UNDP websites and social change

The most diverse society is that of our global community. One of the principal global agencies for social change, particularly in terms of economic and social development, is the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). UNDP is a global organization under the aegis of the United Nations, with its headquarters in New York, characterized as a ‘global city’. At the same time, UNDP has offices throughout the world, both at regional and local levels. UNDP Headquarters, UNDP Regional Offices and UNDP Country Programs use digital media to communicate with others, through websites. The UN System has expressed an interest in developing more participatory governance systems for social change. Digital media and the internet have been viewed as a mechanism through which the ‘global’ heights of the UN can keep in touch with grassroots. The purpose of this paper is to examine the different types of UNDP websites, in order to ascertain who the various types of sites address and with what intention. This will be done in the context of stated United Nations policy and within a framework of global-local social organization.