United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
www.undp.org
HQ: New York, USA
Number of staff: 10,600
Number of locations: 163
Key figures
Total emissions: 54,516 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions per staff member: 5.1 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Emissions from air travel: 25,849 tonnes CO2 equivalent
Air travel as a proportion of total emissions: 47%
Air travel per staff member: 2.4 tonnes CO2
Building-related emissions: 91 kg CO2 equivalent per square metre
“Climate change considerations need to be built into the core of all development planning if we are to have a sustainable future.”
Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Administrator's Message
“Climate change is a threat to everyone. But without action, the brunt of the impact would be felt by poor and vulnerable people in developing countries. With little capacity to cope, many more would become malnourished and struggle to find water, and even be displaced. This highlights just how intertwined the tasks of addressing climate change, reducing global poverty, and reaching the Millennium Development Goals are.
"A new, sustainable development path is essential in the face of climate change. Tackling this challenge head-on means doing more than intervening in traditional environmental sectors. It requires investments in developing capacity to run cleaner economies. It requires action on governance, such as ensuring that local decision-makers have the knowledge and tools they need to make sustainable policy and investment decisions. Climate change considerations need to be built into the core of all development planning if we are to have a sustainable future.”
Helen Clark
Mission
UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges.
Reduction efforts
UNDP Headquarters and several Regional Centers and Country Offices are in the process of developing comprehensive Emission Reduction Strategies (ERS). Many substantial steps have been taken already or are currently being implemented to reduce UNDP’s environmental footprint:
At Headquarters, one of UNDP’s office spaces was the first UN office in New York to receive the US Green Building Council's coveted Gold standard under the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certification scheme. Options for purchasing green electricity are being pursued at HQ and in several Country Offices. In Montenegro, the first zero emissions office for any UN country team is currently being built and in Vietnam the ‘Green One UN House’ will reduce UNDP’s environmental footprint substantially. In the UNDP Regional Center in Bratislava roof top panels generate ‘green’ electricity from solar power.
Other emission reduction efforts undertaken by UNDP offices include but are not limited to energy efficiency measures in the office space, procurement of hybrid cars, mangrove planting and staff training.
Offsetting
As of 2010, UNDP will have its first climate neutral division: The Bureau for Development Policy (BDP), which is responsible for about 25% of Headquarters’ GHG emissions, is procuring Gold Standard Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) to offset all GHG emissions generated by its office operations and official travel. Also, UNDP has offset events and meetings in the past with Gold Standard CERs, delivering additional benefits for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable development.
Next steps
Measure: For the 2009 GHG inventory, coverage could already be increased to now include data from over 60 UNDP offices and around 60% of global staff. Future assessment will be refined to also include offices that did not report so far and to improve data quality even further.
Reduce: Comprehensive Emission Reduction Strategies (ERS) are being developed for Headquarters as well as for several volunteering Regional Centres and Country Offices. In the coming months UNDP will focus on establishing a platform that encourages and supports further UNDP offices in developing and implementing ERS. The Green Team will also work further with UNDP senior management towards adjusting policies to include climate footprint considerations where reasonable.
Offset: UNDP will continue to offset GHG emissions for BDP and to pilot further climate neutrality initiatives with the aim of taking it across the organization.
UNDP and sustainability: climate change environment and energy
UNDP case studies
