Environment and natural capital

Drawing on over forty years of experience in sustainable development, UNDP assists countries to implement their obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and to integrate environmental concerns into national and sectoral plans and strategies; secure resources; and implement programmes that advance inclusive, sustainable development and strengthen livelihoods.

UNDP is an accredited multilateral implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Multilateral Fund (MLF), and Adaptation Fund (AF), as well as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) since their respective establishment dates. UNDP has assisted over 150 countries to access more than $4.9 billion from these vertical funds since 2010. The UNDP Global Environmental Finance (UNDP-GEF) Unit partners with environmental vertical funds to support countries with simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion, by catalysing environmental finance for sustainable development.

UNDP’s support for environmental management and nationally-owned sustainable development pathways includes its work on biodiversity and ecosystem management, forests, sustainable land management and desertification, water and ocean governance, chemicals and waste management, and extractive industries. UNDP also supports an integrated approach to tackle wildlife crime. Under the Montreal Protocol, UNDP supports developing countries with eliminating ozone-depleting substances in co-operation with the Multilateral Fund, GEF, Ozone Secretariat, UNEP, UNIDO, World Bank, and a broad range of bilateral, private sector, and NGO partners.

UNDP works on communities and local sustainable development solutions through the Small Grants Programme (SGP), the Equator Initiative partnership and the UN-REDD Programme.