2025 has begun, and the United Nations Global Service Centre (UNGSC) is ready to embrace the New Year with renewed energy, innovation, and a strong sense of purpose. Over the past year, we’ve made significant strides in advancing key partnerships, utilizing our unique role as a hub for supply chain and digital technology to support peace operations worldwide with greater coordination, efficiency, and impact.
Increasingly, the UN General Assembly has called on us to provide “more efficient and effective services” to partners across the UN system, regional organizations, and beyond (A/RES/78/295). This mandate inspires us to strengthen our partnerships, as we work together with a diverse range of stakeholders who share a common purpose. Together, we have a clear understanding of how our complementary resources and expertise contribute to advancing both our respective and mutual objectives, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN’s mission to maintain international peace and security.
Strengthening Our Global Network:
At UNGSC, we are proud to collaborate with a growing network of partners. Our partnerships include UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes, as well as regional actors such as the African Union, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). These collaborations are vital in enhancing the effectiveness of our operations, ensuring that we deliver services where and when they are needed most. In addition to our operational support in the field, we have strengthened partnerships at our home Bases in Brindisi and Valencia. These locations provide ample opportunities for co-located partners to reduce operational costs and carbon footprint and improve efficiency, leveraging our extensive infrastructure.
A Tailored Approach to Service Provision:
Whether in the field or at home, UNGSC’s approach is always client-centric, providing flexible, scalable services tailored to the specific needs of our partners. We ensure that organizations choosing to establish a presence at our Bases can select the services they need, and scale them according to their operational requirements. This flexibility allows us to meet diverse needs while maximizing the impact of our resources.
From longstanding co-located partners in Brindisi, such as the World Food Programme’s United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot and the Standing Police Capacity, to newer arrivals in Valencia, like UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration, we are proud to support a growing community of like-minded organizations, in the spirit of “One United Nations,” pooling resources for greater impact.
The Power of Collaboration:
Our partnerships are more than just operational arrangements—they are opportunities to create synergies and achieve greater results. As Anne-Marie Orler, Chief of the Standing Police Capacity (SPC), describes: “UNGSC and the SPC are a great collaboration: when one shines, the other shines too.” This mutual support is what drives our partnerships forward and strengthens the effectiveness of our efforts.
We are excited to continue building on these partnerships in 2025, working together to serve the UN’s mission of "peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet."
For more insights, read the article "Co-location and Collaboration at UNGSC: Perspectives from Partner Organizations in Brindisi and Valencia" in our publication Of Service: Stories of Solutions and Impact 1994-2024 (p. 72).
