Liberalisation and globalisation present particular challenges when it comes to the equitable distribution of the benefits of growth and the reduction of poverty. The Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP), and the Regional Director in particular, are attempting to use the poverty reduction cluster as a vehicle to position UNDP at the centre of this debate and to contribute to policy development. It is exceedingly difficult to judge the impact of the programme on national policies and presently the programme staff do not systematically collect any indicators that might aid in this effort. UNDP is clearly not yet in a position to play the this function. If UNDP is to gain access to policy-making, UNDP must have a substantive interface, not just in the Regional Centre, but in its country offices too. This requires substantive capacity to be boosted at the country level with sufficient substantive capacity located in the country offices to enable day-to-day engagement with relevant ministries at an appropriate level and in key policy-making processes. UNDP drew on the specialised agencies of the UN system for necessary substantive capacity. UNDP is not known for its substantive contributions to macroeconomic policy or trade. As a consequence, the UNDP is faced with the considerable challenge of gaining credibility through its work in an environment dominated by Ministries of Finance, Central Banks and Ministries of Commerce/Trade, none of which have traditionally been the principal counterparts of UNDP, as well as the considerable intellectual and analytical capacity of the functional departments of the IMF, World Bank and WTO.