News

The International Day of Forests, which is celebrated globally on March 21, is an opportunity to remember the critical importance of forests for human and planet health.

Despite growing efforts to protect the forests, they continue to decline under the pressure of human population growth and competing needs for land. Over the past 25 years, the extent of the world’s forests has declined by about 3%. Business as usual isn’t enough and innovative approaches are both necessary and urgent to reverse this trend.

About one out of ten people globally still lack access to drinking water, and one out of three people lack access to improved sanitation and adequate hygiene provision.

Environmental degradation, climate change, population growth, conflict and migration aggravate the water crisis, hitting the most vulnerable groups the hardest, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need.

One of the world’s most vital ecosystems is set to take a step closer to a sustainable future, with the announcement of a US$63-million programme to stabilize forest cover, peatlands, and wildlife populations across the Congo Basin.

On March 11, a group of policy makers, implementation partners and donor partners, met to align on their priorities and strategies for mini-grid market development, and to accelerate the implementation of mini-grid projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Summit explored mini-grid cost reduction pathways and business models, as well as providing a forum for the attendees to exchange best practices and lessons learned from their experiences with mini-grids in Africa.

Unsustainable food systems are threatening human health and environmental sustainability. We need to change the way we farm—and our diets.

There are more of us, we’re getting wealthier, and we’re demanding more protein-rich foods, such as meat. In the long run, this is simply not sustainable.

Inclusive dialogue with stakeholders is increasing country ownership and helping to enhance the impact of programming in GEF’s new four-year funding cycle, known as GEF-7.

The Government of Lao PDR is leading the way to ensure complementarity and coherence in its programming plans for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), two global climate funds and the operating entities of the financial mechanism of the UNFCCC. It is the first country to host a joint mission of GCF and GEF to support ambitious climate action in Lao PDR.

In an effort to reduce the impact of drought on two of Cambodia’s most at-risk provinces, Kampot and Takeo, UNDP Cambodia and DanChurchAid have joined together to establish two new provincial drought information hubs and to train farmers and local communities in climate-resilient agriculture.

UN Environment has been working with a broad range of partners to better assess the health of lake ecosystems in India, Kenya and the Philippines.

Economic activity in and around Lake Naivasha, and the rapidly growing population, have placed mounting environmental pressure on this important source of freshwater in central southern Kenya.

Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy