Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
www.escwa.un.org
HQ: Beirut, Lebanon
Number of staff: 401
Number of locations: 1
Key Figures
Total emissions: 4,155 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions per staff member: 10.4 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions from air travel: 658 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Air travel as a proportion of total emissions: 16%
Air travel per staff member: 1.6 tonnes CO2
Building-related emissions: 91 kg CO2 equivalent per square metre
“Challenges to human security in our region range from the threats to peace and lives posed by the Israeli occupation, to economic and political marginalization that result from fragile structures and violations of human rights.”
Dr Rima Khalaf, Executive Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Western (ESCWA)
Executive Secretary’s message
"Challenges to human security in our region range from the threats to peace and lives posed by the Israeli occupation, to economic and political marginalization that result from fragile structures and violations of human rights. The gravity of such threats should not, however, lead us to underestimate those emanating from climate change. Science tells us that sea water will rise to drown large parts of our lands, and that further desertification, droughts and the intrusion of seawater into our aquifers, will erode the quality and quantity of our waters and have dire ramifications on livelihoods, food security and human wellbeing. ESCWA will not only work with member countries to help them avert such threats, but will also continue its efforts to move towards making its own facilities and operations climate neutral."
Dr. Rima Khalaf
Mission
ESCWA provides a framework for the formulation and harmonization of sectoral policies for member countries, a platform for congress and coordination, a home for expertise and knowledge, and an information observatory. ESCWA activities are coordinated with the divisions and main offices of the Headquarters of the United Nations, specialized agencies, and international and regional organizations, including the League of Arab States, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Experience so far
The use of teleconferencing and videoconferencing has increased, reducing the need for international travel and associated technology, including new telephone/ videophones, computer equipment and telephony applications have been purchased and installed to facilitate video and tele-conferencing. Telecommuting, which was initially pursued and envisioned as a business-continuity security response measure, also holds opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to ground transportation in the congested Beirut road network.
Reduction efforts
1. Reduction to half lighting in office floors at 3:30 pm. Lights switched off at 6 pm during working days, except for emergency lighting during night and weekends. Additional lighting may be provided for official purposes upon request
2. Air-conditioning in office floors is turned off at 3:30 pm during working days, additional air-conditioning may be provided for official purposes upon request
3. Water heated for the minimum time with an automatic shutoff thermostat control
4. Paper recycling being undertaken by staff and during disposal of old publications and meeting-related documents; the sale of the recyclable paper/paperboard (e.g, cartons) is to a local contractor, who picks-up the recyclable materials from UN House
5. Staff member are encouraged to switch off computers and monitors every evening
6. Photocopiers, scanners and printers at ESCWA have energy -saving mechanisms, with new units purchased per energy-saving specifications
7. Double sided printing set as default for all networked printers
8. Continued development of workflows to reduce the amount of paper
Offsetting
No offsetting has been done so far at the institutional level.
Next steps
ESCWA is establishing a Task Force on Climate Neutrality that involves representatives from both substantive and administrative divisions. ESCWA has established an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Greening Committee, with representatives from administration and substantive divisions, which reviews, advocates and endorses greening initiatives at ESCWA. Photocopiers are being converted to function as network printers and scanners. ESCWA no longer procures desktop/stand alone printers and focuses on energy efficient networked/shared printers with power saving capability.
