UN FLEET Officially Launches Operations as UNFPA and UNICEF Sign Global Service Agreements
On the 4th of October 2022, UNFPA and UNICEF signed the first global service agreements with UN FLEET, a joint WFP and UNHCR UN Reform initiative.
Amid the High-Level Committee on Management, leaders from UNFPA and UNICEF signed the first global service agreements with the UN FLEET, the independent entity and joint WFP & UNHCR initiative set up to streamline vehicles and fleet services for UN operations. The signing of these first global service agreements marked the official operational start of UN FLEET and is a concrete step forward in implementing the UN Reform’s Efficiency agenda.
What is UN FLEET
The UN FLEET builds on WFP and UNHCR’s experience in setting-up self-sustaining vehicle leasing schemes and leverages this expertise and experience to offer the same light vehicle provision model to all other UN agencies.
Set up as an independent entity, the underlying ethos of UN FLEET is rooted in providing safe, efficient, and sustainable vehicle lifecycle management to the entire UN system, which in turn leads to cost reduction, lower emissions, and increased road safety.
The ongoing implementation of the UN Reform, and specifically the focus on cost efficiencies, is pushing all UN Agencies and Programmes to pursue more cost-efficient support services.
The UN System collectively operates more than 30,000 light vehicles globally. By reducing the duplication of functions and administrative and transactional costs through the consolidation of fleet services, The UN FLEET is a tangible UN Reform initiative providing support across the United Nations system towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“These agreements between UNFPA, UNICEF and UN FLEET are a great example of United Nations entities finding ways to work more effectively together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and on behalf of WFP and UNHCR we are pleased to leverage our expertise to set-up this joint-innovative initiative for the benefit of the wider UN community and the people we serve” said Manoj Juneja, Deputy Executive Director of WFP.
How UN FLEET benefits UN Agencies
By standing on the shoulders of WFP and UNHCR, UN FLEET, which is backed by a team of technical experts from both agencies, and managed through a user-friendly digital interface — the UN Fleet Portal — ensures significant benefits such as support in right-sizing operational vehicles, offering strategically placed vehicle stocks and increased buying power thanks to economies of scale in purchasing vehicles directly from the manufacturer.
By offering an efficient alternative to traditional light vehicle acquisition, UNICEF and UNFPA’s offices across the world will now be able to lease vehicles from UN FLEET. Their Country Offices will be able to place their lease requests directly on the UN Fleet Portal. UN FLEET supports the agencies in optimizing their fleet by helping them make the right choice of vehicle models for their operations. Once vehicles are selected, UN FLEET takes care of the entire procurement, vehicle preparation and shipping process, meaning that the burden of vehicle procurement is lifted at country office level. Additional benefits such as full insurance for loss and damage to the vehicle and optional field worthy accessories are also provided by UN FLEET. After a 60-month lifecycle, UN FLEET decommissions the vehicle and provides a replacement vehicle to the client if needed.
“UN FLEET is a great example of partnership in action and how both qualitative benefits and quantitative efficiency gains can be reached when we work together as one in the UN” said Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner at UNHCR.
Taking the initiative forward
Over the past year, UN FLEET has been engaging with a wide range of UN agencies for the provision of leasing vehicles and fleet services. That engagement has included discussions with each agency on its needs, ambitions and operational opportunities or constraints. From these discussions, agency specific roll-out plans were being developed.
On the understanding that UN FLEET was set up to provide efficiency gains to the wider UN Community, UN FLEET looks forward to welcoming other UN Agencies as their clients.
Contact:
For more information on UN FLEET, contact:
Phil Jones, Head: phil.jones@unfleet.org
Merel van Egdom: Project and Reporting Officer: merel.vanegdom@unfleet.org
