Fostering and Celebrating Sustainable Procurement in the UN System

Every year, the UN system procures essential goods and services, like medicines and safety equipment, managing billions of dollars. This purchase power comes with great responsibility, with UN system personnel assuring that budgets are spent efficiently and sustainably within the UN system. 

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is celebrating excellence demonstrated by UN Entities in the field of procurement. UNOPS published the Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement (ASR) and is organizing the UN Procurement Awards on an annual basis.

The Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement

2024 marked the 40th edition of the annual report on UN procurement, that was originally managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The report provides a comprehensive overview of the procurement of the UN system in support of its operations, projects and programmes. One of the key aspects of the report is sustainable procurement with 30 out of 32 UN entities providing data, based on voluntary reporting of high coverage. 

As reported in the 2024 report, UN Entities accelerated sustainable procurement efforts:
 

• UN entities reported the use of the Sustainable Procurement Indicators aligned with the UN Sustainability Strategy on their tenders.
• UNOPS launched a Supplier Resource Centre providing resources and training for suppliers.
• UN entities made significant progress on climate-related initiatives, such as UNICEF’s Scope 3 greenhouse gas baseline assessment to identify supply chain hotspots and prioritize mitigation actions. 
• 25 out of 30 UN entities reported having a formal procurement policy integrating sustainability considerations and 21 out of 30 set measurable sustainability targets.

 
The UN Procurement Awards

The UN Procurement Awards aim to recognize and celebrate excellence within the United Nations system regarding procurement and supply chain management. The Awards highlight the pivotal role and motivation of procurers and supply management professionals in achieving strategic UN objectives. Success stories are displayed as inspiration to the UN and public sector Entities.

 
The Procurement Awards are coordinated by the High-Level Committee on Management’s Procurement Network (HLCM PN) and its Professional Development working group. The responsible cross-agency Project Team comprises representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

The category for sustainable procurement was introduced in 2022. UNOPS’ “Procurement of Medicines and Medical Supplies in Mexico” earned the award in this category. 

By leveraging the Annual Statistical report and celebrating the UN Procurement Awards, the UN system ensures transparency and accountability in procurement while promoting sustainable procurement practices across UN entities.