Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

“Climate change is impacting everyone including people affected by AIDS. The effects of climate change related displacement of people is interrupting access to sustainable lifesaving treatment for people living with HIV, HIV prevention services, threatening livelihoods and increasing gender based violence for women and girls.  Action on climate change is action towards ensuring people’s right to health.”

Winnie Byanyima
Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

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

Procurement: UNAIDS Secretariat procurement policy contains elements of environmental sustainability. Digitalization of Quality Check Control within the procurement process (i-Track) and electronic signature systems reducing paper transaction volumes.

Human Resources: most interviews are conducted on-line, reducing travel emissions. Development of electronic dashboards reducing printing requirements. Promotion of on-line training. 

Facilities management: Most UNAIDS field offices have location-dependant business operations relying on other agencies for office space, and some administrative functions. Depending on location this can either be an incentive or disincentive for sustainable practices. Outsourcing building management services at HQ, has resulted in improved tracking of consumption and costs.   

Travel: UNAIDS Secretariat travel policy contains elements of environmental sustainability. 

Information technology: Steady investment in IT systems and softwares have increased mobile and global connectivity together with significant investment in and promotion of virtual meetings.  Moving IT server farm from a physical location to cloud based system 90% achieved.  

Extended life span of IT equipment from 3 – 4 years.  

EMISSIONS REDUCTION

The UNAIDS Secretariat has reduced emissions from 6,678 tons in 2010, to 4,808 tons in 2019 and 1,878 tons in 2021 (COVID19 reducing air travel and enforcing teleworking).  

EMS AND REDUCTION EFFORTS

UNAIDS is committed to the UN system efforts to intensify environmental sustainability from within. This commitment is reflected in the practices and operations embedded in the UNAIDS Secretariat Emissions Reduction Strategies -  demonstrating commitment to pursuing climate neutrality as part of its broader efforts to strengthen its sustainable management practices. 

UNAIDS achieved its targets towards climate neutrality through successful implementation of the 2013 UNAIDS Emission Reduction Strategy (EMS). Implementation continued through the 2016 -2017 EMS with a focus on increasing staff awareness of the consequences of their behaviours and decisions on the environment 

UNAIDS is a relatively small UN entity, and has a high percentage (appx. 60%) of its offices is in shared UN common premises. This renders the organisation more nimble and receptive to supporting UN common premises efforts to increase local environmental sustainability. 

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, UNAIDS’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, UNAIDS’s status of implementing environmental and social safeguards and standards in their policies, projects and programmes is: Yes.

ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING FOR PERSONNEL

UNAIDS makes available to all staff a tutorial that supports its efforts to improve environmental performance. The tutorial provides helpful advice on how each individual can contribute to that effort, by calculating and reducing their own footprint.

For the 2022 reporting year, UNAIDS’s status on providing training on environmental sustainability is: No.

ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY APPROACH

UNAIDS inventory follows the inventory guidelines for data submission, however, some UNAIDS country offices are unable to supply current data due to data challenge issues.  SUN was consulted on all data issues. 

OFFSETTING

UNAIDS will purchase 1,878 tonnes CO2eq offsets for 2021, thereby offsetting all recorded emissions for the entire entity.  The offsets in October 2022 from the UN will be purchased from the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

In 2021 the Secretariat in Geneva implemented the centralization of office waste collection, to improve waste sorting and reduce consumption of plastic garbage bags.  UNAIDS country offices are working to obtain information and data from landlords, both UN and private, on waste volumes and processes; data which can be challenging to obtain. 

WATER and WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

UNAIDS Secretariat HQ will continue to work with its building facilities supplier to reduce water consumption and encourages country offices to obtain reliable data on water consumption 

NEXT STEPS

UNAIDS is committed to continue championing the UN system efforts to intensify environmental sustainability from within. This commitment is reflected in the practices and operations embedded at UNAIDS.

UNAIDS intends to continue increasing staff awareness of the consequences of their behaviours and decisions on the environment 

UNAIDS is a relatively small UN entity, and has a high percentage (appx. 60%) of its offices is in shared UN common premises. This renders the organisation to be more nimble and receptive to supporting UN common premises efforts to increase local environmental sustainability