Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

www.unescwa.org
HQ: Beirut, Lebanon
Focal Point: Emile Aoun
Email: [email protected]

The entity may not report waste data for all its personnel. Please refer to the entity's personnel chart below for more information.
All entity personnel are included in the entity's greenhouse gas emission inventory.

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY’S MESSAGE

ESCWA is fully engaged with its member States in advancing climate action to overcome sustainable development challenges caused by increasing temperatures, water scarcity, energy insecurity, land degradation and biodiversity loss, as well as extreme weather events. Such engagement includes mainstreaming climate policies in national and sectoral development plans, facilitating access to climate and biodiversity finance and green technologies, implementing solar energy systems in rural and remote communities, promoting upscaling energy in the building sector and encouraging emissions reductions in hard-to-abate extractive industries for achieving carbon neutrality, building climate resilience, reducing food waste and securing a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for present and future generations. 

Fully committed to leading by example, ESCWA has been carbon neutral since 2017.  To achieve this, it underwent an investment-grade energy audit which enabled it to take  concrete steps to limit its carbon emissions and environmental footprint. Such steps include investing in energy-saving and water-saving measures on its premises, introducing recycling and green procurement measures, incentivizing staff members to use electric and hybrid vehicles and carpooling, purchasing carbon offsets when virtual meetings were not possible and implementing open space with LED lighting and motion detection switching. Furthermore, ESCWA is in the process of exploring the feasibility of implementing a solar energy system on its premises to generate clean electricity and further reduce its carbon emissions and environmental footprint.   

As part of its partnership with the Lebanese Food Bank, ESCWA provides locally-produced meals to employees and donates remaining food to vulnerable communities, thus minimizing food waste.  It also launched digital awareness campaigns and environmental youth challenges on social media and through engagement with regional partners, non-governmental organizations, startups and youth groups, showing that “each one of us can make a difference” and contribute to implementing the vision of “healthy living on a healthy planet”. 

Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary, UNESCWA

MISSION

Committed to the 2030 Agenda, ESCWA’s passionate team produces innovative knowledge, fosters regional consensus and delivers transformational policy advice.

Together, we work for a sustainable future for all.

ALIGNMENT WITH THE STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM, 2020–2030 

ESCWA became ISO 14001 certified in March 2022 and has an emission reduction strategy in place and undertook several projects pursuant to an energy audit consisting of lighting retrofit with LED lights in various areas, lighting controls, decentralized power factor correction for motors, replacement of air conditioning chillers with energy efficient and eco-friendly ones.

EMISSION REDUCTION

  • Office floors are lit by sensors controlled LED lights.
  • Air-conditioning in office floors is turned off after office hours during working days, additional air conditioning may be provided for official purposes upon request.
  • Water is heated for the minimum time during winter and switched off for the remainder of the year.
  • Staff members are encouraged to switch off computers every evening.
  • Temperature is raised in the summer in the offices to reduce power consumption ranging between 24 and 25 degrees C.
  • Installation of curtains which has participated in keeping the offices cooler by intercepting the heat from the sun, and thereby contributing to decrease power consumption for air-conditioning.
  • ESCWA is promoting the use of stairs instead of elevators for one or two floors.
  • Use of teleconferencing and video conferencing, thus reducing the need for international travel. Associated technology, including new telephone/videophones, computer equipment and telephony applications have been purchased and installed to facilitate video and tele-conferencing.
  • ESCWA no longer procures desktop printers and focuses on network shared printers. Photocopiers are used as network printers with double sided printing set as default.
  • Purchase of hybrid vehicles 
  • Encourage use of environmentally friendly equipment and products

WASTE MANAGEMENT

  • Non-hazardous waste is measured by weighing. 
  • Paper, cardboard, plastics and metal cans are weighed and recycled. 
  • ESCWA minimized the number of individual printers and provided network printers with double-sided printing.
  • ESCWA is using refillable plastic bottles for its water dispensers.
  • Single use plastic water bottles are no longer distributed during meetings effective March 2019.
  • Water dispensers are available outside the meeting rooms on conference floors

WATER MANAGEMENT 

Domestic water consumption is measured by meters.

CLIMATE NEUTRALITY

ESCWA is climate neutral and purchases UNFCCC approved offsets.

EMISSIONS REDUCTION

ESCWA managed to reduce its emissions for 2019 by 4% in comparison with 2017 and by 14% in comparison with 2016. In 2020 emissions were less by 14% in comparison with 2019 in view of COVID 19 restrictions and emissions reduction measures.  In 2021 emissions were reduced by 20% in comparison with 2020. ESCWA plans to continue sustainability efforts to further improve its performance

EMS AND REDUCTION EFFORTS

ESCWA became ISO 14001 certified in March 2022 and has its Emissions Reduction Strategy and reduction efforts in place

Each year, as part of the Greening the Blue Report on Environmental Governance, each participating UN entity’s progress on the development of an Environmental Management System (EMS) is evaluated according to the UN system’s EMS criteria (these criteria are available on the Methodology webpage). Upon this evaluation the entity is then rated Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or No response. For the 2022 reporting year, ESCWA’s progress on the EMS is rated as: Does not meet.

ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS AND STANDARDS IN POLICIES, PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES

For the 2022 reporting year, ESCWA’s status of implementing environmental and social safeguards and standards in their policies, projects and programmes is: Yes.

ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING FOR PERSONNEL

For the 2022 reporting year, ESCWA’s status on providing training on environmental sustainability is Yes, but it is voluntary.

ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY APPROACH

ESCWA reports its greenhouse gases resulting from its facilities and travel activities. Namely, it reports on purchased electricity, stationary combustion, refrigerants, mobile sources, water, waste, air business travel and non-air business travel.

OFFSETTING

ESCWA became climate neutral in 2017 by offsetting 100% of its unavoidable emissions for the year 2016. Year 2021 is the 6th year in a row that ESCWA is climate neutral.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

  • Non-hazardous waste is measured by weighing
  • Paper, cardboard, plastics and metal cans are weighed and recycled.
  • ESCWA minimized the number of individual printers and provided network printers with double-sided printing.
  • ESCWA is using refillable plastic bottles for its water dispensers
  • Single use plastic water bottles are no longer distributed during meetings effective March 2019.
  • Water dispensers are available outside the meeting rooms on conference floors. 

WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

Domestic water consumption is measured by meters.

NEXT STEPS

Continue implementing energy saving measures and energy efficient operating schedules and explore possibilities to further reduce consumption and recycle plastic bottles and metal cans. ESCWA will launch digital awareness campaigns and environmental youth challenges on social media and through engagement with regional partners, non-governmental organizations, and youth groups.