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: 7.051 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions per staff member: 7.8 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions from air travel: 4,501 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Air travel as a proportion of total emissions: 64%
Air travel per staff member: 5 tonnes CO2
Building-related emissions: 52.9 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
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners to maximize results for the AIDS response.
Experience so far
UNAIDS has successfully collected data from over 90 country offices to complete its 2009, 2010 and 2011 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 2013.
