United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

www.unhcr.org
HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
Focal Point: Nono Louise Elisabeth Harhoff
Email: [email protected] 
Internal Sustainability Team: 20 staff

In 2017, UNHCR's GHG inventory included Betou, Budapest, Canberra, Copenhagen, Dar Es Salaam, Geneva, Harare, Kakuma, Tinduf and Tongogara.
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.

HIGH COMMISSIONER’S MESSAGE

“We all have a responsibility to act, both by reducing our own emissions and by ensuring that refugees and the communities hosting them have clean and renewable energy.   

UNHCR has worked for years to reduce the environmental impact of refugee crises. We now have a revitalized Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy (2019-2024) and have launched a multi-stakeholder Clean Energy Challenge with the ambitious goal of bringing clean and safe energy to all displaced settlements and nearby host communities by 2030. Like other organizations, we also recognise that we need to step up action to reduce our own carbon footprint, notably by increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy use, amongst other initiatives.”  

Filippo Grandi, High Commissioner, UNHCR

MISSION

UNHCR is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems.   

The Organisation’s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. In its efforts to achieve this objective, UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, and to return home voluntarily. By assisting refugees to return to their own country or to settle permanently in another country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight.  

FIELD OFFICES

560 offices (including HQ and 2 offices planned to be opened in the coming 6 months) 

135 countries 

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

UNHCR is committed to reduce its carbon footprint through sustainable approaches and solutions. In this regard, UNHCR adopted a Strategic Framework for Climate Action which is guided by the Common Core Principles for a UN System-wide approach to Climate Action and supports the Secretary General’s Climate Action Strategy 2020-2021. The framework is put into actions through 3 pillars:   

  1. Law and policy  

  1. Operations  

  1. UNHCR’s environmental footprint  

Under the third pillar of its Climate Action, UNHCR has therefore developed a Greening and Sustainability Strategy, which is in line with the UN sustainability strategy, and has for vision to reduce UNHCR's environmental footprint by using green solutions and become one of the most sustainable organizations within the UN system. Within the next 10 years, UNHCR aims to transform its infrastructure, fleet, and travel to minimize environmental footprint and enable green solutions, while continuing to adhere to the highest standards of refugee protection and response.  

To achieve this vision, UNHCR has developed a comprehensive package of 5 key green initiatives:  

  1. Green Data: Replace manual energy measurement systems with automated, real-time monitoring using IoT and implement dynamic technology platform for real-time monitoring and data visualization  

  1. Green Finance Facility: Two innovative mechanisms- 1. For larger offices: guarantee mechanism to back commercial contracts with private sector via long term lease agreements, 2. For smaller offices: revolving fund to cover up-front capital while capturing resulting savings over multiple years  

  1. Green Fleet: Become greenest fleet amongst peer agencies, pilot and scale up ridesharing, add electric vehicle models to fleet line-up and deploy where security and other contextual factors allow  

  1. Green Travel: Structurally reduce travel-generated CO2 emissions by 15% compared to 2019, review travel policy to introduce environmental considerations, most economical vs. most direct route, promote train for short-distance travel.  

  1. Green Practice: Develop Environmental Policy, provide environmental best practice guidelines, guide the development of Environmental Management Systems and lead behaviour change communications campaigns.  

EMISSIONS REDUCTION 

Since 2009, UNHCR has been monitoring the carbon footprint of its headquarters operation in Geneva.  

In 2018, UNHCR significantly improved its environmental monitoring by reporting on 2017 GHG emissions for 10 pilot offices.  

Coverage for environmental reporting has grown dramatically since then and has grown from 100 reporting offices in 2019 to 541, (95%), offices during the most recent cycle in 2023.  

UNHCR through its Greening & Sustainability strategy aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 45% by 2030 through initiatives such as the ones listed above. 

EMS AND REDUCTION EFFORTS

UNHCR continues to take a progressive approach to EMS development. Our Policy on the Environment for Buildings, Facilities, Fleet and Travel illustrates the intention to develop EMSs for our offices, and we are working towards a global approach based on an Environmental Management manual for our offices. 

For the 2022 reporting year, UNHCR's progress on the EMS is rated as: Approaches.

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

UNHCR incorporates sustainability measures into its operations through an Operational Strategy for Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability. This strategy provides actions to better prepare for climate and natural related hazards, work with refugees, displaced persons and vulnerable communities; to incorporate climate and environmental considerations into operational responses; and to improve sustainability in end-to-end supply chains.  

UNHCR pursues environmentally sustainable choices in its procurement policies for the whole organization. 

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

ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING FOR PERSONNEL

UNHCR currently provides all staff with voluntary access to general environmental sustainability awareness training, and we plan to popularize the Greening the Blue tutorial. 

For the 2022 reporting year, UNHCR's status on providing training on environmental sustainability is: Yes, but it is voluntary.

ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY APPROACH

UNHCR follows the methodology for calculations which is outlined by UNEP for Greening the Blue. UNHCR uses the DEFRA emissions factors for vehicle emissions and the IEA Grid Emissions factors for grid electricity. 

OFFSETTING

UNHCR is focused on reducing emissions from our operations, but is off-setting emissions to cover the emissions that still occur as a part of our operations. Each year, UNHCR purchases sufficient CERs to offset the entirety of its emissions from Greening the Blue. For past credit purchases, UNHCR has purchased by leveraging existing agreements with certified CER vendors. UNHCR does not engage with projects directly, but relies on the expertise and knowledge of the market from sister UN agencies, UNOPS and UNFCCC. Carbon verification and certification bodies are responsible for ensuring that all claims made by projects regarding their impact are validated and ensures performance monitoring is undertaken. UNHCR relies on them to meet their verification and certification mandates. 

OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES 

UNHCR conducted a comprehensive desk review to identify sustainable alternatives available in the market. UNHCR checked the industrial readiness of the identified solutions in collaboration with suppliers through surveys. UNHCR also carried out consultation with experts, including other humanitarian organizations to standardize our practices, as UNHCR will as through partnerships with external partners. UNHCR are focusing on the use of recycled materials instead of virgin (plastics, paper, textiles, etc.). Such solutions save non-renewable fossil and natural resources, save energy, decrease GHG emissions, and also prevent more disposed plastics in the environment (i.e. prevent plastic pollution). 

NEXT STEPS

UNHCR conducts in regular campaigns to raise awareness among staff and promote engagement and positive behavioral change among its personnel. Such campaigns have highlighted topics such as local waste reduction initiatives and solarization projects to green our energy infrastructure.  

ADDITIONAL LINKS

UNHCR Green Financing Facility (external) https://www.unhcr.org/green-financing-facility 

Green Video link on YouTube (external) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GowxP61aYX8&ab_channel=UNHCR%2CtheUNRefugeeAgency 

NEWS AND STORIES  

Biodiversity Preservation: Melkadida Exclosure Site - Unhcr Ethiopia - 6 December 2021

UNCHR's Green Transition - 22 November 2021