The EMG Issue Management Group on Sustainable Procurement was established following the 8th meeting of the EMG in 2004 to examine how sustainable development considerations could be more systematically integrated into procurement across the UN system. The Group was asked to look at existing policies and practices, supplier codes of conduct and training needs, with UNEP, the World Bank and the Inter-Agency Procurement Services Office supporting the work.
A key outcome was the report Sustainable Procurement in the UN System, which reviewed procurement practices across a range of UN organizations and identified existing approaches, barriers and opportunities. The report highlighted that sustainable procurement should combine traditional considerations such as value for money and quality with environmental and social criteria, including life-cycle impacts, labour conditions, human rights and equity.
The review found broad support among procurement officials for integrating sustainability, but also identified significant practical barriers, including limited high-level policy support, lack of technical guidance and tools, insufficient training, and weak links between procurement and project design. It emphasized that sustainable procurement could not be driven by procurement units alone, but required an organization-wide approach involving management, requisitioners, procurement staff and suppliers.
The report recommended stronger UN-wide political commitment, minimum sustainability standards, practical tools and checklists, training, better information-sharing and closer inter-agency cooperation. It also highlighted a potential role for the EMG in helping foster a common UN-wide approach to sustainable procurement and linking existing initiatives across the system.