Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, addressed the participants of the UN Procurement and Vendor Fair in Odesa, which took place on 16 October as a 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 from the southern regions of Ukraine, as well as procurement officers from UN agencies operating in the country.

The Minister underlined the UN’s need for Ukrainian goods and services that met the highest quality criteria.

“The goods procured by the UN for humanitarian aid in Ukraine and for further reconstruction should, as far as possible, come from Ukrainian suppliers. This is a double win for Ukraine,” said Dmytro Kuleba.

The fair included a practical session for businesses on how to register on the UN Global Marketplace platform and one-on-one consultations with representatives of UN agencies for Ukrainian entrepreneurs who were starting or developing cooperation with the UN.

“The implementation of this project will continue in other regions of Ukraine,” assured the Minister.

Background

The UN Procurement and Vendor Fair in Odesa is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the UN Office in Ukraine. The Odesa Business Club, the United Activities NGO and the Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry contributed to the involvement of the business community. Organisational support was provided by the Odesa Regional Military Administration.

The aim of the event was to increase the volume of UN contracts with Ukrainian companies by addressing the lack of awareness among entrepreneurs of UN procurement procedures and good practices, and by building bridges between Ukrainian companies as potential contractors and UN agencies as customers.

The first event under this initiative was held in Kyiv in March 2023.

In 2022, the volume of UN procurement in Ukraine through the UN Global Marketplace doubled to reach USD 474 million.