30 June 2022 FAO’s RAP regional office sets the bar for sustainability

A call for action

Since the inauguration of the FAO Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER) Strategy 2020-2030 at a high-level launch event in May 2021, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu has called on FAO offices and personnel around the world to continue to “walk the talk" on sustainability and to align their everyday actions with the objectives of the new CER Strategy.

"As we look at the current state of our planet and the negative effects of climate change, it is clear that the time for action is now. FAO has decided to play its part and respond by developing an ambitious action plan to reduce its GHG emissions"

Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General, CER Strategy Launch Event

Many FAO offices have already answered the call. Amongst these offices, FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) has been amongst the staunchest supporters of corporate environmental sustainability in the Organization and has excelled in implementing new and innovative sustainability measures in the regional office in Bangkok.  

Embarking on its journey already in May 2018, the office piloted an Environmental Management System (EMS), instituting several initiatives to reduce the office’s carbon footprint, improve energy efficiency, and promote environmentally friendly practices. This made it the first decentralized office to attempt such an undertaking.

Since then, the office has made progress in leaps and bounds, instituting a ban on the use of plastic bottles, cutlery, and food containers, as well as introducing an improved waste management system, which increased waste separation and reduced food waste in the staff canteen. Regular communication with staff and the installation of energy-efficient fixtures has further resulted in a 25 percent reduction in paper use and printing, and an overall reduction of 5 percent in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions after its implementation in 2018. More recently, in the last two years FAO RAP also renovated its outdated lighting fixtures with new LED lighting, which uses at least 75% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent lighting.

Asserting its commitment, the FAO RAP regional office will continue to set the bar for sustainability, serving as an inspiration to offices throughout the region, and FAO more broadly, encouraging others to follow their example and work towards the goal of a clean and green FAO together.

“We will continue this work and we will continue to substantially contribute to the implementation of the Environmental Responsibility Strategy. We will do so in close collaboration with headquarters, with our country offices, with our colleagues, and with the other regions, so we can be a “Clean and Green One FAO”

Jongjin Kim- Assistant Director General and Regional Representative of FAO RAP

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