When most folks think of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), they think of conservation and sustainability efforts.
Those are still core missions, but—like most leading-edge environmental organizations these days—UNEP has shifted its mission to reflect three realities:
- With the planet as degraded as it currently is, conservation—while still the best first choice—is no longer sufficient to ensure healthy biodiversity for future generations: only ecological restoration and reconnection of existing isolated reserves with wildlife corridors can do that;
- As pointed out in The Restoration Economy back in 2002, sustainable development is what we should have been doing since the start of the Industrial Revolution over two centuries ago. We didn’t, so our farms’ topsoil is now depleted, our fisheries are dying, our cities are covered in contaminated properties and decrepit infrastructure. Only restorative development can create a better future: who wants to sustain this mess?; and,
- The climate crisis changes everything. Restoratiion of nature and revitalization of urban areas now has to be done in a resilient manner, as documented in the upcoming book, RECONOMICS: The Path To Resilient Prosperity (coming January 20, 2020).
As a result, UNEP also supports countries in their efforts to apply nature-based solutions to climate change—such as fighting deforestation, promoting large-scale afforestation, and restoration and conservation of habitats such as mangroves and peatlands.
These efforts can simultaneously restore biodiversity, boost livelihoods and health, protect vulnerable communities and create climate resilience. Nature-based solutions also contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing the emissions that would occur from habitat loss and ecosystem degradation.
UNEP’s work on climate change adaptation, climate mitigation and climate restoration now includes support to countries to decarbonize their economies, working to reduce or prevent emissions of greenhouse gases. This can entail using new technologies and renewable energies, making older equipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behavior.
Inger Andersen (l) and Sigrid Kaag.
Photo courtesy of UNEP.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, recently met with Sigrid Kaag, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, to sign a three-year agreement renewing the collaboration between UNEP and the Netherlands.
According to the agreement, the Netherlands will provide the equivalent of $26 million (US) to UNEP’s Environment Fund for the period 2019 to 2021, or $8.7 million annually. This latest contribution makes the Netherlands as the largest contributor to the Environment Fund in 2019, a position they held also in 2018.
“We are very grateful to the Dutch Government for their steadfast partnership and generous support to the UN Environment Programme to address critical environmental challenges,” said Andersen.
The Environment Fund is UNEP’s core fund. It provides the bedrock for the work worldwide and enables science-based policymaking, identification of emerging issues, innovative solutions, advocacy and awareness-raising, capacity-building, results-focused program management and oversight. The Environment Fund also supports UNEP’s convening power to bring together stakeholders to advance the global environmental agenda. Once such global meeting is the UN Environment Assembly.
The Netherlands, a country with a population of 17 million people, has provided funding to the Environment Fund every year since 1973. It is an indication of how important they believe the global environmental challenges to be, and a vote of confidence for UNEP as their partner. While the Netherlands supports all of UNEP’s work, the partnership in the area of climate change is particularly important:
“The Netherlands has a strong commitment to the mandate and programme of work of UNEP, especially in view of the Sustainable Development Goal agenda and our shared climate ambitions,” said Kaag. “We believe that climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and measures will positively impact countries and communities.”
A specific area of collaboration between the Netherlands and UNEP in climate change adaptation is the Global Commission on Adaptation, which was launched in 2018 in the Netherlands. It was formed to raise the visibility of climate adaptation on the global agenda and to inspire action. UNEP’s Executive Director is a Commissioners on the Global Commission on Adaptation.
In addition to supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation, the generous contribution from the Netherlands will also benefit UNEP’s programs in the areas of disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, chemicals and waste, resource efficiency, and environment under review.
Photo of Amsterdam, Netherlands via Adobe Stock.