over the next four years, the agency announced Thursday in Managua. The fund will go toward reducing poverty and guaranteeing the right to food security, health and education, said Pablo Mandeville, the UN resident coordinator in Managua, in a press conference at UNDP's office in Managua. The fund will also be used to protect environment and strengthen institutional capacities for technological innovation and industrialization, he said. "The United Nations reaffirms its commitment to support Nicaragua, with new focuses and new strategies that are in step with the country's current development stage," said Mandeville, referring to the UNDP's 2013-2017 Development Assistance Framework. He said the UNDP designed the Development Assistance Framework based on the priorities of the Nicaraguan government. Thursday marks the 68th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations.