UNESCO's Environmental and Social Policies
UNESCO's sustainability approach
Environmental and social sustainability are at the core of UNESCO's mission and mandate. These considerations are embedded within both its programmes in support of Member States and its own operational conduct.
To give this commitment a clear structure, UNESCO follows an overall approach to sustainability built on two complementary parts: the Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework (ESSF), which sets out UNESCO's vision and principles for environmental and social sustainability, and the Environmental Management System (EMS), one of the tools through which the ESSF is put into practice. It aims to reduce the environmental footprint of UNESCO's own operations worldwide, in line with the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the UN System 2020-2030.
Key objectives of UNESCO’s Environmental Sustainability and Management Policy:
- Fully account for the externalities imposed by UNESCO’s own operations and facilities.
- Minimize any possible negative impact on the environment through targeted measures and continuous improvement, and contribute positively to protecting the environment and communities in which the Organization operates.
- To fully compensate for UNESCO’s unavoidable environmental footprint by systematically measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, and offsetting all emissions which remain.
Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework
The ESSF describes UNESCO's vision of environmental and social sustainability in the context of its mandate and sets out the processes for its mainstreaming across the Organization. It defines 4 key principles and 8 standards that need to be respected in all programme and project management, as well as in the Organization's internal functions.
The overall objective is to integrate these principles and standards holistically across UNESCO’s work, so as to maximize benefits and to avoid, minimize and mitigate unintended adverse impacts on people and the environment. The ESSF also provides for full stakeholder engagement, including a Stakeholder Response Mechanism through which individuals or groups affected by UNESCO's activities can raise concerns or complaints.
Environmental Management System
UNESCO’s EMS, in place since 2019, aims to continuously improve the environmental performance of the Organization. It sets measurable targets, for example in the area of emission reductions, and drives concrete action in management and operations, including in facilities management, travel, procurement, publishing services, IT and human resources. The EMS is implemented both at Headquarters and across UNESCO’s Field Network, with dedicated focal points in every Field Office and Category I Institute.
As set out in UNESCO's Environmental Sustainability and Management Policy (2021), progress is tracked and published in an annual Environmental Sustainability Report.
2025 Key Environmental Figures
Key Achievements in Management
Some of the key results of the implementation of UNESCO’s Environmental Management System (EMS) comprise:
- Adoption of UNESCO’s first organization-wide Environmental Policy
- Creation of Environmental Management Board to direct strategic objectives
- Establishment of an internal carbon tax on air travel financing a Special Account for Environmental Action
- Review of administrative and management procedures, for example regarding travel, procurement and printing
- Coordination of a global environmental inventory process to monitor and account for operational impacts on the environmental
- Systematic expansion of UNESCO’s EMS to the Field Network in over 50 countries
- Specific emission-reduction projects in over 20 Offices (solar panels, energy audit, eco-friendly air-conditioning…)
- Comprehensive annual public reporting
- Continuous staff action and engagement campaigns
Action in the Field
To support UNESCO Field Offices in pursuing their sustainability agenda, a financial mechanism facilitating funding from the Special Account for Environmental Action was established. Funding applications are assessed on a biannual basis with over 30 projects supported since 2024. These support varying environmental needs relating to energy efficiency, water preservation, waste management and biodiversity conservation, to name a few.
UNESCO Regional Office for Southern AfricaUNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) in Harare has relied on a large-scale solar installation since 2021. This investment supports the Office’s energy security while simultaneously greening its operations. In 2024, 100% of UNESCO ROSA’s electricity consumption was sourced from its solar installation, marking its first year of zero consumption of fossil fuel energy generation.
UNESCO BangkokUNESCO Bangkok, since 2020, has established a multi-staged five-year Environmental Management Action Plan driving the installation of expansive solar paneling, ecofriendly air-conditioning, as well as investment in urban biodiversity across their grounds. Bangkok Office is a well-rounded example of a holistic and strategic approach to office sustainability.
UNESCO QuitoUNESCO Quito’ s Environmental Management System has been cultivated with a cross-sector and multi-stakeholder approach. Following the establishment of a greening committee to innovate ideas and foster change, staff training on waste management has been given, solar panels have been installed, capacity building session for staff have taken place and a rainwater collection system for the irrigation of their garden has been installed.
UNESCO RabatUNESCO Rabat has integrated comprehensive water efficiency measures into its building’s functionality. In 2024, the construction of a new annex building was approved with water consciousness carefully integrated into the annex’s design. The architectural features of the building collect and store the rainwater, funneling it aside for irrigation use in the Office’s Garden facilities.
The International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)ICTP – a UNESCO Category I Institute and second largest site – in Trieste, Italy, has taken a strategic and data -driven approach to improving its environmental performance. Environmental indicators highlighted the need for energy efficiency improvements. In response, ICTP invested in insulation improvements, solar energy, LED replacements and the integration of a Building Automated System (BAS) for management and monitoring.
Action at Headquarters
Roughly 40% of UNESCO’s work force is housed at Headquarters based in Paris, France. Consequently, there is a significant capacity to institute large-scale sustainability measures and establish a comprehensive approach to the environmental management of the facility. Some of the key achievements at Headquarters include:
- The establishment of an Environmental Commission bringing together colleagues in key functions to create a cross-sectoral strategy for the EMS of Headquarters.
- The curation of an on-site biodiversity and vegetable produce garden, contributing to the urban biodiversity objective of the City of Paris and fostering staff awareness, wellbeing and ownership over its own environment. A first ecological study in 2025 highlighted the vast biological diversity, including different types of bats and birds, present on side and put in place a biodiversity management plan.
- The Fontenoy site obtained the international sustainable building certification BREEAM-in-Use in 2025 with a “Very Good” rating highlighting improvements made to the building’s functional efficiency as well as its management.
- Individual office bins were removed in 2020 in favour of central waste recycling stations with five different bins, leading to an increase in the waste sorting rate by 10%.
- Both sites are running on 100% attributed green electricity, and comprehensive energy efficiency measures were put in place in 2022, to contribute to significant savings already achieved since 2010.
- A complete external energy audit was carried out in 2023, followed by a water audit in 2025, to identify further axes of improvement.
Latest news
Resources
This report gives a full assessment of UNESCO's environmental footprint in 2024 - including greenhouse gas emissions from facility use, travel and transport as well as water and waste management, paper use and procurement - and showcases efforts by the organization's Offices worldwide to improve environmental performance.
Face-to-face meetings have a considerable impact on the environment, caused mainly by the associated travel, facilities, catering and accommodation and support material. While shifting meetings online or hybrid is the best way to reduce their environmental impact, this is not always possible. Therefore, UNESCO has developed Guidelines for Green Meetings to help minimize the environmental impact of meetings and events organized by UNESCO.
This report gives a full assessment of UNESCO's environmental footprint in 2023 - including greenhouse gas emissions from facility use, travel and transport as well as water and waste management, paper use and procurement - and showcases efforts by the organization's Offices worldwide to improve environmental performance.
In this guide, UNESCO's staff as well as other concerned individuals find concrete tips on how to reduce their environmental footprint in their daily work and actively contribute to greening UNESCO. The guide contains good practices from and specific recommendations for both Headquarters and Field Offices.
This Policy provides the framework and overarching principles to guide the mainstreaming of environmental sustainability considerations into UNESCO’s activities worldwide and is a strong commitment from senior management.
This report gives a full assessment of UNESCO's environmental footprint in 2022 - including greenhouse gas emissions from facility use, travel and transport as well as water and waste management, paper use and procurement - and showcases efforts by the organization's Offices worldwide to improve environmental performance.
This report gives a full assessment of UNESCO's environmental footprint in 2021 - including greenhouse gas emissions from facility use, travel and transport as well as water and waste management, paper use and procurement - and showcases efforts by the organization's Offices worldwide to improve environmental performance.
Phase I of this Strategy sets common objectives, indicators and targets for all UN System organizations regarding Environmental Sustainability in the area of Management.
Contact information
Any person or entity that is aware of or concerned by possible harm to people or the environment caused by UNESCO’s facilities, operations, programmes or projects may make use of UNESCO’s Stakeholder Response Mechanism (SRM), which also supports the accountability and stakeholder engagement commitments of the ESSF.
For questions or enquiries regarding UNESCO’s environmental management, you can contact environment(at)unesco.org.