UNEP India

To achieve India’s vision of sustainable and inclusive growth, UNEP India is advancing an economic transformation that embeds sustainability into the core of financial systems, industry practices, and consumer behaviour. By aligning economic priorities with environmental goals, UNEP India is working to mobilise capital, empower green businesses, and accelerate the transition to a circular, low-carbon economy.

• Mobilising Capital: Unlocking public and private finance through blended and circular economy models, with flagship projects demonstrating scalable solutions
• Empowering Green Businesses: Supporting MSMEs and entrepreneurs to grow innovative low-carbon solutions
• Enabling Circular Economy: Strengthening policies, technical capacity, and national readiness for circular transitions
• Promoting Sustainable Consumption & Production: Advancing sustainability in buildings, lifestyles, textiles, tourism, and using tools like Sustainable Procurement Practices (SPP) and ecolabelling
• Valuing Nature: Integrating ecosystem and biodiversity value into decision-making using tools like TEEBAgriFood
• Circular Economy Centre: Establishing a think tank with industry support to drive research and innovation
• Leading Sustainable Finance: Aligning banks and private sector with Paris Agreement and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) goals
• Building Green Skills: Equipping the workforce for emerging green sectors and low-carbon jobs
• Making the Case: Highlighting the economic costs of inaction to catalyse investment and policy action

UNEP India is supporting the country’s efforts to accelerate climate action and build resilience to the growing impacts of global warming. Through targeted interventions that combine mitigation, adaptation, and finance, the programme is helping India deliver on its climate commitments while ensuring sustainable growth and wellbeing for communities most at risk. By working across sectors and scales, UNEP India is driving innovation, policy alignment, and capacity building to make climate resilience a national development priority.

• Heat Stress & Cooling: Strengthening heat stress reduction efforts and advancing the India Cooling Action Plan, focusing on cold chains and climate-resilient buildings
• NDC 3.0 Support: Driving renewable energy actions across solar, wind, biomass, hybrids, and other clean technologies
• Integrated Adaptation: Developing adaptation plans that address climate, biodiversity, land degradation, agriculture, and water stress together
• State-Level Action: Supporting effective implementation of state climate action plans
• Climate Finance & Insurance: Enabling climate-responsive investments, including sustainable cold-chain systems, through financing and insurance solutions

UNEP India is addressing pollution as a critical challenge to both environmental integrity and human health. By combining policy support, industry partnerships, and community engagement, the programme promotes a comprehensive approach to prevent, control, and manage pollution at its source. Its efforts focus on reducing emissions, improving waste management, and fostering behavioural and systemic changes that ensure cleaner air, water, and ecosystems for all.

• Supporting National Missions: Implementing initiatives like Viksit Bharat 2047, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, National Clean Air Programme, Renewable Energy Mission, and Single-Use Plastic Ban.
• Public Advocacy: Raising awareness and promote sustainable practices among communities and stakeholders
• Source Pollution Control: Collaborating with MSMEs to prevent pollution at its origin
• Integrated Pollution Management: Tackling plastics, waste, air, and water pollution through coordinated, cross-sectoral actions
• Environment and Health: Strengthening the linkages between environmental quality and public health by promoting clean air, safe water, and healthy living environments.

UNEP India is advancing nature-positive development by integrating biodiversity conservation into the country’s growth agenda. Recognising that healthy ecosystems are essential for livelihoods, food security, and climate resilience, the programme supports national and local actions that safeguard India’s natural heritage while promoting sustainable use of resources. By fostering partnerships between communities, governments, and the private sector, UNEP India is ensuring that conservation efforts contribute to both ecological integrity and inclusive development.

• Biodiversity Action Support: Assisting in implementing India’s Biodiversity Action Plan
• Community-Based Conservation: Promoting local conservation initiatives with indigenous and local communities, in collaboration with relevant institutions, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and state governments
• Innovative Conservation Finance: Developing new financing approaches to support conservation efforts
• KMGBF Alignment: Collaborating with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to develop a framework aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

UNEP India recognises that achieving lasting environmental impact requires transforming the way people think, act, and live. Through initiatives that connect awareness to action, the programme fosters sustainable lifestyles and behavioural shifts that make environmental responsibility part of everyday life. By engaging individuals, institutions, and communities, UNEP India is nurturing a culture where sustainability becomes a shared social norm rather than a personal choice.

• Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles: Supporting initiatives on sustainable consumption and production, including Mission LiFE
• Education & Training: Developing course curricula on conservation psychology
• Community of Practice: Establishing a national platform for knowledge-sharing on behaviour and environmental management

Effective environmental governance is essential for fostering sustainable development, ensuring social equity, and addressing the complex challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. UNEP India works to strengthen the frameworks that guide environmental policy, promote human rights, and enhance institutional capacity, while encouraging collaboration between public and private stakeholders. By supporting policy coherence and integrated governance, these efforts aim to create resilient systems that are inclusive, evidence-based, and responsive to emerging environmental issues.

• Human Rights & Environment: Strengthening links with the National Human Rights Commission, with emphasis on gender equality and social justice
• Capacity Development: Building expertise on emerging issues in environmental law
• Integrated Governance Models: Developing collaborative frameworks engaging public and private sectors
• Policy Coherence: Supporting alignment and integration across environmental policies

UNEP India’s work is underpinned by several enabling approaches:

• Digital Transformation: Developing tools such as Digital Product Passports and assessing the environmental impacts of digitalisation to promote transparency and sustainability.
• Environmental Rule of Law: Empowering institutions through capacity building to uphold and enforce environmental governance and compliance.
• Knowledge Management: Strengthening networks and platforms for knowledge sharing, supporting the science–policy interface, and fostering data-driven decision-making.
• Youth Engagement: Promoting advocacy, innovation, and sustainable lifestyles through active youth participation and leadership.
• Communication and Outreach: Building strong narratives, enhancing web and social media presence, and strengthening partnerships and capacity-building initiatives.
• Gender Mainstreaming: Integrating gender equality across programmes and policies to ensure inclusive and equitable environmental action.
• One UN Approach: Fostering coherence and collaboration across UN agencies to deliver joint outcomes aligned with national priorities.
• South–South and Triangular Cooperation: Facilitating knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and capacity building between developing countries to advance shared environmental goals.