In news : Recently, the UN chief Antonio Guterres has appointed leading Indian economist Ligia Noronha as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the UNEP
About the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP)
- UNEP is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system
- It serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
- Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya
- Establishment: It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972.
- UNEP work closely with Member States as well as representatives from civil society, businesses, and other Major Groups and Stakeholders
- Mandate: To provide leadership, deliver science and develop solutions on a wide range of issues, including climate change, the management of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and green economic development.
- Along with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- It is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
Thematic areas
UNEP categorize its work into seven broad thematic areas:
- Climate change
- Disasters and conflicts
- Ecosystem management
- Environmental governance
- Chemicals and waste
- Resource efficiency, and
- Environment under review
Secretariats & Conventions
UNEP hosts the secretariats of several multilateral environmental agreements and research bodies, including The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), The Minamata Convention on Mercury, The Convention on Migratory Species and The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) etc
UNEP’s activities
- Climate change
- Disasters and conflicts
- Ecosystem management
- Environmental governance
- Environment under review
Governance:
Executive Director: Inger Andersen
The United Nations Environment Assembly
It is UNEP’s governing body. Created in 2012 to replace the Governing Council, it currently has 193 members and meets every two years
Structure:
UNEP’s structure includes eight divisions:
- Science Division
- Policy and Programme Division
- Ecosystems Division
- Economy Division
- Governance Affairs Office
- Law Division
- Communication Division
- Corporate Services Division
