Washington, D.C. (June 14, 2022) — New research released by the Better World Campaign today found that U.S. businesses won over $1.93 billion in procurement contracts with the United Nations in 2020, by far the most of any country around the world.
In order to carry out its global operations, the UN purchases an array of goods and services from private vendors, including telecommunications equipment, financial services, construction, food production, medical care, office equipment, and armored vehicles.
“This data demonstrates that the UN is not only a critical forum where the U.S. engages with the world — it is also a good business partner,” said Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign.
New York, New Jersey, Maine, Virginia, Georgia and California all received significant UN contracts in 2020. Cisco, Merck, Procter & Gamble all won significant contracts, with the largest procurement contract won by Pfizer, headquartered in New York City, worth $254.6 million.
“It is no surprise that the largest share of contracts are located in areas that surround the UN’s headquarters. But transactions are also happening in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and North Carolina, demonstrating the many connections the UN has across the country in a wide variety of sectors,” Yeo added.
Considering all global suppliers, the largest procurement sectors included Health ($5.5 billion); Construction, Engineering, and Science ($3.01 billion); Food and Farming ($2.5 billion); Transportation and Storage ($2.3 billion) — all of which saw increases from 2019.
Ninety-four Senators and 227 members of the House of Representatives have at least one company headquartered in their district or state that are directly benefiting from doing business with the UN.
The $1.93 billion procured in 2020 is an 11 percent increase from 2019 ($1.74 billion), due in part to the World Health Organization’s procurement of goods and services to battle COVID-19.
For more on how each state fared, click here.
About the Better World Campaign
The Better World Campaign, an initiative of the Better World Fund, works to strengthen the relationship between the United States and the United Nations. It encourages U.S. leadership to enhance the UN’s ability to carry out its invaluable international work on behalf of peace, progress, freedom, and justice. For more information, visit www.betterworldcampaign.org.
Media Contact:
Kathryn Kross | kkross@unfoundation.org | 202-862-8577
