The Organization of American States (OAS), as Technical Secretariat of the INGP, along with the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP),  and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), organized the Webinar «Shaping the future through Sustainable Public Procurement», which took place on December 04, 2020 at 11:00 am until 12:30 pm (GMT – 5).

This is the first webinar of a small series on sustainable public procurement and infrastructure, as part of the Strengthening Sustainable Public Procurement in the Eastern Caribbean initiative. It provides an introduction to the role of public procurement in sustainable infrastructure, an overview of the status of sustainable public procurement in the Latin America and Caribbean region, and specific examples of sustainable public procurement practices in the Caribbean.

There is a tremendous opportunity for governments to shape their social, economic and environmental future through smart purchasing decisions. Given the enormous purchasing power that governments wield, the kinds of goods, works and services they purchase can have considerable influence in shaping their social, economic and environmental landscapes. This is particularly the case for sectors or product categories where government accounts for the largest market share, such as infrastructure. This sector is increasingly recognized as a major source of carbon emissions, with the current stock and use of the world’s infrastructure associated with over 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

It is therefore imperative that governments leverage their purchasing power in a strategic manner to deliver public works projects that not only provide jobs and drive economic growth, but also that generate the lowest possible environmental impacts, including carbon emissions, while also producing positive social outcomes. This new function of public procurement, commonly referred to as “sustainable public procurement” or SPP, is considered a critical component of the global sustainable development and climate agenda and should play a significant role in the “greening” of post-COVID public investments.

Moderator:

Agnes Wierzbicki, Sustainable Public Procurement Consultant, UNEP

Speakers:

– Helena Fonseca, INGP Technical Secretary & Coordinator of the Public Procurement Program at the OAS.

– Maria Cecilia Ramírez Bello, Senior Infrastructure Specialist at IDB.

– Carlos Oviedo, OAS Consultant.

– Shaun Moss, Procurement Consultant.

– Farid Yaker, Programme Officer at UNEP.

To access the virtual event, please follow the following link https://bit.ly/3qEGg6q