The UNDP Programme “Partnership for the Future (PFF)”, funded by the EU, has been awarded the prestigious ISO 9001 certification in recognition of the high quality standards it implements for its activities in support of the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot private sector.

ISO is the short name for the International Organization of Standardization, an international agency consisting of almost 100 member countries. ISO works to promote the development of standards, testing, and certification to encourage the trade of quality products and services around the globe.

Over the past two years UNDP, through its programme “Partnership for the Future” has been supporting several initiatives aiming at increasing the level of competitiveness of the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot business communities hence facilitating their integration into the highly competitive EU markets while contributing to the reconciliation process in Cyprus as well.

“In getting ISO 9001, we wanted to prove that UNDP is not a bureaucratic organization. We can assist not only the private sector but also apply the same high standards that are requested to operate in the demanding context of the business world. This has contributed to increase tremendously the leverage and the impact of what we are doing and the credibility of UNDP vis-?-vis our programme beneficiaries” says Giuseppe Belsito, UNDP’s PFF Business Development Adviser.

Going through the ISO 9001 auditing and certification process has obliged the UNDP/PFF staff to revise systematically all administrative and management procedures in order to make them cost effective. “It has been a daunting task but it allowed us to identify bottlenecks in our procedures and formulate corrective actions which have made our operations more efficient,” says programme associate Bora Mazhar.

“It has been a rewarding experience also from the human point of view as the ISO process requires the staff to work together more closely and share responsibilities. This contributed to strengthen the team spirit in our office and to feel more the sense of belonging to UNDP,” adds Programme Analyst Stratos Sounoglou.

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