COPENHAGEN - Procurement by the United Nations reached $13.6 billion last year, an increase of more than 34 per cent on the previous year, according to the 2008 Annual Statistical Report on UN Procurement prepared by UNOPS on behalf of the UN system.
The unprecedented growth in procurement delivery is primarily attributable to an increase in peacekeeping operations and the delivery in foodstuffs, the report says.
In the five years since 2004 UN procurement has more than doubled, with procurement of services growing faster than that of goods.
The 10 major countries to supply UN agencies in 2008 included four developing countries – India, Afghanistan, Peru and Sudan. India has featured in this list since 2000, and in 2008 was the second largest supplier to the UN system, with a 4.6 per cent share of total UN procurement volume. Procurement from India includes pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, cold chain equipment and diagnostic test kits, procured primarily by UNICEF.
Procurement from Afghanistan and Peru consisted primarily of construction services executed with national vendors by UNDP and UNOPS respectively. Procurement from Sudan largely consisted of construction services and fuel oils procured by the United Nations Procurement Division in support of peacekeeping operations.
The largest single supplier to the UN is the USA, accounting for 7.7 per cent of total procurement.
Apart from containing brief details of tens of thousands of procurement operations, the 2008 report has an improved opening section featuring an analysis on procurement from developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The analysis of procurement with Global Compact suppliers has been continued (now in its second year) and a sustainability report, using the criteria developed by the UN’s High Level Committee on Management - Procurement Network, is also featured.
For the first time this year the report also includes a thematic supplement that focuses on current issues in procurement. The theme for the 2008 supplement is sustainable procurement. The supplement is introduced by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and includes an overview of the international debate on the subject, case studies and contributions from practitioners and international experts.
The 2008 Annual Statistical Report on UN Procurement prepared by UNOPS on behalf of the UN system is now available for download from the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM) and the UNOPS websites.