The Guatemalan Chamber of Construction and UNOPS sign cooperation agreement

The purpose of the agreement is to facilitate the collaboration between the two entities for four years, to promote actions that contribute to the sustainable development of infrastructure in Guatemala.

Guatemala, January 13, 2022. According to the Bank of Guatemala, the construction sector in Guatemala represents 5.3% of the GDP in 2021, the population employed in the sector according to the National Employment and Income Survey (ENEI), represents 6.2% of formal jobs and 7.3% of informal jobs, with 982,005 people working in the sector. For this reason, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the UN body responsible for infrastructure, and the Guatemalan Chamber of Construction (CGC), on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement whose objective is to promote actions that contribute to the sustainable development of infrastructure in Guatemala.

The event was chaired by the signatories of the agreement, Engineer Erwin Deger, President of the CGC, Mr. Andrea Calvaruso, Director of UNOPS Guatemala, as well as Licenciado Raul Méndez, delegate of the President’s Office of the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS), as a witness of honor.

The rapprochement between the two institutions began in the second half of 2021, considering that their respective activities include areas of common interest, where closer collaboration through a partnership between the two organizations would be of mutual benefit and therefore it would enhance the effectiveness of each entity in achieving its mandate, role and functions.

The areas of cooperation covered by the agreement include: The promotion of fair and equitable Public Management, promoting joint actions between UNOPS and the Guatemalan Chamber of Construction in the area of project management and sustainable and resilient infrastructure; The promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda with emphasis on Goal 9, industry, innovation and infrastructure; and the exchange of information on procurement opportunities undertaken by UNOPS in order to achieve wide dissemination and participation of companies linked to the construction sector in Guatemala.

“The signature of this memorandum of understanding with UNOPS is of great importance, as it will allow transparent, planned and consensual progress in the development of infrastructure in the country, which is vital to increase our competitiveness and attract foreign investment,” said Engineer Erwin Deger.

The agreement also provides that both institutions can work on actions related to knowledge management, through workshops, seminars and/or events on sustainable infrastructure, procurement and project management; as well as the exchange of good practices with global standards, which UNOPS applies while developing its infrastructure projects such as: project management, contract management, technology and innovation, gender mainstreaming, diversity and inclusion, and occupational health and safety issues.

Andrea Calvaruso emphasized during the act that the signature of the agreement will have very positive impacts, benefiting Guatemalan institutions and population. The signature of the agreement is a fundamental step in the consolidation of a strategic partnership, which will allow us to work together and generate the bridges necessary between the public and private sectors, guaranteeing transparent processes in the civil construction sector in Guatemala.