UN Initiative on Greening Procurement in the Health Sector from Products to Services

Overview

The UN Informal Inter-Agency Task Team for Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector (IIATSPHS), chaired by WHO in the Secretariat, has been collaborating since 2012 to address a previously missing component in the Sustainable UN green procurement process: health-care products and services.

This report is a landscape analysis, including baseline information about major health sector-related procurement processes and activities in UN agencies, as well as opportunities for enhancing procurement processes to reduce waste, support environmentally-friendly product procurement, wherever feasible, and thus promote better environmental health outcomes. Insofar as procurement activities can represent a major component of the health sector's carbon footprint, this report is a visible demonstration of health sector leadership in promoting a healthier environment and tackling root causes of environmental threats.