United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Category: International Relations — Environment and Global Governance

The United Nations Environment Programme is the leading global environmental authority within the United Nations system. It coordinates environmental action and supports international cooperation on environmental challenges.

Key facts

  • Established: 1972.

  • Origin: United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm.

  • Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.

  • UNEP supports environmental assessments, policy development, scientific cooperation and international environmental agreements.

  • It works on climate change, biodiversity, pollution, chemicals, waste and ecosystem restoration.

Major contributions

  • It publishes the Emissions Gap Report and the Adaptation Gap Report.

  • It supports international efforts to address plastic pollution, air pollution and ecosystem degradation.

  • It contributes to scientific assessments and environmental diplomacy.

  • It hosts the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), the world's highest-level decision-making body on environmental matters.

UPSC key pointers

  • UNEP was established in 1972 and is headquartered in Nairobi.

  • UNEP is a UN programme, not a specialised agency like the World Health Organization.

  • UNEA is an important global forum for environmental decision-making.

  • UNEP should not be confused with the UNFCCC, which is the international treaty framework addressing climate change.