Abbreviation | UNOPS |
---|---|
Formation | December 1973 (as an office of United Nations Development Programme); January 1995 (as an independent agency) |
Type | Independent self-financing member of the United Nations family |
Legal status | Active |
Headquarters | UN City, Copenhagen, Denmark |
Executive Director | Jorge Moreira da Silva |
Parent organization | United Nations System |
Website | http://www.unops.org |
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is a United Nations agency dedicated to implementing humanitarian and development projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partners around the world, with a focus on infrastructure, procurement and project management The organization's global headquarters is located at the UN City campus in Copenhagen, Denmark. [1] UNOPS delivers around $3 billion worth of development projects for its partners every year. Its activities have ranged from managing the construction of schools in Afghanistan, to building shelters in Haiti, to procuring ambulances to support the Ebola response in Liberia.
UNOPS is a member of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board and Senior Management Group, the Environment Management Group (EMG), the United Nations Sustainable Development Group [2] and works closely with UN partners, governments, international financial institutions and multilateral development banks, such as: the World Bank, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, United Nations Department of Peace Operations, Government of Argentina, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the European Union, and the government of the United States.
UNOPS was established in 1973 as part of the UNDP. It became an independent, self-financing organization in 1995. UNOPS concentrates its support in the areas of infrastructure, procurement, project management, human resources and financial management services. UNOPS often works in post-disaster and peace and security settings, developing countries and economies in transition. In December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly reaffirmed the mandate of UNOPS "as a central resource for the UN system in procurement and contracts management as well as in civil works and physical infrastructure development, including the related capacity development activities". [3] Examples of such works include building roads, schools, and health clinics; removing landmines; and providing expertise for holding elections.
A new headquarters of UNOPS opened in Copenhagen in May 2009. [4]
Today, UNOPS delivers around $3 billion worth of projects in more than 80 nations across the world. [5]
UNOPS is a self-financing organization. It covers direct and indirect costs by charging a fee on each project supported. UNOPS pricing policy outlines how the organization aims to finance its projects. [6] UNOPS is not-for-profit. [7]
UNOPS offers implementation, advisory and transactional services in its five core areas of expertise:
UNOPS provides specialized services to a range of partners, including: the United Nations, its agencies, funds and programmes; international financial institutions; governments; intergovernmental organizations; non-governmental organizations; foundations; and the private sector.
In 2023, UNOPS created more than 23 million days of paid work for beneficiaries. The organization supported its partners with the construction, design and/or rehabilitation of more than 187 kilometers of roads, 55 schools, and 7 hospitals and 49 health clinics, among others. UNOPS also procured and/or distributed more than US$1.6 billion worth of goods and services for its partners. [5]
UNOPS is the legal and administrative host for several organizations. [8] The following entities are currently under hosting agreements by UNOPS, grouped by theme: [9]
In addition, UNOPS also managers several multi-stakeholder partnerships and initiatives, including:
UNOPS was involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [16]
In 2023 during COP28, UNOPS and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, were selected to co-host the secretariat for the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage. [17] The Santiago Network, established to address climate change impacts in developing countries, acts as a crucial connector between technical assistance and the Loss & Damage Fund, enhancing the capacity of these countries to manage climate-related losses and damages.
In 2024, the Secretary-General appointed UNOPS to operationalise the newly created Office of Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. Led by Sigrid Kaag, the office was created in response to the Israel-Hamas war in an effort to accelerate humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza through States which are not party to the conflict. [18]
In 2008, UNOPS adopted a governance structure in line with General Assembly resolutions. Since then, the executive director reports directly to the UN Secretary-General and the Executive Board, and has the authority to apply United Nations staff rules and regulations to UNOPS staff. Since 2009 the executive director has been able to sign host country agreements with governments.
UNOPS is accountable to member states of the United Nations through its Executive Board, which it shares with the UNDP and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). [19]
UNOPS is also accountable to the UN Board of Auditors who audit UNOPS on an annual basis. [20]
In September 2011, UNOPS joined the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), becoming the first UN body to publish operational data in the IATI format in October of the same year. IATI seeks to make information on aid spending easier to access, understand, and use. UNOPS, along with other prominent organizations such as the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and the European Commission, contributes to this initiative by providing detailed, machine-readable data on their projects.
Project-level information, including financial transactions, is published monthly to the IATI Registry by UNOPS. [21] UNOPS also maintains an online platform, data.unops.org, which enhances the transparency of UNOPS operations.
UNOPS attained a ISO 9001 quality management system certification in June 2011. [22]
UNOPS gained an ISO 14001 certification for its commitment to protecting the environment in 2013. [23]
UNOPS reports according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) sustainability standards. [24]
UNOPS has worked with the University of Oxford and UN Environment Programme in a number of collaborations that focus on enhancing the sustainability of infrastructure. [25] This includes the report Infrastructure for Climate Action. The report highlights the substantial role of infrastructure in generating greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation costs, accounting for 79% and 88% respectively.
The report advocates for fundamental shifts in the planning, delivery, and management of infrastructure to align with critical climate and development targets. It emphasizes the integration of nature-based solutions, which can tackle a broad spectrum of sustainable development challenges while mitigating the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
In 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 UNOPS achieved gold level in sustainable procurement from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. [26]
In 2022, the UNOPS was presented with the annual Sustainable Procurement and Supply Award by the UN High-Level Committee on Management's Procurement Network. This recognition highlights UNOPS' commitment to sustainable procurement practices that support social and economic development while protecting the environment. [27]
No. | Executive Director | Assumed office | Left office | Country of origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Reinhart Helmke | January 1995 | January 2003 | Germany |
Interim | Gerald Walzer | February 2003 | August 2003 | Austria |
2 | Nigel Fisher | August 2003 | October 2005 | United Kingdom |
Interim | Gilberto Flores | 14 November 2005 | 11 June 2006 | Chile |
3 | Jan Mattsson | 12 June 2006 | 10 June 2014 | Sweden |
4 | Grete Faremo | 01 August 2014 | 8 May 2022 | Norway |
Interim | Jens Wandel | 9 May 2022 | 13 April 2023 | Denmark |
5 | Jorge Moreira da Silva | 14 April 2023 | incumbent | Portugal |
In 2014, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon appointed Grete Faremo as head of UNOPS. Her appointment led to a change in direction for the organization. Between 2014 and 2021 its portfolio of projects expanded from $1.14 billion to more than $3.4 billion. [28] [29] [30] She bragged about how she immediately saw to it that "more than 1,200 pages of rules went into the trash" and that she would "rewrite (its) operational principles" in the name of running UNOPS more like a fast and agile business. [31] Under her tenure, UNOPS shed its former reputation as an invisible go-between meant to ease contracting. UNOPS found itself with a surplus of funds it could use for itself. However, Faremo was accused of managing the money incompetently at best, and corruptly at worst. As part of an initiative called the "Sustainable Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation", or S3i for short, millions of US dollars worth of donor money was given to contractors that had repeatedly failed to work on the projects they were given. The UN is expected to have to write down over $25 million in bad loans. [32]
Faremo's deputy Vitaly Vanshelboim was placed on executive leave in December 2021 as the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services investigated the allegations and audited the matter. Vanshelboim was later sacked in early 2023. [33] Faremo resigned in early May 2022 [34] after an investigation by The New York Times drew attention to the problems under Faremo's tenure. [32] International development news publication, Devex and blogger, Mukesh Kapila, also wrote a series of articles on the matter. [35] [36]
Jens Wandel was appointed acting executive director of UNOPS by the Secretary-General on 9 May 2022. [37] Wandel had served the UN in many different capacities over a long career, most recently as the Secretary-General's designate for the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund. Previously, he served as special adviser to the Secretary-General on UN Reforms and before that he was Director of UNDP's Bureau for Management Services. He was tasked with correcting the failures surrounding UNOPS S3i initiative and reforming the organisation. His plans to realign UNOPS were accepted by the executive board in June 2022. [38]
In April 2023, Jorge Moreira da Silva was appointed executive director on an initial two-year term. [39]
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972. Its mandate is to provide leadership, deliver science and develop solutions on a wide range of issues, including climate change, the management of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and green economic development. The organization also develops international environmental agreements; publishes and promotes environmental science and helps national governments achieve environmental targets.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies and protocols, increasing access to birth control, and leading campaigns against child marriage, gender-based violence, obstetric fistula, and female genital mutilation.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towards long-term self-sufficiency and prosperity.
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations system. UNITAR provides training and capacity development activities to assist mainly developing countries with special attention to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other groups and communities who are most vulnerable, including those in conflict situations.
Sustainable urban infrastructure expands on the concept of urban infrastructure by adding the sustainability element with the expectation of improved and more resilient urban development. In the construction and physical and organizational structures that enable cities to function, sustainability also aims to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the capabilities of the future generations.
The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an independent International research institute located in Laxenburg, near Vienna in Austria, founded as an East-West scientific cooperation initiative during the Cold War. Through its research programs and initiatives, the institute conducts policy-oriented interdisciplinary research into issues too large or complex to be solved by a single country or academic discipline. These include climate change, energy security, population aging, and sustainable development. The results of IIASA research and the expertise of its researchers are made available to policymakers worldwide to help them make informed and evidence-based policies.
An under-secretary-general of the United Nations (USG) is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the secretary-general for a renewable term of four years. Under-secretary-general is the third highest rank in the United Nations, after the secretary-general and the deputy secretary-general. The rank is held by the heads of different UN entities, certain high officials of the United Nations Secretariat, and high-level envoys. The United Nations regards the rank as equal to that of a cabinet minister of a member state, and under-secretaries-general have diplomatic immunity under the UN Charter.
Grete Faremo is a Norwegian politician, lawyer and business leader. From August 2014 to May 2022, she held the post of Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). During her political career, she held high-level positions in the Norwegian Government including Minister of Justice from 1992-1996 and 2011–2013, Minister of Petroleum and Energy in 1996, Minister of International Development from 1990-1992 and Minister of Defence from 2009–2011.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), previously the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), is a consortium of 36 United Nations funds, programmes, specialized agencies, departments and offices that play a role in development. It was created by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in order to improve the effectiveness of United Nations development activities at the country level.
The United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP) is a UN body established in 2006 by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to co-create partnerships within the private sector, civil society organizations, academia, and other non-state actors in furtherance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Karen Christiana Figueres Olsen is a Costa Rican diplomat who has led national, international and multilateral policy negotiations. She was appointed Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in July 2010, six months after the failed COP15 in Copenhagen. During the next six years she worked to rebuild the global climate change negotiating process, leading to the 2015 Paris Agreement, widely recognized as a historic achievement.
Jorge Manuel Lopes Moreira da SilvaGOIH is a Portuguese engineer and politician of the Social Democratic Party serving as the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, UNOPS, since 2023.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an independent think tank founded in 1990 working to shape and inform international policy on sustainable development governance. The institute has three offices in Canada - Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Toronto, and one office in Geneva, Switzerland. It has over 150 staff and associates working in over 30 countries.
Amina Jane Mohammed is a British Nigerian diplomat and politician who is serving as the fifth Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, she was Nigerian Minister of Environment from 2015 to 2016 and was a player in the Post-2015 Development Agenda process. She is also Chair of United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA), two of five international organizations owned by the World Bank Group. It was established along with the International Monetary Fund at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference. After a slow start, its first loan was to France in 1947. In the 1970s, it focused on loans to developing world countries, shifting away from that mission in the 1980s. For the last 30 years, it has included NGOs and environmental groups in its loan portfolio. Its loan strategy is influenced by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, as well as environmental and social safeguards.
Janos Pasztor is a Hungarian diplomat. His current role is Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and Executive Director of the Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative. He was Assistant Secretary-General in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York City and Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Change between January 2015 and December 2016. Previously he has held positions at the World Wide Fund for Nature International where he was Policy and Science Director and acting Director for Conservation.
Dato' Seri Maimunah binti Mohd Sharif is the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). She assumed office in January 2018, becoming the first Asian woman to serve as Executive Director of UN-Habitat. On 20 January 2022, she was re-elected by the UN General Assembly for a two-year term that ends on 19 January 2024.
Priscilla Mbarumun Achakpa is a Nigerian environmental activist. She is the founder and Global President of the Women Environment Programme (WEP) that provides women with sustainable solutions to everyday problems. Just before that, she was the executive director of WEP.
Sustainable Development Goal 13 is to limit and adapt to climate change. It is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The official mission statement of this goal is to "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts". SDG 13 and SDG 7 on clean energy are closely related and complementary.
The following lists events that happened with or in collaboration with the United Nations and its agencies in the year 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)