 | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | UN Environment |
|---|---|
| Formation | 5 June 1972 |
| Type | Programme |
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | Nairobi  Kenya |
Head
| Inger Andersen since 2019  Denmark |
Parent organization
| United Nations |
| Website | https://www.unenvironment.org/ |
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is a programme of the United Nations that coordinates the organization's environmental activities and assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded by Maurice Strong, its first director, as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference) in June 1972 and has overall responsibility for environmental problems among United Nations agencies; however, international talks on specialized issues, such as addressing climate change or combating desertification, are overseen by other UN organizations, like the Bonn-based Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. UNEP's activities cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, environmental governance and green economy. It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions, promoting environmental science and information and illustrating the way those can be implemented in conjunction with policy, working on the development and implementation of policy with national governments, regional institutions in conjunction with environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs). UNEP has also been active in funding and implementing environment related development projects.
UNEP frequently uses the alternative name UN Environment.
UN Environment has aided in the formulation of guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international trade in potentially harmful chemicals, transboundary air pollution, and contamination of international waterways. Relevant documents, including scientific papers, are available via the UNEP Document Repository.
The World Meteorological Organization and UN Environment established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. UN Environment is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group. The International Cyanide Management Code, a programme of best practice for the chemical's use at gold mining operations, was developed under UN Environment's aegis.
History
The need of the developing laws such as the International Labor Organization(ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO), and the World Health Organization(WHO),
led to the 1972 U.N. Conference on Human Environment(the Stockholm
Conference) to tackle the pollution caused by the industrial revolution
during the 1960s and 1970s. In this conference, various topics including
marine life, protection of resources, environment change, disasters
related to nature, and biological change were discussed. This
conference resulted in a Declaration on the Human Environment (Stockholm
Declaration) and the establishment of an environmental management body,
which later was named United Nations Environment Program(UNEP). UNEP
was established by General Assembly Resolution 2997.
Headquarters were established in Nairobi and Kenya with a staff of
300, including 100 professionals in a variety of fields, and with a
five-year fund of more than US$100 million.
At the time, US$40 million were pledged by The United States and the
remainder by 50 other nations. The Voluntary Indicative Scale of
Contribution (VISC) established in 2002 has the role to increase the
supporters of the UNEP. The
finances related to all programs of UNEP is voluntarily contributed by
U.N. member states. The Environmental Fund, which all nations of UNEP
invest in, is the core source of UNEP’ s programs.
Between 1974 and 1986 UNEP produced more than 200 technical guidelines
or manuals on environment including forest and water management, pest
control, pollution monitoring, the relationship between chemical use and
health, and management of industry.
Governance
Executive Director
UNEP's current acting Executive Director Joyce Msuya took office in November 2018, following the resignation of Erik Solheim. Prior to that appointment, she was UNEP's Deputy Executive Director.
In December 1972, the UN General Assembly unanimously elected Maurice Strong
to be the first head of UN Environment. Also Secretary General of both
the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which
launched the world environment movement, and the 1992 Earth Summit,
Strong has played a critical role in globalizing the environmental
movement.
The position was then held for 17 years (1975–1992) by Dr. Mostafa Kamal Tolba,
who was instrumental in bringing environmental considerations to the
forefront of global thinking and action. Under his leadership, UN
Environment's most widely acclaimed success—the historic 1987 agreement
to protect the ozone layer—the Montreal Protocol was negotiated. He was succeeded by Elizabeth Dowdeswell (1992–1998), Klaus Töpfer (1998–2006), Achim Steiner (2006–2016), and Erik Solheim (2016–2018).
List of executive directors
| # | Picture | Name (birth–death) |
Nationality | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Maurice Strong (1929-2015) |
 Canada |
1972 | 1975 |
| 2 |  |
Mostafa Kamal Tolba (1922-2016) |
 Egypt |
1975 | 1992 |
| 3 | .jpg) |
Elizabeth Dowdeswell (born 1944) |
Canada |
1992 | 1998 |
| 4 | .jpg) |
Klaus Töpfer (born 1938) |
 Germany |
1998 | 2006 |
| 5 |  |
Achim Steiner (born 1961) |
 Brazil |
2006 | 2016 |
| 6 |  |
Erik Solheim (born 1955) |
 Norway |
2016 | 2018 |
| 7 | Joyce Msuya (born 1968) |
 Tanzania |
2018 | 2019 | |
| 8 | .jpg) |
Inger Andersen (acting) (born 1958) |
Denmark |
2019 | Present |
Environment Assembly
The
United Nations Environment Assembly is UNEP's governing body. Created
in June 2012 to replace the Governing Council, it currently has 193
members and meets every two years.
Structure
UNEP's structure includes eight substantive Divisions:
- Science Division
- Policy and Programme Division
- Ecosystems Division
- Economy Division
- Governance Affairs Office
- Law Division
- Communication Division
Activities
UNEP's main activities are related to:
- climate change
- including the Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC)
- disasters and conflicts
- Disasters and Conflicts UNEP has endeavored to lighten the influence of emergencies or natural disasters on human health and to prepare for future disasters. It contributes to the reduction of the origin of disasters by controlling the balance of ecosystems and actively support Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which aims to reduce the risk of disasters(DRR). As well as preventing natural disasters, the UNEP supports countries such as to make laws or policies which protect the countries from getting serious damage by disasters. Since 1999 it has helped 40 countries to recover from the effect of disasters.
- ecosystem management
- environmental governance
- environment under review
- UNEP provides information and data on the global environment to stakeholders including governments, non-governmental organizations and the public for them to engage in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. The information which UNEP shares is based on the latest science and is collected in a proper way. This makes policy makers find reliable information effectively. Through this The Environment Outlook and the Sustainable Development Goals Indicators stakeholders can have access to information easily. In addition, the UN environment Live Platform and Online Access to Research in Environment(OARE) provide transparent information collected by UNEP.
- harmful substances
- resource efficiency
Awards programs
Several awards programs have been established to recognize outstanding work in the environmental field. The Global 500 Roll of Honour was initiated in 1987 and ended in 2003. Its 2005 successor, Champions of the Earth,
and a similar award, Young Champions of the Earth, are given annually
to entrepreneurs, scientists, policy leaders, upcoming talent,
individuals and organizations who make significant positive impacts on
resources and the environment in their areas.
Notable achievements
UNEP has registered several successes, such as the 1987 Montreal Protocol for limiting emissions of gases blamed for thinning the planet's protective ozone layer, and the 2012 Minamata Convention, a treaty to limit toxic mercury.
UNEP has sponsored the development of solar loan programmes, with
attractive return rates, to buffer the initial deployment costs and
entice consumers to consider and purchase solar PV systems. The most
famous example is the solar loan programme sponsored by UN Environment helped 100,000 people finance solar power systems in India. Success in India's solar programme has led to similar projects in other parts of the developing world, including Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia and Mexico.
UNEP sponsors the Marshlands project in the Middle East.
In 2001, UN Environment alerted about the destruction of the Marshlands
when it released satellite images showing that 90 percent of the
Marshlands had been lost. The UN Environment "support for Environmental
Management of the Iraqi Marshland" began in August 2004, to manage the
Marshland area in an environmentally sound manner.
UN Environment has a programme for young people known as Tunza. Within this programme are other projects like the AEO for Youth.
International Environmental Education Programme (1975-1995)
For two decades, UNESCO
and UNEP led the International Environmental Education Programme
(1975-1995), which set out a vision for, and gave practical guidance on
how to mobilize education
for environmental awareness. In 1976, UNESCO launched an environmental
education newsletter ‘Connect’ as the official organ of the UNESCO-UNEP
International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP). It served as a clearinghouse to exchange information on Environmental Education
(EE) in general and to promote the aims and activities of the IEEP in
particular, as well as being a network for institutions and individuals
interested and active in environment education until 2007.
Climate change
UNEP in 1989, 30 years ago,
predicted "entire nations could be wiped off the face of the Earth by
rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the
year 2000."
UNEP in 2005, 14 years ago, predicted "50 million people could become environmental refugees by 2010, fleeing the effects of climate change."'
Glaciers
are shrinking at record rates and many could disappear within decades,
the U.N. Environment Programme said on 16 March 2008. The scientists
measuring the health of almost 30 glaciers around the world found that
ice loss reached record levels in 2006. On average, the glaciers shrank
by 4.9 feet in 2006, the most recent year for which data are available.
The most severe loss was recorded at Norway's
Breidalblikkbrea glacier, which shrank 10.2 feet in 2006. Glaciers lost
an average of about a foot of ice a year between 1980 and 1999. But
since the turn of the millennium the average loss has increased to about
20 inches.
Electric vehicles
At the fifth Magdeburg Environmental Forum held from 3–4 July 2008, in Magdeburg, Germany, UN Environment and car manufacturer Daimler called for the establishment of infrastructure for electric vehicles.
At this international conference, 250 high-ranking representatives from
the world of politics and non-government organizations discussed
solutions for future road transportation under the motto of "Sustainable
Mobility–the Post-2012 CO2 Agenda".
Circular economy
UN Environment is the co-chair and a founding partner (along with groups such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation) for the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy,
which is a public-private partnership of over 50 global organizations
and governments seeking to support the rapid transition to a global Circular economy.
The Regional Seas Program
The
world's only legal program which was established in 1974 for the
purpose of protecting the oceans and seas at the regional level. More
than 143 countries participate in 18 regional programs including
Caribbean Region, East Asian Seas, Eastern African Region, Mediterranean
Region, North-West Pacific Region, Western Africa Region, Caspian Sea,
Black Sea Region, North-East Pacific Region, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,
ROPME Sea Area, South Asian Seas, South-Easy Pacific Region, Pacific
Region, Artic Region, Antarctic Region, Baltic Sea, and North-East
Atlantic Region. Each program consists of countries which share the same
sea and they manage the sea at the regional level. The programs are
controlled by secretariats or Regional Coordinating Units (RCUs) and
Regional Activity Centers (RACs).UNEP
realizes the protection of the seas by promoting international and
regional conventions through education and training based on the
assessment of how the region is polluted and how the pollution damages
human body.
Reports
UNEP
publishes many reports, atlases and newsletters. For instance, the fifth
Global Environment Outlook (GEO-5) assessment is a comprehensive report
on environment, development and human well-being, providing analysis
and information for policy makers and the concerned public. One of many
points in the GEO-5 warns that we are living far beyond our means. It
notes that the human population is now so large that the amount of
resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available.
In June 2010, a report from UN Environment declared that a global shift towards a vegan diet was needed to save the world from hunger, fuel shortages and climate change.
International years
(International) Patron of the Year of the Dolphin was H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, with Special Ambassador to the cause being Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys musical group.
- 2010 – International Year of Biodiversity
- 2011 – International Year of Forests
- 2012 – International Year for Sustainable Energy for All
- 2013 – International Year of Water Cooperation
- 2014- International Year of Family Farming
- 2015- International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies
- 2016- International Year of Pulses 2017- International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development
Reform
Following the publication of Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in February 2007, the "Paris Call for Action" — read out by French President Jacques Chirac
and supported by 46 countries — called for the United Nations
Environment Programme to be replaced by a new and more powerful "United
Nations Environment Organization (UNEO)", to be modelled on the World Health Organization.
The 46 countries included the European Union nations, but notably did
not include the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China, the top
four emitters of greenhouse gases.
In December 2012, following the Rio+20 Summit, a decision by the
General Assembly of the United Nations to "strengthen and upgrade" the UN Environment Programme (UN Environment) and establish universal membership of its governing body was confirmed.
Funding
2018 funds witholding
In
September 2018, the Dutch government announced it would withhold $8
million in funding to UNEP until nepotism issues with regard to the head
of the U.N. Environment Programme. Sweden and Denmark stopped funding as well. A spokesman for the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs said the freezing of funds was probably unprecedented.
