United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was created in 1972 by the UN General Assembly. The UNEP functions as the designated authority of the United Nations system in environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.

The UNEP states that its mission is to serve as an advocate, educator, catalyst, and facilitator in promoting wise use of Earth's natural assets for sustainable development. Its activities cover a wide range of topics, including the promotion of environmental science and information and environmental law, to an early warning and emergency response capacity to deal with environmental disasters and emergencies.

The UNEP is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and has six regional offices throughout the world: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and West Asia. The work of the UNEP is organized through eight divisions: Division of Early Warning and Assessment; Division of Policy Development and Law; Division of Environmental Policy Implementation; Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics; Division of Regional Cooperation; Division of Environmental Conventions; Division of Communications and Public Information; and Division of Global Environment Facility Coordination.

Two of the UNEPs most well-known accomplishments were the special report from the Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future, and the 1992 conference it hosted in Rio de Janeiro: the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (known as “Earth Summit”). The Brundtland report introduced the now widespread understanding of sustainable development: development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The Earth Summit's purpose was to reconcile worldwide economic development with protection of the environment. Agenda 21, a blueprint for sustainable development, was one of the most popular documents created in that conference.

Because environmental sustainability is one of the eight “Millennium Goals” (priorities for international development) declared by the United Nations in 2000, the UNEP continues as a highly visible program with the United Nations. A variety of publications, awards, research projects, and advisory committees help the UNEP to carry out its mission.

Each year, the UNEP publishes approximately 100 books. Through its Web site, the UNEP reaches over 2 million readers each year. One of the UNEPs major reporting activities is the Global Environmental Outlook that tracks environmental change and notes significant trends and emerging issues. Periodic world summits and annual reports on the environment help to create and build on public support.

A conspicuous impediment to the UNEPs effectiveness is the continued lack of support from the United States for the Kyoto Protocol. While other major signatories—like Canada and Russia—have ratified this effort to reduce harmful emissions, the United States still considers the treaty too harmful for its economic growth. Furthermore, UNEPs assertion that humans are responsible for climate change (and, therefore, can positively affect climate change by reducing global warming) continues to be challenged by some members of the scientific community, especially in the United States. Nonetheless, the Kyoto Protocol is advancing and is now entering the compliance stage, even without complete support.

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