Environment & Energy

Thematic Areas

Green Development

Ozone Layer Protection & Chemical Management

Ecosystems & Natural Resources

Energy Access

Achieving long-term ecological sustainability with continued economic growth and human well-being remains one of the biggest challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region. Countries in the region recognize that deteriorating land, water and air quality, and the loss of ecosystems and their services, undermine socioeconomic development. It is also realized that climate change is exacerbating these problems: for example; increased thermal stress, more severe and frequent droughts, storms and floods, sea-level rise and accompanied coastal inundation and salt water intrusion, all increasing the vulnerabilities of people and their livelihoods. Furthermore, dependency on fossil fuels for energy services and the management of chemical pose particular challenges in the region.

The Environment and Energy practice in Asia and the Pacific works with the vision to effectively assist countries to preserve and sustainably use local and global environmental assets for achieving sustainable development outcomes. We deliver our work through the UNDP country offices supported by a regional team of technical experts and advisers. We facilitate access to environmental funding sources, assist in preparing and implementing projects, support policy dialogues, disseminate best practices, and share knowledge. Our work is responsive to national priorities and is based on UNDP’s mandate to build national capacity for human development.

Our work is structured around the following approaches:

• Mainstreaming environment and energy:
  We enhance capacities to incorporate environment and energy into national development strategies, planning and budgeting processes. The Poverty and Environment Initiative, for example, promotes integration of environmental considerations into local and national development plans and sector policies.

• Mobilizing environmental financing:
  We assist countries to identify, design and implement programmes that are funded by a variety of sources (e.g. GEF, SCCF, LDCF, Carbon Markets, Bilateral Donors). As of September 2011, the team supports 160 projects, funded by the GEF Trust Fund, SCCF, LDCF and the Adaptation Fund, worth USD 455 million with USD 1.75 billion co-financing.

• Promoting climate resilient development:
  UNDP helps countries in Asia and the Pacific to make national development policies and programmes more resilient to climatic change. We do this by working across key development sectors, and at multiple levels: national, regional, local and community. We support comprehensive approaches which address both opportunities and risks, while combining varied sources of climate financing (public, private, domestic and international) as the most effective way in which to bring about climate resilient futures for the poorest and most vulnerable in society.

• Expanding access to environmental and energy services for the poor:
  Many of our programmes enhance the resilience of ecosystem and natural resource management and work with communities to reduce their vulnerability to climate change impacts. For example, the Mangroves for the Futures programme supports coastal communities invest in conservation for sustainable development.

Read more about the Environment and Energy practice.

 

The UNDP regional Environment and Energy team produces a quarterly newsletter designed to give you the latest and greatest news and information from our activities in the Asia-Pacific Region. It includes updates on: new project approvals; impacts and results from our projects; information on our policy and mainstreaming work; noteworthy climate, environment and energy announcements; staff movements; events; and our activities in the Pacific.

Click here to view our newsletters