The ADR Republic of Guatemala covered the period from 2002 to 2008. Guatemala has been one of the not-so-frequent cases in which the United Nations closely combined the peace-building mandate of its General Assembly with post-conflict development. As a result, UNDP in Guatemala continues to enjoy high recognition as a neutral agency, a broker and promoter of dialogue on sensitive issues. UNDP has contributed in the areas of governance and crisis prevention and recovery. The record is less strong in the areas of poverty and the environment. Yet with the global economic crisis, poverty and environment are likely to acquire more prominence in the near future and challenge the past orientations of UNDP in these areas. UNDP has been heavily involved in the management of public programmes: this has brought about more impartial, transparent and faster execution. On the other hand, replacing the state's function may create a risk of perpetuating dependency without promoting long-term capacity of national institutions. During the years 2005-2007, UNDP has been able to rapidly re-adapt and respond to the shifting demands of Government and donors but has not always struck a balance between long-term country development needs and short-term demands and opportunities, leading to a thematic dispersion throughout the programme.