Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
www.unaids.org
HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
Number of staff: 904
Number of locations: 96*
*The emissions are based on data collected from over 90 UNAIDS offices including its Headquarters in Geneva.
Key figures
Total emissions: 6,678 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions per staff member: 7.4 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions from air travel: 4,313 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Air travel as a proportion of total emissions: 65%
Air travel per staff member: 4.8 tonnes CO2
Building-related emissions: 49 kg CO2 equivalent per square metre
“Addressing climate change is a priority for UNAIDS not only in the way we operate but also in increasing our understanding of the implications climate change has on the AIDS epidemic and our response to it.”
Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/(UNAIDS)
Executive Director’s message
“Addressing climate change is a priority for UNAIDS not only in the way we operate but also in increasing our understanding of the implications climate change has on the AIDS epidemic and our response to it. Just as the AIDS response requires all partners from governments to civil society and the private sector to work together – so must we work together to reach goals in addressing climate change.”
Michel Sidibé
Mission
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative United Nations partnership that leads and inspires the world in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. UNAIDS fulfills its mission by:
- Uniting the efforts of the United Nations system, civil society, national governments, the private sector, global institutions and people living with and most affected by HIV;
- Speaking out in solidarity with the people most affected by HIV in defense of human dignity, human rights and gender equality;
- Mobilizing political, technical, scientific and financial resources and holding ourselves and others accountable for results;
- Empowering agents of change with strategic information and evidence to influence and ensure that resources are targeted where they deliver the greatest impact and bring about a prevention revolution; and
- Supporting inclusive country leadership for sustainable responses that are integral to and integrated with national health and development efforts.
Experience so far
UNAIDS has successfully collected data from over 90 country offices to complete its 2009 and 2010 inventories on schedule.
Reduction efforts
- Commitment by the Executive Director to reduce travel, including through use of communication technology
- Modification of the UNAIDS Travel Policy to raise the ceiling for business class travel from 6 – 9 hours.
- Printing reduction, including Secure badge printing project introduced in Headquarters to reduce printing volumes and paper consumption.
- Introduction of staff sensitization activities (e.g. “Meat Free” days in the HQ) as part of efforts to raise awareness of the impact of everyday decisions on the environment.
Offsetting
Although the focus of the organization will remain on reducing emissions, UNAIDS will explore options for purchasing offsets to compensate for remaining greenhouse gas emissions, thereby achieving a zero-climate footprint.
Next steps
Approval and implementation of UNAIDS Emissions Reduction Strategy for 2012-2013.
