Understanding green and pro-social procurements and their potential for

the promotion of sustainable development in Africa

Farid YAKER, UNEP AfDB, Tunis, Tunisia, 16-17 November 2009

THE HIGH LEVEL FORUM ON PUBLIC

PROCUREMENT REFORMS IN AFRICA

What is Sustainable Public Procurement?

“Sustainable Procurement is a process whereby organizations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis in terms of generating benefits not only to the organization, but also to society and the economy, whilst minimizing damage to the environment.”

Procuring the Future – the report of the UK Sustainable Procurement Task Force, June 2006. This definition has been adopted by the Swiss-led Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement.

For more information visit http://www.unep.fr/scp/procurement/whatisspp/

What is Sustainable Public Procurement?

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1. Public Sectorinfluences ownmarket share

2. Example motivatesconsumers and

companies3. Overall marketadapts throughprice effects or standards

ICLEI 2003

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF SPP

Why implement Sustainable Public

Procurement?

Governments are major consumers of goods and services, with their purchasing power representing 15 to 25 % of GDP in most nations;

SPP is a tool like social or environmental legislation and regulation or fiscal policy (i.e. fines/penalties/ecotaxes);

Benefits of Sustainable Public Procurement

Contributes to social justice/inclusion and environmental sustainability: Promotes compliance with social and

environmental law, enforcement of international/national legal commitments.

Demonstrates socially/environmentally responsive and responsible governance – leading by example: conformity with community norms and values; compliance with international donors

expectations.

Benefits of Sustainable Public Procurement

Stimulates (socially/environmentally conscious) markets: increased demand/supply of products that

contribute to achieve social and environmental objectives;

development of standards and information for use by other consumers (role model);

increased strategic co-operation and dialogue with the supplier base.

Outcomes delivered through Sustainable Public

Procurement Cost savings including recognition of non-

tangible benefits (on health, water quality, positive impact on global warming);

Job creation (including SMEs, environmental goods and services);

Improved environmental performance, including reduced CO2 emissions;

Minority empowerment; Poverty reduction; Transfer of skills/technology.

Sustainability impacts & challenges

Sources of pollution of air, land and water. Health and safety.

Biodiversity loss. Oil palm (monoculture) plantation.

Sustainability impacts & challenges

Child labour

Sustainability impacts & challenges

Job creation.Health & Safety

Sustainability impacts & challenges

Link with Sustainable Consumption and

Production

Under JPOI (2002) governments agreed to:

“Encourage and promote the development of a 10-year framework of programmes in support of regional and national initiatives to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production to promote social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems.”

Sustainable Consumption & Production and Sustainable

Public Procurement

2003 – launch of Marrakech Process Global, multi-stakeholder process aimed

at supporting the development of a 10YFP

Marrakech Task Forces Swiss-led Task Force on Sustainable

Public Procurement

Priorities identified at regional /

local SCP meetings

Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement (MTF on SPP)

Task Force led by Switzerland

Chaired by: Eveline VenanzoniSwiss Federal Office for the Environmenteveline.venanzoni@bafu.admin.ch

Co-Chaired by: Sheila Encabo, Philippines

Members: China, Argentina, Mexico, Ghana, Philippines, UK, Norway, Czech Republic, USA, State of São Paolo, Switzerland, UNEP, UNDESA, ILO, European Commission Services, ICLEI, IISD

The objective of the MTF on SPP is that 14 countries distributed in all regions will have tested the SPP approach by 2010/11

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MTF Approach on SPP Country Implementation

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MTF on SPP target is to roll out the Approach to up to14 countries by 2011

The Swiss government and UNEP have established a partnership to apply - in up to 14 countries worldwide - the MTF on SPP Approach

Funding: EU funding for Costa Rica, Mexico, Mauritius, Tunisia Switzerland for Uruguay , Chile, Argentina and Ghana Francophonie for Lebanon Funding from other sources

Roll out and implementation

Capacity building for Capacity building for Sustainable Public Sustainable Public

Procurement (SPP) in Procurement (SPP) in developing countriesdeveloping countries

Implementing the Sustainable public procurement approach developed by the Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Public

Procurement

Specific constraints linked to SPP implementation in Africa

tight procurement budgets, availability of trained procurers

limited use of life cycle costing assessments manufactured products generally imported,

even more so when it comes to green products

recycling and green products industry not profitable in small developing countries. For these countries, solutions can only be found at the regional level.

Concens about exclusion of SMEs, cost of certifications, etc.

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Good procurement is sustainable procurement!

Farid.yaker@unep.org

Merci!

Thank you!

Gracias !