UNEP

Mission
To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring,informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.


Milestones

• 1972 - UN Conference on the Human Environment recommends
creation of UN environmental organisation
• 1972 - UNEP created by UN General Assembly
• 1973 - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES)
• 1975 - Mediterranean Action Plan first UNEP-brokered Regional
Seas agreement
• 1979 - Bonn Convention on Migratory Species
• 1985 - Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
• 1987 - Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer
• 1988 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• 1989 - Basel Convention on the Trans-boundary Movement of
Hazardous Wastes
• 1992 - UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth
Summit) publishes Agenda 21, a blueprint for sustainable
development
• 1992 - Convention on Biological Diversity
• 1995 - Global Programme of Action (GPA) launched to protect
marine environment from land-based sources of pollution
• 1997 - Nairobi Declaration redefines and strengthens UNEP's
role and mandate
• 1998 - Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent
• 2000 - Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety adopted to address
issue of genetically modified organisms
• 2000 - Malmö Declaration - first Global Ministerial Forum on the
Environment calls for strengthened international environmental
governance
• 2000 - Millennium Declaration - environmental sustainability
included as one of eight Millennium Development Goals
• 2001 - Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
(POPs)
• 2002 - World Summit on Sustainable Development
• 2004 - Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity
Building
• 2005 - Millennium Ecosystem Assessment highlights the
importance of ecosystems to human well-being, and the extent
of ecosystem decline
• 2005 - World Summit outcome document highlights key role of
environment in sustainable development

The UN Environment Programme (or UNEP) coordinates United Nations environmental activities,assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and encourages sustainable development through sound environmental practices. It
was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. UNEP also has six regional offices and various country offices.
UNEP is 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 merging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. The mandate and objectives of UNEP emanate from United Nations General Assembly resolution 2997 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972 and subsequent amendments adopted at UNCED in 1992, the Nairobi Declaration on the Role and Mandate of UNEP, adopted at the Nineteenth Session of the UNEP Governing Council, and the Malmö Ministerial Declaration of 31 May, 2000.

Its activities cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere,marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions, promoting environmental science and information and illustrating the way those can work in conjunction with policy, working on the development and implementation of policy with national governments and regional institution and working in conjunction with environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). UNEP has also been active in funding and implementing environmentally related development projects.
UNEP has aided in the development of guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international trade in potentially harmful chemicals, trans-boundary air pollution, and contamination of international waterways.
The World Meteorological Organization and the UNEP
established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) in 1988. UNEP is also one of several Implementing
Agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The billion tree campaign enters a second wave
Together, let’s plant 7 billion trees by the end of 2009!

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a major worldwide tree planting campaign. Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments are encouraged to enter tree planting pledges online with the objective of planting at least one billion trees worldwide each year. In a call to further individual and collective action, UNEP has set a new goal of planting 7 billion trees by the end of 2009.