UN Environment Programme

Hello! We are the United Nations Environment Programme, but most people call us by our initials, UNEP. Our story began in 1972, a time when leaders from countries all over the globe gathered for a special meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. At this conference, they discussed the health of our world and came to a very important understanding: that taking care of our planet is one of the best ways to take care of all the people who live on it. A healthy environment provides clean air, fresh water, and good soil for growing food, which are things everyone needs to live well. It was out of this powerful idea that we were created.

From the very beginning, our main job has been to guide and partner with countries as they work to care for the environment. We were set up to be a global leader on environmental issues. To show that this work was important for every part of the world, our headquarters was established in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. This was a significant decision because it made us the first United Nations agency to be based in a developing country in the Global South. This special location helps us stay connected to the environmental challenges and opportunities that exist all around the world.

Our mission is to lead and encourage partnerships to protect the environment. We know that the Earth’s biggest challenges are too large for any one group or country to solve alone. That is why we focus on bringing people together. We turn our attention to the most serious environmental problems facing humanity, such as climate change, which is the warming of our planet; the loss of animal and plant species, also known as biodiversity loss; and the spread of harmful pollution in our air, water, and land. To tackle these issues, we first work with scientists to gather the most accurate information and understand the problems deeply. With this scientific knowledge, we then help governments and leaders create effective laws and plans to make a positive difference.

A very important part of our job is sharing information so that everyone understands the challenges and the solutions. We publish reports and create campaigns to help people learn how their choices can help build a healthier planet. By inspiring action and cooperation, we help turn good ideas into real change for our world’s forests, oceans, rivers, and wildlife. Teamwork is at the heart of everything we do, because we believe that when we work together, we can achieve great things for our shared home.

Over the years, our collaborative approach has led to some major successes. One of our most important achievements was helping countries create the Montreal Protocol in 1987. At the time, scientists had discovered that certain chemicals used in things like refrigerators and spray cans were damaging the Earth’s ozone layer. The ozone layer is a shield high up in the atmosphere that protects all life from the sun’s harmful rays. We helped bring nations together to agree to stop using these dangerous chemicals. Because of this historic global teamwork, the hole in the ozone layer stopped growing and is now slowly healing. This success showed the world that when countries unite for the environment, they can solve even the biggest problems.

Just one year later, in 1988, we helped start another incredibly important group: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. The IPCC is made up of top scientists from around the world. Their job is to review all the latest research on climate change and provide the world with the most reliable and up-to-date information. By creating the IPCC, we helped ensure that leaders have the facts they need to make smart decisions about how to address the warming of our planet. The IPCC’s reports are now the world’s most trusted source of knowledge on climate change.

Today, our work is more critical than ever before. We are helping the world face what we call the triple planetary crisis. This means we are tackling three connected emergencies at once: the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste. We also support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, which is a global plan that aims to create a better, safer, and fairer world for everyone by 2030, while also protecting the planet. To keep the environment at the center of everyone’s attention, we lead a special event every year on June 5th called World Environment Day. On this day, we encourage people, communities, and governments everywhere to celebrate our planet and take positive action to protect it for the future.