UN Office for Project Services, Russian oil company sign cooperation agreement

The United Nations system's major provider of project management services and the second largest oil company in Russia today signed an agreement aimed at establishing the conditions for cooperation between the firm and interested UN bodies operating in the region.

The agreement, signed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Chairman and CEO of YUKOS, and Reinhart Helmke, Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), will support Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Compact initiative which encourages respect for standards relating to the environment, employment laws and human rights.

Under the terms of the agreement, projects designed on a case-by-case basis will be carried out in such areas as social investment in post-conflict societies, environmental cleanup and management, educational and cultural exchange in support of peace or stabilization processes, bridging the digital divide, small and medium enterprise development and assistance, and healthcare.

"As the only self-financing and demand-driven entity in the UN system, UNOPS combines good business practices with the values of the UN," said Mr. Helmke. "I am convinced that the UNOPS model and the principles of the private sector complement each other perfectly well."

Mr. Khodorkovsky stressed that his company was ready to contribute to the solution of problems faced by Russian society and welcomed the contribution UNOPS - with its long-standing expertise in project management - could make to this effort.