Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations System 2020-2030

In December 2018, the Secretary-General of the United Nations asked the system to raise the level of its internal ambitions and intensify its efforts to combat climate change from within. At the climate summit he had called for, which was held in September 2019, the Secretary-General highlighted that the United Nations was “walking the talk” on environmental sustainability and climate change.

This request raised the profile of mandate from senior officials of the Environment Management Group to develop an internal sustainability vision and strategy  for the United Nations beyond 2020 in order to confirm the Organization’s leadership aspirations in the area of internal environmental and social sustainability and to show that the United Nations aligns its own performance with the principles that it has pioneered internationally.

PHASE I: ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE AREA OF MANAGEMENT

In 2019 the CEB endorsed the Strategy for sustainability management in the United Nations system, 2020–2030 Phase I: Environmental sustainability in the area of management (“Sustainability Strategy I”) (CEB/2019/1/Add.1).

PHASE II: TOWARDS LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

In 2021 the CEB endorsed the Strategy for sustainability management in the United Nations system, 2020-2030 - Phase II: Towards leadership in environmental and social sustainability - (“Sustainability Strategy II”) (CEB/2021/2/Add.1)

Sustainability Strategy II responds to the Board’s tasking of developing a “comprehensive sustainability strategy” encompassing a “fuller picture of environmental and social sustainability in UN system policies, programming and support functions”.

Sustainability Strategy II builds on 30+ existing UN system wide strategies and action plans that are already in place and aims at fostering greater coherence.