United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

NOTE: UNDP has improved its reporting methodology over the years, hence data on this entity page may differ from what was reported previously in the Greening the Blue Reports. UNDP has established 2018 as its corporate baseline year.

The Greening Moonshot Initiative is UNDP’s commitment to reduce its corporate carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, the organization is shifting to resources-efficient, resilient and future-fit operations utilizing energy efficiency, renewable energy and low-carbon mobility.

Greening operations are an essential and strategic investment in resilience, efficiency and accountable development. Through continuous carbon monitoring in over 170 offices reporting on energy use, travel and waste, UNDP is institutionalizing climate-smart operations and empowering staff to take ownership of climate action. These data insights help guide strategic, resource-efficient investments that deliver fast, cost-effective results.

To date, UNDP has implemented over 180 green energy and e-mobility projects throughout its offices worldwide, delivering practical, cost-effective solutions while building resilience and generating significant savings. Thanks to these projects, nearly 3,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions are avoided annually, equivalent to planting over 50,000 trees. Moreover, every US$1 invested in green energy in UNDP offices delivers $3 in energy savings.

Mission

UNDP’s mandate is to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. UNDP advocates for change, and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

FIELD OFFICES

146 offices across all regions (incl. HQ, NY). See more on UNDP’s website.

Emission Reduction

UNDP leads on climate action by example.

In order to speed up emission reduction efforts, UNDP matched its commitment to supporting countries on raising climate ambition through their national climate pledges (i.e. the “Climate Promise”), with its own pledge for greater ambition. In August 2019, Administrator Achim Steiner launched the Greening Moonshot, committing the Organization to reduce GHG emissions from UNDP operations 25% by 2025 and 50% by 2030.

Building on years of advancing environmental management throughout UNDP operations, in 2019 the Moonshot Facility was set up to replicate and scale proven solutions as well as support green innovation to help meet the above-mentioned Moonshot Targets. This corporate facility, in coordination with other internal funds and funding, incentivizes contribution to the targets on a competitive basis.

Also at individual level, UNDP personnel around the world are developing and implementing innovative solutions to achieve the ambitious Moonshot Targets, at times under very challenging circumstances. Corporately, by moving to cloud-computing and compact energy solutions to replace local data centers, UNDP has reduced its ICT carbon footprint substantially and expanded virtual collaboration infrastructure.

EMS and Reduction Efforts

Each year, as part of the Greening the Blue Report on Environmental Governance, each participating UN entity’s progress on the development of an Environmental Management System (EMS) is evaluated according to the UN system’s EMS criteria (these criteria are available on the Methodology webpage). Upon this evaluation the entity is then rated Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or No response. For the 2023 reporting year, UNDP’s progress on the EMS is rated as: Meets.

Waste Management

UNDP collects data on waste and waste management practices through its Environmental Management Tool.

Environmental Training for Personnel

Greening The Blue tutorial included in the mandatory training courses.

For the 2023 reporting year, UNDP’s status on providing training on environmental sustainability is: Yes, it is mandatory for all personnel.

ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY APPROACH

UNDP’s inventory covers energy consumption in all UNDP-managed premises, refrigerant emissions from cooling equipment^[1], fuel consumption of UNDP vehicle fleets and official travel.

^[1] Recently updated its methodology, read more here: Managing the carbon footprint related to leakage of refrigerants by UNDP Greening Moonshot - Exposure

Next Steps

At the current rate of progress, UNDP is well on track towards reducing fits operational carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and achieving its Moonshot Targets. For more information visit the UNDP website and read our latest success stories on Exposure!

NEWS

RESOURCES

Sustainable AI Practices - Guidance for UNDP taff to reduce the environmental footprint of our use of AI tools to ensure its maximum value for both people and the planet.

Greening the Blue Tutorial - Desgined for UN personnel to provide training on environmental sustainablitly at the UN system.