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United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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  • Images (3)
    • Farmer Anzima Magonde Giston (right) harvests pods from cacao plants that lie on the fringes of DRC’s rainforest. Credit: UNEP
    • Slash-and-burn agriculture is responsible for most of the deforestation in the DRC, where impoverished communities rely on forests for food and firewood. Credit: AFP/Guerchom Ndebo    
    • Some of the DRC’s rural residents receive payments for not cutting down trees, helping to preserve biodiversity and counter climate change. Credit: UNEP
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Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

In the heart of Africa, a bold experiment in farming and forest conservation unfolds

The DRC government launched a national effort – co-developed and supported by the UN-REDD Programme – to combat deforestation, improve livelihoods and protect the rights of those who live beside the forests, including Indigenous Peoples

Azima Magonde Giston is walking through his cacao plantation, which sits on the fringes of a lush rainforest in the northern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He scans the trees for ripe cacao pods and, spotting one, uses a long bamboo pole with an axe-like tip…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

Scaling up mangrove conservation in Kenya

The initiative not only contributes to global climate goals but also empowers communities through sustainable development

As the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem approaches on 26 July, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat, through the Go Blue project, are showcasing a transformative initiative to counter climate change in Lamu County, Kenya.  The effort, known as the Lamu Blue Carbon Project, is aiming to enlist…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

Nature is staging a comeback: United Nations (UN) recognizes seven World Restoration Flagships

Initiatives in Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean and South Asia cited as best practices for reversing ecosystems degradation

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have named seven initiatives from Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean, and South Asia as UN World Restoration Flagships. These initiatives include ecosystems at the tipping point of outright degradation resulting from wildfires, drought, deforestation, and…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

Clean energy powers a silent revolution on Togo’s roads

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are assisting governments from 41 countries to accelerate the uptake of e-mobility as part of the Global E-mobility Programme

On the busy streets of Togo’s capital, Lomé, change is afoot amongst some of the city’s motorcycle taxi drivers. They’re going electric.  At a battery swapping station, drivers are quick to share their enthusiasm for their new e-motorcycles, replacements for the petrol-powered models they once rode.  “I can say there…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

The Buildings Breakthrough: Global push for near-zero emission and resilient buildings by 2030 unveiled at COP28

To maintain momentum for this initiative, the first-ever Buildings and Climate Global Forum will be held on 7-8 March 2024 in Paris, France

The Governments of France and Morocco, together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), launched the Buildings Breakthrough today at COP28, which will see countries joining forces to accelerate the transformation of the sector – which accounts for 21 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – with a view to making near-zero…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

Governments plan to produce double the fossil fuels in 2030 than the 1.5°C warming limit allows

July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded, and most likely the hottest for the past 120,000 years, according to scientists

A major new report published today finds that governments plan to produce around 110% more fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C, and 69% more than would be consistent with 2°C. This comes despite 151 national governments having pledged to achieve net-zero emissions and the latest forecasts which suggest global coal, oil, and…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

United Nations (UN) plan promises massive emission cuts in the construction sector – the most polluting and toughest to decarbonise

To date, most climate action in the building sector has been dedicated to effectively reducing “operational carbon” emissions, which encompass heating, cooling, and lighting

Rapid urbanisation worldwide means every five days, the world adds buildings equivalent to the size of Paris, with the built environment sector already responsible for 37 per cent of global emissions. A report published today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (Yale…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

African ministers pledge action and stronger engagement through The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)

The Declaration congratulates Kenya and the African Union Commission for the upcoming Africa Climate Summit – which will take place from 4 to 6 September 2023 – in Nairobi

The 19th ordinary session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-19) concluded with a commitment to collective action and collaboration in addressing Africa’s environmental challenges. The conference, held from 14 to 18 August in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, brought together delegates from 51 African countries, as well as international…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

World Environment Day brings solutions to plastic pollution into focus

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day, after it was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972

Individuals, communities, civil society, businesses and governments around the world today marked World Environment Day with a focus on solutions to plastic pollution, with official celebrations held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with the support of the Netherlands. The focus on solutions to plastic pollution this World Environment Day is particularly…

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |

Young Talent Pipeline – United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) calls on young professionals with a passion for the environment to join their team

The first cohort of the initiative will comprise 12 young professional positions recruited through the UN Volunteers International Specialist modality on specific programmatic work

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched the Young Talent Pipeline, a new initiative aimed at increasing the diversity of experiences and solutions to solve the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss and pollution and waste. UNEP, in partnership with the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme, is actively seeking young, passionate, and…