The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Advancing climate action. Building resilience.
The need for accelerated action to fight the climate crisis is the defining issue of our time. We’re committed to providing the practical solutions needed to help countries prepare for our future climate.
Climate change is impacting communities in every country, across every continent. From rising sea levels and extreme weather events, to energy, food and water insecurity – the consequences are clear, and they are tragic.
Developing countries and vulnerable populations who are on the front lines of climate change need support. Yet global efforts to combat climate change and achieve sustainable development are falling short.
UNOPS is committed to providing practical solutions to help countries combat climate change, through our expertise in infrastructure, procurement and project management services.
We believe infrastructure is at the heart of building a sustainable, resilient and inclusive future, and is key to ensuring access to clean and affordable energy to all.
While sustainable supply chains can help protect natural resources and limit environmental impacts, the sheer scale and volume of public procurement spending makes it a powerful catalyst for advancing climate action.
But in this global challenge there is a clear implementation gap – the difference between commitments made to fight the climate emergency, and the ability to make change happen.
With our focus on operations, UNOPS helps bridge the implementation gap. We manage multi-stakeholder initiatives, help communities build resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and support efforts to turn climate ambitions into robust action.
The UN Secretary General has made it clear: urgent and ambitious climate action is needed to secure a liveable future for all. At UNOPS, we are committed to working as part of the UN system to reignite progress on the SDGs and on climate mitigation and adaptation, facilitate the clean energy transition, and deliver meaningful actions for people and the planet.
How we support
How we support
We provide practical solutions to help countries combat climate change and advance the shift to low-carbon economies. From managing multi-stakeholder initiatives to helping communities mitigate, address and adapt to the impacts of climate change, we help bridge the implementation gap and strengthen partners’ capacity to manage climate-related risks and impacts.
Partnerships
Through our global water, environment and climate portfolio, we support the design and management of multi-stakeholder initiatives and provide operational solutions that help to accelerate the energy transition and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Sustainable procurement and green supply chains
Through our expertise in sustainable procurement, we help partners achieve more effective and climate-conscious procurement practices as well as greener and more resilient supply chains – driving the shift to low-carbon solutions, supporting climate adaptation, protecting natural resources and improving socio-economic resilience.
Infrastructure planning
We work closely with governments to analyze long-term infrastructure needs and identify key public infrastructure projects. We also advise on policies and capacity-building initiatives that will help advance climate adaptation, build resilience and promote socio-economic development.
Adaptation and mitigation
We provide practical solutions to help countries combat climate change – including through sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure and nature-based solutions that will help drive long-term climate adaptation.
Programme management
We help manage funds and administer grants for climate-related initiatives, and support the delivery of complex, locally adapted programmes for climate action.
Mission Hubs
Our dedicated Triple Planetary Crisis Hub brings together knowledge, experience and expertise from across the UNOPS family. It supports efforts to address the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation.
In collaboration with partners – including academia, subject matter experts and thought leaders – UNOPS publications and research offer insights and solutions to some of the world’s most pressing climate challenges.
Publication
Inclusive infrastructure for climate action
UNOPS latest report identifies 7 action areas and 24 recommendations that governments and other stakeholders can use to deliver inclusive infrastructure for climate action – helping to ensure no one is left behind.
A report from UNOPS, the UN Environment Programme and the University of Oxford reveals that infrastructure is responsible for 79 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
The report highlights ways SIDS can harness their unique resources to help islands overcome vulnerabilities, advance development and reap long-term benefits from infrastructure investments.
Infrastructure: Underpinning sustainable development
Through a systematic evaluation process, this report presents and explains the ability for infrastructure to influence all 17 of the SDGs, including almost all of their targets.
To mitigate the global impacts of climate change and deliver on the 2030 Agenda, partnership and collaboration are critical. Explore some of the different initiatives we're supporting below.
Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT)
ICAT works to provide policymakers around the world with tools and support to measure and assess the impacts of their climate actions. The initiative, managed by UNOPS, was founded to respond to the critical need to support improved transparency and capacity building under the Paris Agreement.
Hosted by UNOPS, Cities Alliance is a global partnership that fights urban poverty and supports cities to deliver sustainable development. As part of this, they work to build resilient cities that can withstand the effects of climate change and support urban adaptation and mitigation processes.
Co-hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and UNOPS, the Santiago network plays a crucial role in enhancing the delivery of action and support to address climate change impacts in developing countries.
The Platform on Disaster Displacement is a group of states leading action to better protect people displaced across borders in the context of disaster and climate change. Hosted by UNOPS, the platform works with international organizations and governments to implement strategies that protect and assist those most vulnerable to climate-induced displacement.
Climate Vulnerable Forum & Vulnerable Twenty Joint Multi-Donor Fund
We’re proud to support the Climate Vulnerable Forum and Vulnerable Twenty Joint Multi-Donor Fund to help build stronger, climate-resilient and low carbon economies, as our world recovers from this pandemic.
To support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, UNOPS Water Environment & Climate portfolio supports projects in the areas of transboundary water management, integrated water resource management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and environmental conservation.
SEforALL drives action towards achieving SDG7: access to sustainable energy for all by 2030. Working with the UN, governments, private sector, financial institutions, civil society and philanthropies, it supports a clean energy transition that leaves no one behind.
Built on the premise of collective action, the NDC Partnership brings together 117 developed and developing countries and 84 institutional members to create and deliver on ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions that help achieve the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
South East Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP)
The ETP is a multi-stakeholder platform that aims to accelerate energy transition in Southeast Asia and deliver the Paris Agreement targets on climate change by bringing together government, donors, philanthropies and partner governments.
From Ghana to Zimbabwe, we’re supporting countries across Africa to respond and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Restoring Indonesian peatlands
Massive fires have put Indonesia’s tropical peatlands at risk. Discover how UNOPS is working with the government of Indonesia to restore them and protect one of nature’s most effective ways of removing carbon.
Building resilience to rising sea levels in Tanzania
UNOPS is working with the government of Tanzania to help increase the resilience of coastal areas against the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels by building 1000s of metres of sea defence walls.
