• UNDP strategic plan 2014-2017: Changing with the world |
Turhan Saleh      20 Jan 2014      An aerial view of the city of
Sehwan Sharif in Pakistan     An aerial view of the city of
Sehwan Sharif in Pakistan's southern Sindh Province. Photo:
UN/WFP/Amjad Jamal.      We are at a very important moment in
modern history, an inflection point, meaning that things are
going to be very different in the future than they have been in
the past. First, the role that developing countries play in the
world – in the economy, science, technology, politics, culture –
is changing dramatically. Their importance and influence, which
is rising rapidly already, will increase greatly.      Second,
for the first time in human history, more people are living in
cities and towns than in villages. The fastest rates of
urbanization are in developing countries, specifically in Sub-
Saharan Africa. Just think about how this changes our
conventional view of where and how people live in the developing
world.      Third, we have technologi