Corporate environmental responsibility at UNFPA
As part of the broader UN Strategy for Sustainability Management, UNFPA is committed to minimizing the environmental footprint of its global operations by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and mainstreaming environmental considerations into its programmes and policies.
Every day, in communities around the world, we at UNFPA see how critical local action is in powering global progress towards a more sustainable future. That extends to our own continued efforts to minimize the environmental footprint of our global operations. Urgent climate action is required from all of us, and UNFPA is committed to leading by example. To advance our mission to protect the health, rights and dignity of all, in all our diversity, we must also protect the planet we all call home.
- UNFPA Executive Director Ms. Diene Keita
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Key facts
The UNFPA Environmental Efficiency Strategy puts the agency on track towards reaching the objectives of the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the UN system 2020–2030. The strategy’s main goal is to reduce UNFPA’s overall greenhouse gas emissions from operations by 45 per cent by 2030, aligning with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. In addition, the strategy addresses environmental issues in procurement, human resources, facilities management, events and travel, as well as in information, communications and technology.
As detailed in the chart below, UNFPA’s 2024 carbon footprint from operations was 5 per cent lower than in 2023. UNFPA is now on track to reach the target of reducing its emissions by 30 per cent by 2025.
Trends in Emissions
UNFPA’s emission-reduction initiatives include investing in energy-efficient equipment, installing solar panels, improving management of fleets and using video-conference technology to reduce travel. These initiatives have had an impact, as most of the emission reductions since 2018 have come from facilities (-25 per cent) and company vehicles (-54 per cent).
UNFPA’s carbon footprint from 2024 operations was offset by purchasing and canceling equivalent carbon credits. These carbon offsets are financed by the UNFPA Climate Neutral Fund, which was established in 2015 thanks to a cost reduction in travel tickets.
Solar power projects have also proved successful for UNFPA energy-saving initiatives. In 2024 the UNFPA country office in Peru covered nearly 100 per cent of its energy needs during the summer using solar power, and a solar system in the Afghanistan country office now covers 30 per cent of the compound’s electricity needs. In Guinea, solar power is expected to meet 36 per cent of the UNFPA office’s energy requirements.
In 2023, UNFPA began including environmental-performance indicators for senior managers to ensure accountability towards reaching the strategy’s objectives. The initiative has been successfully implemented, with the help of a dedicated environmental efficiency specialist who assists the UNFPA field offices with training and technical support.
In 2022, UNFPA signed a Service Provision Agreement with the UN Fleet to reduce the size and age of the UNFPA fleet and reduce the costs of acquiring new, more efficient and less-polluting vehicles.
External partners
UN Environmental Management Group
UN Informal Interagency Task Team on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector
Sustainable Procurement in UNFPA
Becoming more sustainable is a priority at UNFPA, a practice the organization is committed to integrating into its procurement.
In 2013, UNFPA launched its Green Procurement Strategy, with a main objective to reduce the environmental impact of the UNFPA supply chain through improved collaboration with suppliers. Seven focus areas were identified: energy consumption, water management, waste management, recycling, materials/resources, transportation and chemical substitution. Since then, UNFPA and suppliers have seen significant cost savings, proving that going green is not only possible and good for the environment, but that it can also be beneficial to an organization’s bottom line.
Updated 15 December 2025
