Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba addressed the participants of the Odesa UN Procurement and Vendor Fair, which took place on October 16th under the joint initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the UN Office in Ukraine.
The event brought together more than 200 representatives of the business community of the southern regions of Ukraine, as well as employees of the procurement divisions of UN agencies working in our country.
Minister Kuleba emphasized the UN's need for Ukrainian goods and services and their compliance with the highest quality criteria.
"The goods that the UN purchases for the provision of humanitarian aid in Ukraine and further recovery must come from Ukrainian suppliers as much as possible. This is a double benefit for Ukraine," - noted Dmytro Kuleba.
As part of the fair, there was a practical session for businesses on registration on the UN Global Market platform and personal consultations by representatives of UN agencies for Ukrainian entrepreneurs who are starting or developing interaction with the UN.
"Implementation of this project will proceed in other regions of Ukraine," - Minister assured.
For reference: the Odesa UN Procurement and Vendor Fair is held under the joint initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the UN Office in Ukraine. The participation of business circles was facilitated by the Odesa Business Club, the NGO "United Activities", and the Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine. Organizational assistance was provided by the Odesa Regional Military Administration.
The event’s purpose is to increase the volume of UN contracts with Ukrainian businesses by overcoming the insufficient level of awareness of entrepreneurs regarding the procedures and good practices of UN procurement and building bridges between Ukrainian companies - potential contractors and customers - UN agencies.
The first event within the mentioned initiative was held in Kyiv in March 2023.
According to the results of 2022, the volume of UN purchases in Ukraine through the UN Global Market platform doubled and amounted to 474 million dollars.