Mission, vision, and values
Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.
Our vision is a world where people can live full lives supported by sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure and by the efficient, transparent use of public resources in procurement and project management.
To refine our message and focus attention on the organization's role as a service provider in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, the UNOPS high-level description was revised in late 2020. UNOPS: Infrastructure services, procurement, and project management for a sustainable world.
UNOPS Programs and Projects Guatemala
UNOPS projects in Guatemala aim to provide technical assistance to the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS) in its capacity-building, management, and implementation of diverse components such as the acquisitions of medicines, clinical supplies, and the decentralization of specialized health services. Similarly, reducing the hospital infrastructure gap, the equipment of clinical units and improving the technological infrastructure of IGSS, resulting in improving the quality and coverage of health care for 3.2 million beneficiaries, users of the social security in Guatemala.
The United Nations System in Guatemala
Since its inception, the United Nations System and Guatemala have had a very close relationship; Guatemala is one of the 51 States that founded the UN. Since then, the United Nations family in Guatemala has collaborated with the Guatemalan State, including a strong bond with civil society organizations, as well as other organized sectors, to achieve sustainable development and national peace. Nowadays there are 20 agencies, funds, programs, and specialized agencies that work as a country team to accompany national efforts to leave no one behind.
Expected accomplishments of the United Nations system in Guatemala
Inclusive and Sustainable Development: Updating municipal development plans, including economic opportunity initiatives, and implementing production chains.
Social Development: Community-based communication work was developed to raise awareness among women on the importance of the 1,000-day window interventions, including exclusive breastfeeding and the need to work on complementary feeding.
A society that is safe and free of violence: Support was given to the design of the Municipal Policy and Plan for the Comprehensive Development of Women during their life cycle.
Justice for all: Public Prosecutors from the Public Prosecutor’s Office were strengthened on the ability to use the protocol and due diligence, and on comprehensive care for victims and witnesses at the national level, with different approaches by type of crime, age, gender, sex, disability, sexual diversity, and cultural and territorial relevance
Multicultural and diverse society: The capacities of Indigenous organizations, institutions, and authorities to address agrarian and social conflict in the forestry sectors were strengthened. Dialogues were held and alliances were built in this framework with the Comisión Interinstitucional Ixil [Ixil Inter-Institutional Commission], made up of nine organizations.
Assistance to migrants: Strong support was provided to the civil society, activating the clusters on a case-by-case basis, particularly the protection cluster. This ensured humanitarian assistance, protection, and human rights.
UN Programming Framework with Guatemala 2020 - 2025 button
Fair and Equitable Public Management
Fair and Equitable Public Management is one “side of the coin” of modern government management; the other side is the fight against corruption. Every specific progress that generates a fairer and more equitable public management takes space away from corruption and illegality and, therefore, it is inserted into virtuous cycles that increase the satisfaction of the citizens, their access to rights, their participation in the administration of their communities, and their desire to participate in building a better society in the territories where they move.
Perspectives of the Fair and Equitable Public Management
The #GPJE is articulated with a series of Perspectives that are complementary, the core is the Value of Money, because the goal of the #GPJE is to invest public resources in the best possible and sustainable way for the benefit of the population.
Actions in Guatemala
UNOPS established world-class control mechanisms by opening its processes to the oversight of civil society including the local chapter of Transparency International. In the procurement procedures, as well as in the specific aspects of counselling and evaluations of drug lists, the relationship was facilitated with relevant institutions in the field, such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The UNOPS assistance project for IGSS is comprehensive and includes all the elements to accompany the modernization of various units and processes with the consequent reduction of the conditions that facilitate corruption. In this regard, foundational products and results were reached for the new IGSS, such as:
Review of the basic drug list
Creation of a Logistics Directorate and another Central Therapeutic Directorate
Creation of a Market Intelligence Unit
Procurement dashboards based on Business Intelligence
More complete warehouse management software.
Comprehensive Actions in response to the COVID-19 emergency in Guatemala
UNOPS, as the UN agency responsible for acquisitions, infrastructure, and project management provides support and technical capacities to governments to face the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic. In Guatemala, it provides technical cooperation to Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS), government partners and sister agencies of the United Nations system, to address the public calamity status declared by the National Government (Decrees from the Executive Branch and the Congress of the Republic dated March-July 2020), as well as their related extensions.
Emergency acquisitions to support IGSS in the framework of the INFRAIGSS Program
COVID-19 Emergency
Medical equipment delivered
Modular units
Modular medical equipment and furniture purchased for modular units and other medical units
Donation of COVID-19 (EVAg) diagnostic tests
UNOPS managed the donation of 70,000 reactions or real-time tests for the detection of COVID-19, destined for the Government of Guatemala. The tests come from the European Virus Archive (EVAg), a non-profit organization that distributes the tests that follow the protocol of the Institute of Medical Immunology of Charité University in Berlin, endorsed by the WHO for the confirmation of the virus.
Strengthening the national capabilities and response teams
In the framework of the health cluster led by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MSPAS) and the national authorities responsible for responding to the national disaster caused by the coronavirus, UNOPS participates jointly with the group of international cooperating agencies and institutions to join efforts to prevent COVID-19 and take actions for its control in Guatemala. It also integrates different UN interagency groups in the face of the pandemic.
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals that the UN is working on in Guatemala.
How does the UN support the Sustainable Development Goals in Guatemala?
The success achieved with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2000 to 2015 at the global level was not the same in Guatemala. Although progress in achieving the SDGs has been a pending task for the country, the Guatemalan society is increasingly committed to the knowledge, understanding, dissemination, and implementation of the 17 goals, its 169 targets, and nearly 230 indicators. There is an effort to prioritize the 2030 Agenda at the national level, to walk the path of dignity where no one is left behind.
Official Communications
Official Mail: comunicaciones.gtoc@unops.org