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United Nations Seeks Thai Business Partners
1 July 2005: The United Nations has put the word out to all Thailand-based companies that they want their business! In order to solidify better business linkages in the countries in which it operates, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), along with the Thailand International Development Cooperation and the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), recently held a seminar to explore ways for the UN to procure goods and services from companies in Thailand.
The over 100 local business leaders who attended the seminar discovered that the United Nations represents an international market of over US$4.6 billion. This money is spent on procuring virtually all types of goods ranging from office equipment, water supply systems, power generators, agricultural equipment, construction materials, food, fertilizers and seeds, just to name a few.
It has been discovered that Thailand, with its abundant marketplace, supports less than 1% of the UN’s total needs.
Doing business with the UN is not as confusing as one might expect. The first step is to find out which agencies need what. The best way to discover this is to log onto www.devbusiness.com , the UN’s comprehensive source of information for the supply of goods and services for projects financed by the United Nations, governments and the world’s leading development banks.
It was strongly urged that companies that want to do business with the UN should register on-line with the UN Global Market Place - the main supplier database for UN organizations for procurement and services.
Simply log onto www.ungm.org and complete the online registration form. As part of the registration process, the supplier must select one UN agency to register with. The supplier’s registration form will be evaluated by the chosen agency before being accepted into the global marketplace. Let the bidding begin!
Registration is free of charge.
For more information please contact:
Khun Davira Techakasem, FTI, 02 3451147
Khun Sirisupa Kulthanan, UNDP, 02 288 1887
Promoting Global Partnerships
The process of globalization brings many opportunities for development and increased prosperity around the world. However, there is a growing awareness of and concern about the impact of the globalization process on local communities and the broader responsibilities that business must accept. The Global Compact, launched by the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 1999 and formally launched at United Nations Headquarters in July 2000, aims to encourage and promote good corporate practices and learning experiences in the areas of human rights, labour and the environment. It is also an entry point for the business community to work in partnership with the United Nations, in support of the principles, shared values and broader goals of the international community. In 2000, at the Millennium Summit, World Leaders pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. The Global Compact initiative is also expected to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as a global development network, is exploring partnerships with business and other development actors in its work. In Thailand, the UNDP Country Office has worked with Thai business partners, through the Employers' Confederation of Thailand (ECOT), since May 2001, in promoting the initiative of the Global Compact. The project was the first project in which UNDP has a direct partnership with the private sector in Thailand. It has helped promote the values and principles of the Global Compact among business partners, as witnessed by the increased numbers of companies participating in the project activities.
A partnership with the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), as one of the leading national educational institutions in Thailand, has also been established through the project with a view to promoting the values and principles of the Global Compact through curriculum development and teaching courses, specifically designed for senior and young businessmen and women. The project has now expanded its partnership with Rajabhat Institute, which is another leading educational institution nationwide, to promote corporate social responsibilities and the Global Compact principles. The Global Compact brochure in English was translated into the Thai language. A series of national workshops were organized with business partners and UN agencies based in Thailand with a view to exploring concrete activities in support of the Global Compact and corporate social responsibilities.
One of the key strategies under the new Thailand-UNDP Country Partnership, 2004 - 2006, is to strengthen partnership between the private sector and the UN, and at increasing the volume of goods and services provided to the UN and other development partners from Thai private sector. To this effect, activities are being planned with involvement of the existing and new business partners in Thailand.