The United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Environmental Management System (EMS) is a comprehensive, systematic, cyclical, planned, and documented framework that enables the organization to monitor, manage, and continually improve its environmental performance. The EMS provides UNEP with a structured approach to identifying, assessing, and reducing the environmental impacts associated with its global operations, while strengthening accountability and sustainability across the organization.
Environmental sustainability is a continuous journey that requires ongoing innovation, learning, and improvement. UNEP became climate neutral in 2008, marking a major milestone in aligning its operations with its environmental mandate and demonstrating leadership within the United Nations system. The year 2010 was adopted as the baseline for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions monitoring and reporting. Since then, UNEP has achieved a 35 per cent reduction in GHG emissions (2025), reflecting sustained efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of its operations.
