UNOPS welcomes the recent joint commitment of 12 leading multilateral development banks (MDBs) to sustainable procurement.

As a central United Nations resource for procurement, UNOPS echoes the recognition by the MDBs that sustainable procurement can be an agent of transformational change. As highlighted in our recent 'Purchase for impact’ report, sustainable procurement offers an opportunity to maximize the impact of spending and can play a powerful role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At UNOPS, we support our partners to realize the potential impact that procurement can have through sustainable procurement initiatives. By diversifying supply chains, we help partners stimulate the local economy through Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as contributing to women's economic empowerment, youth employment and opportunities for people with disabilities and other under-represented entrepreneurial groups.

Working to reduce loss through corruption, we help partners free up and maximize the use of resources towards development goals. And when working with local suppliers, we help our partners manage and mitigate the potential negative impact on the environment as well as the markets that we operate in.

Collectively, the development community needs to do more to grasp the opportunity that sustainable procurement presents. Here we welcome the coordinated priorities and concrete initiatives set out by the MDBs.

At UNOPS, we stand ready to continue our close partnerships with MDBs to support these initiatives and, in turn, leverage sustainable procurement to drive progress across the SDGs.