UN Agencies Collaborate with Chinese Enterprises to Enhance Capacity for Sustainable Procurement

The capacity-building workshop was hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the China International Centre for Economic & Technical Exchanges of the Ministry of Commerce and Project Management Office of Knowledge Sharing, Capacity Building and Supporting Service Programme on Sustainable Procurement of UN/International Organisations (hereafter referred as ‘Sustainable Procurement Project’). As part of the Sustainable Procurement Project, this capacity-building workshop aimed to support Chinese suppliers, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and women-owned businesses (WOBs) to understand sustainable procurement standards and align with international best practices.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Anne-Claire Howard, Director of the UNOPS Procurement Group introduced the participation of Chinese suppliers in UN procurements, “China was the 15th largest supplier country with a total procurement amount of 501 million dollars (in 2022). Over 10,000 suppliers in China have registered on the United Nations Global Marketplace, the official procurement portal in the United Nations system.”

The workshop also marks an important milestone for Delivering Responsibility in Vendor Engagement (DRiVE), a supplier sustainability programme launched in 2018 driven by UNOPS’ commitment to sustainability and risk management in procurement. Through vendor assessment, inspection and corrective action planning, DRiVE ensures that UNOPS vendors operate responsibly and in accordance with high standards of integrity.

In early 2023, the initiative began a pilot in China with 13 UNOPS LTA suppliers. Through data collection, assessment, inspection and corrective action planning with Chinese suppliers, this pilot provided practical insights into sustainable procurement, enabling the participating companies to better engage with the UN procurement system and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

Mr. Rasmus Hansen, Officer-in-Charge of the UNOPS Sustainable Supply Chains Team, introduced the DRiVE programme and encouraged more Chinese suppliers to join in the future. “We believe there are mutual benefits. We will enhance the sustainability and maturity of our suppliers and make sure they are more engaged in UN procurements. This could raise added value for our entire project and benefit our partners. We are not only bringing a specific project in place but also developing the local economy and abilities of suppliers.”

A highlight of the event was the certificate ceremony for the pilot participants. Two representatives from Shenzhen Mindray and Suzhou Hengrun spoke on behalf of the DRiVE China pilot participants, sharing their insights and expressing their appreciation for the UNOPS-led DRiVE initiative. “Through the DRiVE China pilot program, we now have a better understanding of what sustainable procurement means and how we can continually enhance our business for greater responsibility.”

The workshop also featured knowledge-sharing on Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) investment, corporate value, green human resource management, climate-related disclosure and sustainable supply chain development by experts from Fudan University, Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences and Shanghai University of International Business and Economics. In addition, international organizations and third-party service providers such as Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and SGS were in attendance to share their expertise and hands-on experiences on ESG capacity building.

In the afternoon, three parallel training sessions were delivered by the procurement officer from UNHCR China Office, experts from CDP and SGS, as well as UNOPS sustainable supply chain specialists. Representatives shared their experiences regarding online bidding systems, procurement compliance, ethical standards and supplier sustainability and further interacted with the audiences.

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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

About DRiVE

UNOPS attaches great importance to sustainable procurement and has been continuously integrating sustainable standards into the bidding process to build a responsible supply chain. Delivering Responsibility in Vendor Engagement (DRiVE), initiated by UNOPS in 2018, has become an important component of the Sustainable Procurement Framework since 2020 and contributed to our collective efforts towards a more sustainable future.

Driven by UNOPS' commitment to sustainability and risk management in procurement, DRiVE ensures that UNOPS vendors operate responsibly and in accordance with high standards of integrity through vendor assessment, inspection and corrective action planning. DRiVE has not only promoted sustainability in procurement, but also contributed to accelerating the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

In China, DRiVE was launched in early 2023 with 13 UNOPS LTA suppliers as pilot participants who continuously enhanced sustainable procurement through vendor assessment, inspection, corrective action planning and social impact.