2009 Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement

Sustainability reporting in
the UN System
The United Nations has an impact on the economic, environmental and social fabric where it operates. Acknowledging this,
in <strong>2009</strong> the UN committed to achieving climate neutrality and overall environmental sustainability through the medium
of a system-wide initiative. At the same time, the UN is increasingly focussed on promoting environmentally and socially
sustainable development through both its operations and its procurement processes. Open and transparent management of UN
operations and the use of donor funds are in the best interest of UN stakeholders and the international community. For these
reasons, a sustainability reporting system has been introduced.
For the second year running, the <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Statistical</strong> <strong>Report</strong> contains a section on sustainability reporting, focusing on two key
areas of sustainability performance for the UN:
• sustainable procurement, and
• environmentally friendly office management
Out of the 30 agencies that returned statistical information, 44.8 percent provided (in whole or in part) information on their
sustainability performance. This result confirms that sustainability reporting, despite difficulties in collecting information, is
growing within the UN.
Figure 13
Sustainability reporting among UN agencies
45%
55%
Agencies reporting on
sustainability
Agencies not reporting on
sustainability
As far as the framework for sustainable procurement is concerned the report reflects the progress made by some sustainability
leaders in the UN system. The International Trade Center (ITC) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) have
adopted a sustainable procurement policy, and The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) have it planned for 2010.
The same goes for the implementation of a sustainable procurement programme, initiated by ITC and UNOPS, and planned
for 2010 in UNHCR and UNV. While waiting for a General Assembly decision on sustainable procurement, United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) makes attempts to include environmentally friendly
specifications in its solicitation documents. Sustainable procurement training is also reaching more UN staff: ESCAP (18%),
ILO (9%), and UNHCR (28%) trained a number of their procurement staff in <strong>2009</strong>. ITC and United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO) propose the UN Supplier Code of Conduct to their suppliers for endorsement, and this
has resulted in a very high level of buy-in from the suppliers’ side.
In ITC the UN Sustainable Procurement Product Guidelines are regularly applied for the purchase of relevant goods. In
UNON, the Guidelines are not mandatory, but they are provided to vendors as part of the bid documentation, in order to foster
the replication of best practices.
12 | <strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Statistical</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on United Nations Procurement