Middelburg, the Netherlands, 14 October 2025
Under the motto “Leave no one behind”, the UNDP ( United Nations Development Programme ) Uzbekistan has demonstrated how public procurement can drive sustainable development by modernising water infrastructure and providing clean water access to remote communities in Karakalpakstan, a region severely affected by environmental degradation.
The project, which enables residents to remain in their homes despite environmental challenges, earned UNDP Uzbekistan the Procura+ Award for Global Initiative of the Year. The Awards are an initiative of ICLEI Europe’s Procura+ Network, which brings together public authorities committed to sustainable and innovation procurement.
This year marked a milestone for the Procura+ Awards, as the Global Initiative of the Year category was open to public authorities outside Europe for the first time. The expanded competition drew projects from every continent, with finalists from Brazil, New Zealand and Uzbekistan.
The Awards were presented during the Procura+ Seminar, hosted by the Province of Zeeland in Middelburg (the Netherlands). In the Sustainable Procurement of the Year category, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) was recognised for using a tender to install 101 electric bus charging points at 36 locations across Berlin. The project embeds Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence principles, promoting decent work, fair wages and climate-friendly supply chains.
In the Innovation Procurement of the Year category, Orléans Métropole won for its pioneering project aligning with EU Directives on energy neutrality in wastewater treatment. The initiative significantly reduces local greenhouse gas emissions and demonstrates that innovative procurement models can deliver replicable, high-impact climate solutions without creating additional financial burdens for public authorities.
The Province of Zeeland, which hosted this year’s seminar, has a strong record in sustainable public procurement. In 2021, it received the Procura+ Award for Sustainable Procurement of the Year for integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into every procurement process. Since then, Zeeland has continued to lead by example, using tenders to monitor and offset CO₂ emissions, electrify its municipal fleet and stimulate the local market.
“We tell our suppliers that if they do not become sustainable and green now, they will not exist in ten years,” said Martin Scherpenisse, Head of Procurement for the Province of Zeeland. “Sustainable procurement is a must for the local economy.”
Scherpenisse further remarked that the many interactive discussions during the Seminar with public buyers from across Europe will be of great value for the province: “The insights gathered during the seminar will be applied in practice in Zeeland in the near future. The province is preparing some major projects, such as the renovation of the Zeelandbrug, one of the longest bridges in the Netherlands, and the reconstruction of the Deltaweg, a strategic highway connecting key islands of the province.
“In addition, Zeeland is seeking to make its infrastructure climate-proof and to replace its Fastferries. All of these are projects where strategic sustainable public procurement will play a major role,” he concluded.
UNDP Uzbekistan earns Procura+ Award for Global Initiative of the Year
As Dominique Sandy, Head of ICLEI Europe’s Sustainable and Innovation Procurement team, concluded: “None of these successes would be possible without cooperation. We need to learn from each other and from people with similar challenges. We all come from different cities, regions and continents, but we share the same journey and goals.”
“The challenge now is to ensure that what has been discussed here will find its way into tender documents and behavioral change. If you always ask the same thing, you will always get the same thing. Change needs to come from both the supply side and the demand side,” he added.
About Procura+:
Initiated and co-ordinated by ICLEI, Procura+ is a network of European public authorities and regions that connect, exchange and act on sustainable and innovation procuremen. The Procura+ series of seminars provide an opportunity for face-to-face exchange on sustainable procurement. Participants include purchasers from all levels of governments, suppliers, policy-makers and multipliers. The Procura+ Seminars aim to equip participants wanting to implement high quality, cost effective, sustainable, circular and innovative procurement practices with the latest professional information, advice and networking opportunities to share lessons learnt, key insights and challenges from their daily work.
