Mandate

In 1995, UNOPS was established by the UN General Assembly as a ‘separate and identifiable entity’. Grounded in the principles of the UN Charter – peace, justice, human dignity, tolerance and solidarity – UNOPS was tasked with undertaking implementation as its core expertise, working in complementarity with the UN system.

In 2010, the General Assembly established UNOPS as a ‘United Nations organization’ with a mandate as a demand-driven, non-programmatic service provider and a self-reliant operating model. This resolution reaffirmed UNOPS role as a central resource for the UN system, and encouraged UNOPS to enhance engagements as a service provider to partners across development, humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts.

In 2023, in conjunction with a series of management reforms, the Executive Board welcomed UNOPS return to its original mandate of providing infrastructure, procurement and project management services. It encouraged UNOPS to analyze and report on contributions of service delivery to the operational results of its partners, the expansion of partners’ implementation capacity, as well as the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.