UN Environment Programme

Hello! We are the UN Environment Programme, but that’s a long name, so you can call us by our shorter name, UNEP. We are a special part of a very big group of countries called the United Nations. Our main job is to act as a helper and a guide for the whole world. What do we guide everyone on? We help countries and people learn how to take the very best care of our amazing planet, Earth. We want to make sure our home stays healthy and beautiful for everyone, now and in the future.

We were started a while ago, in the year 1972. At that time, many leaders from countries all over the world came together for a big meeting. They talked about our planet and realized that things needed to change. They could see that our air was getting dirty, our water wasn't as clean as it should be, and that many plants and animals were in trouble. They all agreed that nature needed to be protected. So, they decided to create us, UNEP, to lead this very important work. Our main office, which is called our headquarters, is located in a city named Nairobi in the country of Kenya.

So, how do we help protect the Earth? We do it in many different ways. First, we have scientists who study the planet. They look for problems, like places where the oceans are getting polluted with trash or where the air isn't clean to breathe. When we learn something important, we don't keep it a secret! We share what we find with leaders in every country. This information helps them make good rules and laws to keep nature safe. We also act like a team captain, helping different countries work together to solve big environmental problems that no single country can fix alone.

Working together is how we help solve some of the planet’s biggest challenges. For example, we help countries find ways to protect animals that are in danger of disappearing forever. We also help them figure out how to create less trash so our land and oceans stay clean. One of our biggest success stories was helping to fix the ozone layer. The ozone layer is like a giant, invisible shield high up in the sky. It protects all of us from the sun's strongest rays. We discovered that certain chemicals people were using were making a hole in this shield! We helped all the countries agree to stop using those harmful chemicals. Because everyone worked as a team, the ozone layer is now slowly healing.

Our work is not finished, and we are still very busy today. We continue to help people all over the world find better ways to live. We encourage the use of clean energy, like power from the sun and the wind, which doesn't make the air dirty. We teach people how to reduce waste by using less and recycling more. We also work hard to protect important places like forests and oceans, which are homes for so many animals. Our main goal is to help people and nature live together in a healthy and happy way for a long, long time.