UN agencies move towards climate neutrality

Around 100 staff from more than 40 UN agencies, funds and programmes are attending workshops in Geneva from 1 to 3 September, and in New York from 8 to 10 September, to accelerate efforts to move their organizations towards climate neutrality.

The staff members comprise a network of climate neutral focal points of the United Nations Environment Management Group (EMG), and include facility managers, administration and finance officers, and climate change technical experts across the UN system.

The initiative follows a commitment made by Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon and the Chief Executive Board to lead by example by moving the UN towards climate neutrality.

On the invitation of the EMG Chair and UN Environment Programme(UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, and with the support of the EMG secretariat and UNEP’sSustainable UN (SUN) facility, these workshops provide training, tools and guidelines, and offer experience sharing among UN agencies on how to prepare greenhouse gas emissions inventories and implement emissions reduction strategies. Reference material, case studies, lessons learned and best practices will soon be housed on a web site to share knowledge on climate neutrality not just within the UN, but also for the benefit of other organizations, local authorities, businesses and individuals