2022

A year in review

Building resilience amid unprecedented global challenges.

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Foreword

I am pleased to share UNOPS 2022 Year in Review.
2022 was a challenging year, for UNOPS and the world around us. A long list of global challenges loom over prospects for development: From the climate crisis to conflicts and inequality. From food insecurity to geopolitical tensions, the list goes on.
At UNOPS, a series of management failures associated with the former Sustainable Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation (S3i) initiative, shook the trust of our partners and our own people. Under the direction of the UNOPS Executive Board, a wide-ranging set of reforms were enacted, which informed the UNOPS restated Strategic Plan (2022-2025). I place on record my sincere gratitude to my predecessor, Jens Wandel, for guiding UNOPS throughout this difficult period and for helping to set the direction for a better future.
As we now look back at 2022, one thing is abundantly clear: Even as UNOPS was undergoing a journey of reform, our people remained focused on their commitment to making a positive difference to lives around the world, advancing efforts to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.

– Jorge Moreira da Silva, UNOPS Executive Director

At UNOPS, we understand that unprecedented global challenges must be met with unprecedented commitment, collaboration and solutions.

In 2022, we came together with our partners to mobilize climate action, contribute to crisis and conflict response, promote good health and well-being, and help fight growing inequalities.

The 2030 Agenda is an agenda of justice and equality, of inclusive, sustainable development, and human rights and dignity for all.

8.7M
days of paid work for local people

Local livelihoods

In 2022, the projects we supported created almost 8.7 million days of paid work for local people, with 4.1 million days undertaken by women.
17
Global Goals supported

Sustainable Development Goals

In 2022, we worked with the UN family and partners to advance all 17 SDGs – in particular SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and SDG 1 (no poverty).
$3.5B
delivered in projects

Project delivery

In 2022, UNOPS delivered around $3.5 billion in peace and security, humanitarian and development projects, working in over 80 countries.

Supporting lives amid fragility

As conflicts and climate change increasingly threaten communities around the world, we’re on the ground to respond.

In 2022, we worked together with local and international partners to respond to urgent needs and support vulnerable people.

From procuring essential supplies to rehabilitating critical infrastructure, we supported communities in some of the most fragile and complex environments.

3⃣7⃣ schools in Kharkiv city and oblast are set to be restored by the European Union and @UNOPS.

In Ukraine, over 2,500 schools have been damaged and more than 280 destroyed by Russia’s war.

Access to education remains crucial - especially in war-affected areas. pic.twitter.com/4fDJgJIoeT
— EU Humanitarian Aid | European Neighbourhood 🇪🇺 (@echo_Europe) May 26, 2023

In this new era of conflict and interconnected challenges, we urgently need collective answers.

In these trying times for our region and country, international assistance is a lifeline, helping communities and households endure the cold winter months and preserving the fundamentals of a high quality of life.

Ukraine

The conflict in Ukraine has left millions of people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

In 2022, we supported emergency response efforts to provide much-needed assistance to vulnerable communities – improving living conditions, restoring key public infrastructure, procuring vital medical equipment and more.

Explore how

A significant part of our support is channeled through UN partners, such as UNOPS, doing an extremely important job.

Pakistan

In the wake of the devastating floods last year and thanks to funding from the World Bank, UNOPS assisted the government with the procurement of 3 million mosquito nets and 1 million tents. UNOPS also supported the Post Disaster Needs Assessment with the World Bank and government of Pakistan.

Read more

Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, COVID-19 brought tremendous pressure on the economy – and in particular the agricultural sector. The pandemic disrupted the transportation and logistics systems needed to deliver vital agricultural supplies and tools.

This led to reduced crop production, which resulted in a shortage of staple crops like wheat as well as a high increase in the prices of major staple food items – impacting food-insecure households in rural communities and vulnerable people in urban areas.

To help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the price of one of Ethiopia's major staple crops, UNOPS procured 320,000 metric tons of wheat on behalf of the government of Ethiopia.

Climate resilience: Urgent and non-negotiable

We’re using our expertise to build a future with clean air, clean water and a livable climate. One that will support our planet and all the life it holds.

Together with our partners, we’re supporting efforts to accelerate the shift to sustainable, low-carbon economies.

To this end, we’re leveraging the strength of quality infrastructure and improved procurement processes to advance climate action and adaptation – building resilience for people and the planet.

Our world needs climate action on all fronts – everything, everywhere, all at once.

Publication

Inclusive infrastructure for climate action

Our report identifies 7 action areas and 24 recommendations that governments and other stakeholders can use to deliver inclusive infrastructure for climate action – helping to ensure no one is left behind.
Together for implementation: UNOPS at COP27

At the 27th Convention on Climate Change (COP27), UNOPS joined global leaders, the UN family, technical experts, thought leaders, youth representatives and more to spearhead discussions on advancing climate action and building a world that leaves no one behind.
Our Climate

UNOPS has been climate neutral since 2012. In 2022, UNOPS operations emitted 11,647 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, the common unit for describing greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change is not one thing. It’s cross-cutting. It affects us in very different manners and there will be different solutions in different localizations. Without sharing of information, sharing of knowledge, sharing of tools and working together, we will not be able to address [the] fundamental challenges related to global warming.

The Platform on Disaster Displacement Secretariat is hosted by UNOPS.

Photo: © IFRC/AJ Ghani

Global

The Global Programme on Nature for Development aims to support governments and communities shift towards more sustainable economic growth models – with a focus on protecting, managing and restoring biodiversity and ecosystems. At the same time, they aim to create employment and livelihood opportunities for poor and excluded populations, sustaining water and food security, and preventing natural disasters.

The programme helps to highlight nature-based solutions for sustainable development. It also aims to enable legal and regulatory frameworks, policies and institutions to ensure the conservation, sustainable use, and access and benefit-sharing of natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystems.

The programme includes several different initiatives – including the Equator Initiative, the UN Biodiversity Lab, Learning for Nature and the Nature for Life Hub – which support countries to plan and implement these solutions and strengthen commitments towards biodiversity.

Led by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UNOPS supports the programme by providing a range of project management and resource allocation services.

Tackling the growing impacts of climate change that are already being felt by communities around the world requires concrete actions that we can and must take together.

Reducing disaster risk will make a huge difference to lives on an individual level and strengthen sustainable development in a range of sectors – from health to environmental management and livelihoods.

Timor-Leste

UNOPS is helping enhance early warning systems and strengthen community resilience to hydro-meteorological hazards, as part of a UNEP-led Green Climate Fund project in Timor-Leste.

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Haiti

UNOPS is helping to provide safe school facilities for students and teachers in Haiti’s Artibonite, North, South and Grand’Anse departments.

Based on assessments conducted by the government of Haiti and UNESCO, UNOPS will rehabilitate, reconstruct and retrofit school facilities to improve their resilience to climate change and natural disasters.

The new facilities will strengthen Haiti’s educational system and support disaster risk reduction in the country.

Young people are leading the way by holding a mirror up to decision makers – and reminding them that we have no time to waste. The rest of us – from world leaders to ordinary citizens – have a responsibility not just to amplify their call for a sustainable, low-carbon future, but to do our share in making that vision a reality.

Healthcare to serve generations

It’s a priority: We address health inequities guided by principles of resilience, inclusion and sustainability.

Inequities in health prevent underserved populations from achieving their full potential.

To address the health challenges the world faces and build a healthier future for all, sustainable, inclusive and resilient health systems are critical.

From Gaza and Honduras to Somalia and beyond, in 2022, we supported partners to improve access to quality healthcare.

We help build critical health infrastructure, procure essential medical items and equipment, strengthen services and capacity, respond to health emergencies, manage vital health funds and programmes, and more.

Building a healthier future for all.

Building health system resilience in an uncertain world

In 2022, a UNOPS-supported report published by Economist Impact examined the different strategies countries can take to build more resilient health systems. We spoke to some of the report’s contributors to learn more.

Read the report

Around the world, an estimated 1 billion people are served by health facilities without access to electricity, or with very unreliable access. The need to build resilient, sustainable and inclusive health infrastructure – with reliable access to energy – has never been more pertinent.

Gaza

Renewable energy is helping provide a reliable supply of electricity at the Gaza European Hospital.

Chronic power outages, sometimes lasting up to 16 hours a day, heavily impacted the day-to-day running of the health facility, which had to rely on expensive fuel generators to keep critical services functioning.

With funding from the government of Japan, UNOPS supported the Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority to provide a renewable energy solution.

The new 715 kilowatt hybrid solar system will power approximately 70 per cent of the hospital’s energy needs, reduce costs and enable doctors to provide around-the-clock life-saving care.

Honduras

In 2022, we continued our work with the Honduran Social Security Institute to provide much-needed medicines and medical supplies and to strengthen the social security system in the country. The ongoing partnership has benefitted more than 1.8 million people to date.

Somalia

Blood shortages and a lack of storage capacity make accessing safe blood transfusions in Somalia difficult. UNOPS partnered with UNFPA and the World Health Organization to build the first national blood bank.

Read more

Inequality: A persistent challenge

Discrimination and inequalities limit potential. We work to ensure that no one is left behind.

Through our projects, we strive to enhance diversity and social inclusion and build more just societies for all people.

In 2022, we supported our partners to create the necessary conditions for people to live a life they value, where their needs are met, their human rights are protected and they are able to participate equally in society.

We accomplished this by mainstreaming diversity and social inclusion into our projects – from building inclusive infrastructure to boosting local procurement and supplier diversity.

When one shows apathy to the inequalities and issues in our community, everyone loses. We need all hands on deck to make our world better. Every positive action counts.

A stable, just and safer future for all can only exist when we truly account for diversity and inclusion in our choices today – a priority in our work.

For equality

Our Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Mainstreaming in Projects Strategy 2022-2025 advances our efforts to promote equitable opportunities for all individuals in the projects we deliver.

Watch the video to learn more, or download the strategy.

Yemen

Funded by the World Bank, the second phase of the UNOPS-implemented Yemen Integrated Urban Services Emergency Project aims to restore access to critical urban services and strengthen resilience in urban areas to the impacts of conflict, COVID-19, floods and other climate-related shocks.

Activities include restoring power and providing renewable energy solutions to health and education facilities; rehabilitating roads, water and sanitation infrastructure; and improving waste management services.

The project contributes to strengthening capacity by partnering with local Yemeni institutions while invigorating local businesses and providers of goods and services and enabling improved access to services in a sustainable and socially cohesive manner.

To be truly inclusive, the design and implementation of infrastructure must take into account the diverse needs of everyone, especially the most marginalized […] It must be equitable, accessible, affordable and empowering.

Tunisia

Women and men use cities differently – rethinking the way cities are planned and managed enables women to participate equally in their communities.

In Tunis, the United States Agency for International Development and the UNOPS-hosted Cities Alliance implemented a project to rehabilitate public spaces using gender-sensitive approaches to urban planning.

Serbia

Bringing together good governance, social inclusion and gender equality to improve the lives of 60,000 of people living in Serbia.

We implemented the Enhancing Good Governance and Social Inclusion for Municipal Development Programme – Swiss PRO – on behalf of the government of Switzerland.

The four-year initiative especially focused on improving conditions for people who belong to vulnerable groups by strengthening local governance, increasing access to public services and enhancing socio-economic conditions.

The programme also promoted gender equality mechanisms at the local level. The programme has successfully facilitated key reforms at the municipal level and helped to improve transparency, accountability and service delivery for local communities.

The path ahead

The journey to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is immensely challenging, but we cannot afford to fail.

Over the course of 2022, the UNOPS family came together under difficult circumstances to make a positive difference to the lives of people around the world.

With the UN and our partners, we laid cornerstones of resilience, sustainability and inclusion. This is the foundation of our ongoing efforts to help reignite progress on the 2030 Agenda. It is how we will continue to deliver meaningful actions for people, the planet and prosperity.

2022 strengthened our resolve to meet the Sustainable Development Goals with resilience, sustainability and inclusion at the heart of our efforts.

Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been […] The road ahead is steep […] But it is one we can and must travel – together – for the people we serve.

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