Fri, Apr 5, 2013 - UNEP
recently requested UNOPS, an operational
and central procurement arm of the UN, to
buy 50,000 certificates of emission reduction
(CERs), to cover UNEP's emissions for 2010-2013.
Nairobi/Copenhagen,
5 April 2013 - A wind farm in India and
a waste management project in Colombia are
set to benefit from a new to offset the
carbon emissions of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations
Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
Ever since the UN Secretary-General
first announced a directive for UN agencies
to move toward climate neutrality in 2007,
the organization has been measuring its
greenhouse gas emissions and identifying
opportunities to reduce them.
UNEP, which has been
climate neutral since 2008, recently requested
UNOPS, an operational and central procurement
arm of the UN, to buy 50,000 certificates
of emission reduction (CERs), to cover UNEP’s
emissions for 2010-2013.
As part of its own emission-reduction
plan, UNOPS decided to purchase additional
offsets and added almost 14,000 certificates
to the order, one for every tonne of greenhouse
gases emitted by its global activities in
2011.
Combining the procurement
volumes allowed the two organizations to
buy the certificates from Swiss company
First Climate at a reduced price. As a result,
the emissions from both organizations were
offset in a landfill gas management project
in Colombia, while UNEP also contributed
to the installation of a 15 megawatt wind
farm in Tamil Nadu, India.
“It is important for
UN agencies to practice what they preach,
both internally and in our programmes,”
said Shoa Ehsani, Climate Neutral Officer
at UNEP. “Apart from setting an example
for others, we want to support the Kyoto
Protocol and contribute to global efforts
to mitigate climate change.”
UNOPS is currently calculating
its 2012 emissions before buying the next
round of certificates. The two organizations
are two of only a small number of UN bodies
to offset their global climate footprint.
“This historic purchase
means that UNOPS is now completely climate
neutral for 2011,” said Therese Ballard,
Director of UNOPS Sustainable Procurement
Delivery Practice. “While UNOPS is also
looking at ways to further reduce the volume
of emissions that come from its daily operations,
this move to offset its 2011 greenhouse
gases will greatly benefit communities in
Colombia for years to come and helps us
continue to drive forward the sustainability
agenda.”
The project in Colombia
includes the installation of a controlled
methane capture and flaring system at the
Curva de Rodas and La Pradera landfills
to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The additional sustainable
development benefits will include improved
sanitary conditions and quality of life
in surrounding communities, as well as a
decrease in the risk of landslides due to
reduced internal pressure in the landfill.
Jobs will also be created
through the use of local suppliers and contractors,
while a share of the certificate proceeds
will be funneled into research at the University
of Antioquia. Benefits of the wind generation
scheme in India include the creation of
jobs, improvements to the surrounding road
network, increased availability of electricity,
and a reduction in waste production.
The offset scheme is
approved by the United Nations Framework
for the Convention on Climate Change and
contributes to the work undertaken by the
Sustainable United Nations facility that
coordinates environmental sustainability
efforts for 54 UN bodies.
The joint procurement
exercise reflects a growing partnership
between UNEP and UNOPS, particularly in
the area of sustainable procurement in the
UN. The two bodies recently signed a memorandum
of understanding to strengthen their collaboration.
UNOPS and UNEP have
developed guides and conducted training
programmes on sustainable procurement, alongside
the International Labour Organization (ILO),
the ILO’s International Training Centre
and other partners. A key output has been
the Buying for a Better World sustainable
procurement guide and several product-specific
guidelines. The guide has now been turned
into a free online training course on sustainable
procurement.
