United Nations Environment Programme

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), body established in 1972 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to promote international cooperation in environmental matters. Its tasks include constant surveillance of the environment in a programme known as Earthwatch, analysis of trends, the collection and dissemination of information, the adoption of environmentally sound policies, and ensuring the compatibility of projects with the priorities of developing countries. UNEP has initiated projects concerned with the following problems: the ozone layer, climate, the transport and disposal of waste, the marine environment, water systems, soil degradation, deforestation, biodiversity, urban environment, sustainable development, energy conservation, human settlements and population issues, health, toxic chemicals, environmental law, and education. Activities are financed from the UN's general budget, by members' contributions, and by trust funds. The money is allocated proportionally: 20 per cent to Africa, Asia, Latin America, western Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean; 80 per cent to global projects. UNEP, however, is not a funding agency. Its resources are used to start up programmes, which then draw funds from other sources, such as governments and environmental agencies. It works in close cooperation with other UN bodies, especially the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the World Health Organization (WHO). It also has links with over 6,000 non-governmental bodies concerned with the environment. Its Governing Council, with representatives from 58 member states, meets every two years. The Administrative Committee on Coordination liaises between UNEP and other UN agencies and related programmes. The organization's headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya. In September 1999 UNEP claimed that the world would face a massive environmental crisis in the 21st century unless immediate action was taken. According to its report, Global Environment Outlook 2000 (GEO-2000), which UNEP claims is the most “authoritative assessment” of environmental issues ever produced, the chief culprits behind the world’s current environmental situation were the “continued poverty of the majority” of the world’s people and “excessive consumption” by Western and some East Asian nations.