2011 Annual Statistical Report on United Nations ... - UNOPS

United Nations Procurement and the Global Compact
UN agencies, in cooperation with their suppliers, are increasingly trying to ‘buy for a better world’. They are looking
beyond traditional economic parameters to make decisions based on life-cycle costs and associated environmental and social
implications, to help producers - especially in the developing world - become more efficient and competitive in larger markets.
For the fifth consecutive year, the <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Statistical</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2011</strong> features an analysis of the participation of UN suppliers in
the world’s largest global corporate citizenship initiative, the Global Compact. The United Nations strongly encourages its
suppliers to support the Global Compact and its principles 3 .
• In 1999, the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan challenged the business leaders gathered at the
World Economic Forum in Davos to develop greater social and environmental responsibility in their business
activities. He offered them a new compact of shared values and principles, to give a human face to the global
market: the Global Compact.
• The Global Compact is a framework for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and
strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and
anti-corruption. As the world’s largest global corporate citizenship initiative, the Global Compact is a voluntary
scheme, a learning dialogue and a platform for action.
Procurement from Global Compact members as a percentage of orders of $30,000 or more
Overall, the total procurement volume of the UN has slightly decreased from 2010 to <strong>2011</strong>. However, the percentage of
procurement volume which comes from contracts with Global Compact members has constantly increased over the period
2006-<strong>2011</strong>, reaching 18.10 percent in <strong>2011</strong>. The number of vendors that have signed the Global Compact has almost doubled
over the past 5 years and currently has almost 7,000 business members.
Figure 9
Global compact membership as a percentage of orders of $30,000 or more
3.
Being a signatory to the UN Global Compact does not provide a company preferential treatment throughout a procurement process The procurement process as applied by UN
organisations ensures that all prospective bidders are treated equally, fairly and in a transparent manner
10 | <strong>2011</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Statistical</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on United Nations Procurement