Supply Annual Report 2001

Highlights

In 2001, supplies remained at the core of UNICEF international mandate for the protection of children’s rights. With $596 million dollars procured throughout the world, expenditures on supplies reached an unprecedented level in the organization’s history. “A World Fit for Children”, the document that will be adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its Special Session on Children on 8-10 May 2002 makes clear that access to basic social services in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation, in times of peace and war, is a basic and universal right of all children. In many countries, UNICEF supplies help to ensure that children have the services they need.

2001 was a year of challenges but also growth and improvements for UNICEF Supply Division. The year started with an internal review process called “Vision Ting”, which provided an opportunity to re-examine the supply function within UNICEF and the role of Supply Division. Commitments spelled out in the Supply Division Contract 2000 had translated into positive and visible developments. New initiatives and strategies such as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and procurement services gained full momentum with large-scale implications in terms of supplies. With natural disasters and wars continuing to affect an increasing number of children and women throughout the world, Supply Division had to respond faster and more efficiently.