Mandate: Manage the UN’s daily operations, implement General Assembly decisions, and oversee UN programmes. Procurement: Approximately USD 3 billion annually.
The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of UN staff members carry out the work of the Secretariat. Each department or office has different responsibilities and focus of action. Together, the departments and offices ensure that the UN’s programme of work is well coherent.
The members of the Secretariat are mandated by the General Assembly, which is the policy-making and representative organ of the UN where all member states are represented, as well as by the Security Council, which has the responsibility for international peace and security containing 15 member states.
The UN Secretariat procures approximately 3 billion USD annually and is one of the UN organizations procuring the most. As of 2023, the Secretariat procured, for instance:
To learn in-depth about contract awards, read here.
For more details about the UN Secretariat's procurement, read here.