Win-win solutions

UN agencies are cooperating with businesses on a large scale, to mutual benefit.

The projects work in two directions: business provides know-how and resources to the UN, while the UN develops programmes that help to create an environment supportive of businesses, economic growth and sustainable development. The examples given below are only a small portion of hundreds of case studies on file.

Promoting investment
The Food and Agriculture Organization has developed a unique banking software package that reduces costs and sharpens management of small credit and savings institutions.
The system is deployed in more than 1,000 offices in 25 countries. As part of this effort, FAO is also helping to establish small service companies and to train their staffs to support micro-bank client needs.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to promote investment in least developed countries, especially in Africa. The UN, business and governments are working together on practical investment guides which dispel the myth that there are no investment opportunities in these countries.

Expanding markets and boosting employment Telecom capability is essential if emerging economies are to build internal markets and to tap into the growing Internet commercial sector. ?WorldNet", created by the International Telecommunication Union is part of the UN's plans to lay up to 50 million telephone lines in developing countries over the next decade.

The Universal Postal Unions "Direct Mail Development Programme" is building public/private partnerships which stimulate direct mail market growth around the world.

The FAO has introduced a demand-driven system which supports commercial dealer networks for agricultural machinery, tools and other inputs, and also offers pre-sales advice and after-sales service. Established in several developing countries, the project provides technical assistance and training to dealers, facilitates contacts with suppliers and sources of credit and also advises governments on taxes and other regulatory matters pertinent to nurturing new ventures.

A lack of understanding of modern commodity marketing and financing instruments in some developing countries acts as a barrier to international commodity trade and raises transaction costs. UNCTAD has used its expertise to install commodity exchanges which in many cases are private sector initiatives in several Latin American countries, Turkey, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.

A UN Population Fund project set in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, Ghana and South Africa brokers the negotiations of hormonal contraceptive manufacturers and marketing experts with government and donor agencies. Government-business sector working groups are already established, and work is underway on plans for reducing trade barriers and expanding the role of the commercial sector.

Sharing and developing know-how For five years, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has encouraged voluntary environmental reporting by companies around the world. As a continuation of this effort, a global set of guidelines for reporting on both environmental and social impact were launched in March 1999, and over 20 corporations from around the world agreed to serve as pilot tests.

Moved by scenes of misery in Albania, Microsoft employees in Europe contacted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to ask how they could help.
The UN agency said it urgently needed a computerized registration system that could generate photo ID cards for Kosovo refugees. Microsoft assembled a partnership with Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and the European photo-ID card specialists Securit and Screencheck to handle the job.

Information technology companies are contributing technical assistance to an automated customs system developed by UNCTAD, which has already improved trade efficiency in developing countries by several hundred million dollars. The system is now being applied in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Emergency aid to millions of people is being delivered faster and fresher by the World Food Programme, thanks to new bagging and handling technologies from the private sector.

To improve their negotiating position vis-a-vis the European market, 26 Hungarian companies have adopted the "Total Quality Management" model introduced by the UN Industrial Organization on a self-financed basis, and many more have expressed interest. In addition, 700 Hungarian technicians have been trained by UNIDO in techniques for eliminating health hazards through improved food-manufacturing processes.

The Slovak Productivity Centre is an independent foundation established by the International Labour Organization. It serves as an information centre, an educational institute, a research facility and an outreach programme. The Centre operates programmes dealing with industrial engineering, enterprise logistics, management training and human resources development.

Advocacy support
A global concert with leading rock stars is to be broadcast simultaneously on the Internet from stages at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Wembley Stadium in London and the Geneva Opera House. The 9 October extravaganza will raise public awareness on poverty in developing countries and generate financial support. "Net Aid" is co-sponsored by Internet giant Cisco Systems and UNDP, the world's largest provider of grant assistance to improve standards of living in poor countries.

The UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention has set up drug-abuse prevention workshops and projects for workers and their families in Southern Brazil and Northern Europe, funded largely by employers. A preliminary evaluation shows a substantial savings in health costs for the companies involved.