There is a huge potential in using public procurement to advance human rights due diligence, climate action and accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Procurement can help create jobs, promote social justice, encourage sustainable and local economic growth, promote inclusion and equality, reduce carbon emissions and support a just transition to resilient, low-carbon economies.

And through its own procurement, the UN can encourage and influence sustainable, responsible business practices as well as contribute to sustainable and resilient supply chains.

To further support sustainable procurement efforts within the UN system, UNOPS and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore how UNOPS supplier sustainability programme – ‘Delivering Responsibility in Vendor Engagement' (DRiVE) – can be utilized by other UN organizations to evaluate the sustainability risks in UN supply chains.

DRiVE uses a data-driven approach to assess the sustainability risks of suppliers, improve their sustainability performance, and ensure that UNOPS suppliers operate responsibly and in line with the UN Supplier Code of Conduct.

It assesses supplier sustainability across 10 different areas, including human rights, labour standards, equal opportunity, management systems, environmental protection, and health and safety.

As part of the pilot project, UNOPS and ILO will work together to pilot DRiVE in ILO's procurement cycle and to develop a potential roadmap for other UN agencies to consider adopting DRiVE.

“We look forward to contributing to making DRiVE a tool to support UN organizations and specialized agencies in ‘walking the talk.’ This pilot will allow us to better understand the sustainability risks in our supply chains and support ILO constituents in advancing social justice,” said Vanja Ostojić, Chief, Procurement Bureau, ILO.

Read more here.