Supplement to the 2013 Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement

The United Nations and its partners are working hard to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) while shaping a vision for a sustainable development agenda beyond 2015. In the midst of these efforts, it is becoming increasingly evident that innovative solutions must be found in order to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges.

Each year, an average of 15 percent of global gross domestic product is spent through public procurement systems, amounting to over $10 trillion. These systems yield tremendous benefits in terms of delivering public goods and services, but they can also reap secondary benefits, such as increased standards of living and social equality, and more resilient economies.

Innovative procurement offers tremendous opportunities to use government buying power to shape the world around us for a better tomorrow. Through investment in new technology and research, the promotion of domestic manufacturing, increased transparency and accountability in public fund management, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, procurement systems can help develop national capacity and attain sustainable development goals.

As this report shows, innovation and procurement are viable, tested and proven policy options to achieve sustainable growth in the developed world and, increasingly, in the developing world as well. I commend the work and research presented in this report, and I encourage Member States to adopt more innovative public procurement practices as we strive to build a better world for all.