● United Nations (UN) organizations spent $22.3 billion on goods and services in 2020, an increase of 12.3 per cent since 2019

● This increase was driven by substantial increases in health-related equipment and supply purchases as the UN supported COVID-19 response efforts.

● The health sector saw the biggest amount of spending, with spending on medical equipment tripling compared to 2019 to reach $2.2 billion.

United Nations (UN) organizations spent $22.3 billion on goods and services in 2020, according to a new report published by UNOPS on behalf of the UN system.

The 2020 Annual Statistical Report on UN Procurement analyzes the combined annual UN spending on goods and services.

It shows that the UN’s procurement increased by over 12 per cent since 2019, an increase of $2.4 billion. This increase was driven by substantial increases in health related equipment and supply purchases as the UN supported COVID-19 response efforts.

The health sector saw the biggest amount of spending, with spending on medical equipment rising sharply, tripling since 2019 to reach $2.2 billion. Pharmaceuticals, contraceptives and vaccines remained the largest procurement category for the UN at $3 billion.

“As our world responds to, and recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, procurement has a key role to play in driving equality, accelerating the shift to lower carbon economies, creating jobs, tackling corruption and championing a more sustainable and inclusive recovery. This report highlights the UN’s important role in this regard,” said Grete Faremo, UN Under Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive Director.

Enhancing opportunities for developing and transitioning economies is key to delivering on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In 2020, UN procurement from developing countries, countries with economies in transition and least developed countries reached an all-time high, $13.7 billion, an increase of $1.4 billion from 2019. This represents over 61 percent of total UN procurement and includes $4.1 billion procured from least developed countries.

The United States remained the largest supplier country in 2020, providing $1.9 billion of goods and services to UN organizations. Four developing countries – China, India, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, and one least developed country - Yemen – were among the top ten supplier countries in 2020, with a combined procurement value of $4.0 billion. This is the largest combined volume for developing countries within the top 10 suppliers to date, representing 18 per cent of total UN procurement in 2020.


ENDS

Notes to the editors:

● The 2020 Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement is published on 7 July 2020.
● The full report will be available at: www.ungm.org/asr
● Detailed statistics from the report can be explored through interactive dashboards available at: www.ungm.org/asr
● For media inquiries please contact: communications@unops.org

About the Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement (ASR)

The Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement (ASR) provides an overview of the procurement of the United Nations (UN) system in support of its operations, projects and programmes. Introduced in 1984, it has been compiled and published by UNOPS since 2008 on behalf of the organizations of the UN system and in cooperation with the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM), where ASR data is published. ASR data is accessible in interactive dashboards on the UNGM website (www.ungm.org/asr).

About UNOPS

UNOPS mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. We help the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, and deliver sustainable infrastructure and procurement in an efficient way. Read more: www.unops.org