About Greening the Blue
On 5 June (World Environment Day) 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all UN agencies, funds and programmes to become climate neutral and 'go green'.
Since then, all UN organisations have been working together to put in place systems and procedures to measure and reduce the environmental impacts of the UN family.
Greening the Blue was launched in 2010 to communicate with all UN staff as well as external stakeholders. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of sustainability throughout the UN system and highlight what’s been achieved, what’s happening next and how staff can get involved.
The work to create a more sustainable UN is now coordinated through the Issue Management Group (IMG) on Sustainability Management, which is serviced by the Sustainable United Nations (SUN) facility and reports to the Environment Management Group (EMG).
The Issue Management Group (IMG) on Environmental Sustainability Management
The IMG on Sustainability Management includes representatives from most UN organizations, each nominated by their Head of Organization. These individuals meet several times a year to agree UN-wide processes for improving the sustainability performance of the UN. You can find out about its origins and more about the IMG here.
The Sustainable United Nations (SUN) facility
The SUN facility was established in 2008 with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of the UN system. Today, SUN supports the IMG on Sustainability Management and leads the UN’s efforts to measure and reduce its environmental impacts in cooperation with the EMG. SUN also manages the Greening the Blue website.
The SUN team sits within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is based in Paris. Visit the SUN website.
The Environment Management Group (EMG)
EMG is a UN system-wide coordination body. Its membership consists of the specialized agencies, programmes and organs of the UN, including the secretariats of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) plus the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization. It is chaired by the Executive Director of UNEP and is supported by a secretariat based in Geneva. Visit the EMG website.
