With our focus on operations, UNOPS continued to support the UN family, governments and other partners in 2023 to respond to ongoing conflicts and crises, accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), advance climate action and help build a future that leaves no one behind.

Through our expertise in infrastructure, procurement and project management services, we helped design, construct and rehabilitate critical infrastructure – including 7 hospitals and 49 health centres, 55 schools and 187 kilometres of roads. We procured $1.6 billion in goods and services – 41 per cent of which was sourced from local suppliers. And across more than 80 countries, we implemented almost 1,100 projects on behalf of our partners, delivering around $2.7 billion worth of services.

In 2023, more than 50 per cent of our work was delivered in fragile and conflict-affected contexts around the world. From helping safeguard critical humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza, to rebuilding schools damaged by war in Ukraine, to building community resilience in Afghanistan and improving health services in Ethiopia – we responded rapidly during times of crisis, helping communities respond, recover and rebuild in a sustainable way.

To help advance climate action, we provided a range of practical solutions to help countries mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and pave the way towards a just, green and resilient transition. Last year, we delivered $66 million worth of projects in Small Island Developing States – which are among the most vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather.

At the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference, UNOPS was also selected, together with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, to co-host the Santiago Network Secretariat, which will help mobilize technical assistance for vulnerable nations facing climate-related loss and damage.

In 2023, UNOPS also continued to help tackle some of the world’s biggest health challenges. While the projects we implemented helped to advance all 17 SDGs, more than 210 projects directly contributed to SDG3 – to achieve universal health coverage and equitable access to healthcare services for all.

“At UNOPS, we work hard – together with our partners – to help countries bridge the implementation gap in their efforts to deliver on the SDGs and advance their climate ambitions,” said Jorge Moreira da Silva.

“As we look to the future, we remain steadfast in our efforts to offer practical solutions to the big global challenges, in the service of peace, sustainable development and climate action,” he added.