The United Nations, including its many affiliated agencies, represents a vast global market for suppliers of virtually all types of goods and services and, during 1999, the procurement of goods and professional services, under grants from all sources of funding, was over US$ 2 billion. Procurement by the UN system in 1999 was 56% from developed countries, and 44% from developing countries.

In line with General Assembly resolutions, and decisions by other UN Agency Executive Boards, all organizations of the UN system are making great efforts to identify new sources of supply, particularly from developing and under-utilized donor countries, in order to create an expanded and more equitable geographical distribution of procurement.In close cooperation with the UN system, IAPSO has established a common database of potential suppliers covering goods and services normally required. After screening, the supplier information is made available to the UN agencies for their procurement needs. This database,entitled United Nations Common Supply Database (UNCSD), is also available on-line via Internet (www.uncsd.org), and is expected to act as a window to the business community for registration within the UN system.
This revised and updated edition of the General Business Guide provides basic facts concerning the procurement activities and requirements of the United Nations system of organizations, and it is hoped that it will assist the business community in offering their goods and services to this
market.

[attachment::General Business Guide 2002 Edition.pdf]