The Heads of Procurement (HoP) of the twelve Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in their recent meeting held in Manila have pledged their commitment to promote sustainable procurement. A joint statement issued on 4 October 2023, by the 12 MDBs, recognizes the crucial role of global public procurement, which amounts to over US$13 trillion annually, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The statement asserts the significance of developing tools, building capacity, adopting common approach, and enhancing outreach & partnership that maximize chances for re-building better; also laying groundwork through sustainable procurement practices for a prosperous, socially inclusive, gender responsive, and just green transition.
The HoPs have affirmed their support for the Global Climate Change Agenda and the goals of the Paris Agreement and Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The MDBs, meanwhile, have agreed to undertake efforts toward enhancing awareness, communication, and partnerships. A joint Working Group on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) has been established to prepare an action plan for environmental, social, and economic sustainability outcomes and a measurement framework.
The MDBs HoP network was established over 20 years ago to harmonize operational policies and practices for the purpose of enhancing economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness across all financed operations by the MDBs namely, ADB, AfDB, AIIB, BSTDB, CDB, CEB, EBRD, EIB, IADB, IFAD, IsDB, and the World Bank.
