Get to know the IFIs, the UN and aid agencies
International Financial Institutions (IFIs), also known as Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), offer grants, guarantees, credits and low-cost loans to Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs) to achieve development goals. Canada and other donor countries contribute their official development assistance (ODA) to the IFIs, to maximize development impact. Read the following high-level overviews of the major IFIs to learn more:
- African Development Bank (AfDB)
- Asian Development Bank (ADB)
- Caribbean Development Bank (CBD)
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
- Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
- United Nations (UN)
- World Bank (WBG)
United Nations (UN) Agencies: The UN system includes specialized agencies that undertake work in support of both development and humanitarian requirements. All UN aid is untied and procurement notices for most UN projects are posted at the UN Global Marketplace (UNGM) and in UN Development Business. Many UN country/regional offices also have procurement information on their respective websites. Learn more about Selling to United Nations Agencies: A guide for Canadian businesses.
UN Development Agencies support social and economic development around the world. These agencies cover every sector from agriculture to sustainable energy to healthcare and buy large quantities of goods and services each year. UN country offices deliver almost all their development programs and in the recipient country, national authorities often implement them. Major UN development agencies include:
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
- International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- United Nations Procurement Division (UNPD, also known as UN Secretariat)
- United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
UN Aid Agencies are the first responders when natural disasters, conflicts and emergencies occur around the world. Designed to help people in sudden and desperate need, they are also crucial to preparing for such catastrophic events.
Other related aid organizations and agencies:
Bilateral Aid Agencies finance projects that contribute to the economic and social development of recipient countries. They work closely with IFIs and the UN to advance development priorities and programs, but unlike IFIs, they are only responsible to a single government and are often part of a government ministry. Most bilateral aid is untied, but some is tied (such as USAID, which preferences U.S. companies). Donors from OECD countries have agreed to publish procurement notices for untied aid projects in a central location, the Untied Official Development Assistance website, although individual donor agencies remain the most complete source for procurement information and often publish the notices on their sites as well.
- Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
- Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
- EuropeAid DG DEVCO
- KfW Development Bank
- Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
- Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Read our MCC Guide
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Netherlands Development Cooperation
- Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
- Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) offer financing to support the private sector in developing markets. DFIs may be owned by national governments, or financed through an IFI. DFIs play an important role by mobilizing capital in developing markets, and providing expert advice, to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Some major DFIs include:
