United Nations System
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The UNEP Division
of Technology, Industry, and Economics
http://www.unepie.org/home.html
Paris, France
UNEP DTIE was created
in 1998 to help decision-makers in governments, local authorities,
and industry develop and adopt policies and practices that are
cleaner and safer; make efficient use of natural resources; ensure
adequate management of chemicals; incorporate environmental costs
in their activities and reduce pollution and risks for humans
and the environment.
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The UNEP Finance
Initiatives.
http://www.unepfi.net
The Financial Services
Initiatives (FSI) are based on voluntary commitments by the financial
industries and aim at promoting the integration of environmental
considerations into the mainstream business of the financial service
sectors' operations and services. A core part of the Initiatives
is to foster endorsement of the UNEP " Statement by Banks
on the Environment and Sustainable Development", launched
in 1992 at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, whose
three principles are: "Commitment to sustainable development",
"Environmental management" and "Public awareness
and communication".
In 1995 UNEP launched
the Insurance Industry Initiative for the Environment. The initiatives
are run by the sectors themselves. The Financial Institutions
Initiative is directed by a Steering Committee consisting of eleven
representatives from member institutions, one representative from
UNEP, and a non-voting representative from the International Finance
Corporation of the World Bank.
The Initiatives counts with 171 signatories amongst financial
institutions and 89 from the insurance sector as of November 2000.
To be placed on the UNEP Financial Services Initiatives Mailing
List or to contact the Secretariat please write to UNEP FSI
Secretariat
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UNEP Headquarters
http://www.unep.org/
Nairobi, Kenya
The United Nations
Environment Programme mandate is to provide leadership and encourage
partnerships in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing
and enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life
without compromising that of future generations.
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UNEP Basel Convention
http://www.unep.ch/basel/
Geneva, Switzerland
The "Basel Convention
on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes
and their Disposal" aims, through its Secretariat, to control
the transboundary movement of hazardous waste, monitor and prevent
illegal traffic, provide assistance on the environmentally sound
management of hazardous wastes, promote cooperation between Parties
in this field, and develop technical guidelines for hazardous
waste management.
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UNEP Chemicals
http://irptc.unep.ch/IRPTC/
Geneva, Switzerland
As a part of the Division
of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), UNEP Chemicals is
the center for all chemicals-related activities of the United
Nations Environment Programme. Its goal is to make the world a
safer place from toxic chemicals, by helping governments take
needed global actions for the sound management of chemicals, by
promoting the exchange of information on chemicals, and by helping
to build the capacities of countries around the world to use chemicals
safely.
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UNEP Regional Offices
http://www.unep.org/unep/regoffs/home.htm
UNEP operates Regional
Offices located around the world for liaison with National Governments,
Regional Bodies and other affiliates in each area. Each Regional
Office is a focal point for regional implementation of the environment
programme activities in that region, and also provides services
such as access to a UNEP Information Officer. Each Regional Office
is managed by a Regional Director who answers directly to the
Executive Director of UNEP and is also a member of UNEP's Management
Board.
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The UNEP Meta-data
Directory housekeeping Tool
http://www.grid.unep.ch/mdd/home.htm
Geneva, Switzerland
The UNEP Meta-data
Directory housekeeping tool serves as a library card catalogue
of environmental information. It contains ''card entries'' of
institutes and datasheets. Similar to the library card catalogue,
it allows users to search for environmental information by institute
name or datasheet, contact person, theme, keyword and location,
as well as other criteria.
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United Nations Headquarters
http://www.un.org/
New York, USA
Ever since it officially
came into existence on 24 October 1945, the UN and its family
of organizations have been working together and/or individually
to protect peace and human rights; promote the protection of the
environment; help the advancement of women and the rights of children;
fight epidemics, famine, poverty.
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Food and Agriculture
Organisation
http://www.fao.org/
Rome, Italy
FAO was founded in
October 1945 with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards
of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better
the condition of rural populations. Today, FAO is the largest
autonomous agency within the United Nations system with 175 Member
Nations plus the EC (Member Organization) and more than 4,300
staff members around the world.
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International Labour
Organisation
http://www.ilo.org/
The International Labour
Organization was created in 1919, at the end of the First World
War, at the time of the Peace Conference which convened first
in Paris, then at Versailles. ILO is the UN specialized agency
which seeks the promotion of the social justice and internationally
recognised human and labour tights.
ILO has a specific program under its sectoral activities on Oil
and Gas Production and Refining, which deals with labour issues
relevant to this industry sector.
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United Nations Development
Programme
http://www.undp.org/
New York, USA
Through a unique network
of 134 country offices, UNDP helps people in 174 countries and
territories to help themselves, focusing on poverty elimination,
environmental regeneration, job creation and the advancement of
women. UNDP's overarching mission is to help countries build national
capacity to achieve sustainable, human development, giving top
priority to eliminating poverty and building equity.
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United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization
http://www.unesco.org/
The main objective
of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world
by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science,
culture and communication in order to further universal respect
for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and
fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the
world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion,
by the Charter of the United Nations.
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United Nations Industrial
Development Organization
http://www.unido.org/doc/f330897.htmls
UNIDO is the specialized
UN agency dedicated to promoting sustainable development in countries
with developing and transitional economies. Since its foundation
in 1966,UNIDO has been working with governments, business associations
and individual companies to address industrial problems and foster
industrial sustainable development. UNIDO, in cooperation with
UNEP launched the UNEP/UNIDO
National Cleaner Production Programme
in 1989.
The programme succeeded in establishing some 19 centres worldwide
in 2000.
Under its Energy
Efficiency Programme UNIDO aims at improving efficient use
of power and fuel by industry; reducing emission of greenhouses
gases and pollutants; assisting local manufacture of appropriate
energy-related equipment via technology transfer and capacity-building;
and increasing the number of bankable industrial energy projects.
UNIDO also encourages dissemination of knowledge in new energy-related
technologies for industry.
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United Nations Commission
on Sustainable Development
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd.htm
The UN Commission on
Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to
monitor and report on implementation of the Earth Summit agreements
at the local, national, regional and international levels as well
as to ensure effective follow-up of United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (UNCED). The Earth Summit was convened
in Rio to address urgent problems of environmental protection
and socioeconomic development. The assembled leaders signed the
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological
Diversity; endorsed the Rio Declaration and the Forest Principles
and adopted Agenda 21, a 300-page plan for achieving sustainable
development in the 21st century.
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United Nations Centre
for Regional Development
http://www.uncrd.or.jp/
Nagoya, Japan
Founded in 1971, the
Centre's programmes aim at fostering socially and environmentally
sustainable development. The two multidisciplinary themes of human
security and environment serve as a guide for the Centre's training
and research activities
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The United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development
http://www.unctad.org
is the focal point within the United Nations system for the integrated
treatment of development and interrelated issues in the areas
of trade, finance, technology, investment, and sustainable development.
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Global Environment
Facility (GEF)
http://www.gefweb.org/
The Global Environment
Facility was established to forge international cooperation and
finance actions to address four critical threats to the global
environment: biodiversity loss, climate change, degradation of
international waters, and ozone depletion. Related work to stem
the pervasive problem of land degradation is also eligible for
GEF funding. Launched in 1991 as an experimental facility, GEF
was restructured after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to serve
the environmental interests of people in all parts of the world.
The facility that emerged after restructuring was more strategic,
effective, transparent, and participatory. In 1998, 36 nations
pledged $2.75 billion to protect the global environment and promote
sustainable development.
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The World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org/
Founded in 1944, the
World Bank Group is the world's largest source of development
assistance. The Bank, which provided US$15.3 billion in loans
to its client countries last year, is now working in more than
100 developing economies, bringing a mix of finance and ideas
to improve living standards and eliminate the worst forms of poverty.
The Bank assists its clients via government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, as well as the private sector to formulate assistance
strategies. Through a network of 67 country offices, the Bank
works to improve understanding of development issues and delivers
its programmes aimed at combatting poverty, liaising with governments
and civil societies.
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The International
Finance Corporation (IFC)
http://www.ifc.org
The International Finance
Corporation (IFC) is a member of the World Bank Group, with the
mandate to "promote private sector investment in developing
countries, which will reduce poverty and improve people's lives".
Today IFC is the largest multilateral source of loan and equity
financing for private sector projects in the developing world.
It also plays a catalytic role, stimulating and mobilizing private
investment in the developing world by demonstrating that investments
there can be profitable.
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International Government
Organisations
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The World Trade
Organisation (WTO)
http://www.wto.org
The World trade Organisation
is the only international organization dealing with the global
rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure
that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible
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Organisation for
the Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
http://www.oecd.org/
The OECD groups 29
member countries and most importantly, provides governments a
setting where economic and social policy can be discussed, developed
and perfected. Member countries compare experiences, seek answers
to common problems and work to co-ordinate domestic and international
policies that increasingly in today's globalised world must form
a web of even practice across nations.
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United States of
America Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/
EPA was established
in 1970. Its principal roles and functions include: The establishment
and enforcement of environmental protection standards consistent
with national environmental goals. The conduct of research on
the adverse effects of pollution and on methods and equipment
for controlling it, the gathering of information on pollution,
and the use of this information in strengthening environmental
protection programs and recommending policy changes. Assisting
others, through grants, technical assistance and other means in
arresting pollution of the environment. Assisting the Council
on Environmental Quality in developing and recommending to the
President new policies for the protection of the environment.
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Non Governmental Organisations
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IUCN - The World
Conservation Union
http://www.iucn.org/
The World Conservation
Union was founded in 1948 and brings together 78 states, 112 government
agencies, 735 NGOs, 35 affiliates, and some 10,000 scientists
and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership.
Its mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout
the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and
to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically
sustainable.
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Global Network of
Environmental Economist (gNee)
http://www.feem.it/gnee/index.html
The Global Network
of Environmental Economists aims at helping researchers, policymakers,
academics, environmentalists from all countries in the world to
exchange their view and information in order to increase and share
knowledge, to promote co-operation, to improve quality and effectiveness
of research in environmental economics.
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The World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
http://www.wbcsd.org
The WBCSD is a coalition
established in 1995 of some 150 international companies. The WBCSD
aims to develop closer co-operation between business, government
and all other organizations concerned with the environment and
sustainable development. We also seek to encourage high standards
of environmental management in business itself.
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The World Wild Life
Fund
http://www.wwf.org/
The WWF is the world's
largest and most experienced independent conservation organization
with 4.7 million supporters and a global network active in some
100 countries. WWF's mission is to protect nature and the biological
diversity that we all need to survive
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Industry Associations
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International Chamber
of Commerce (ICC).
http://www.iccwbo.org/
Founded in 1919. Today
it groups thousands of member companies and associations from
over 130 countries. ICC promotes an open international trade and
investment system and the market economy. ICC's rules, although
voluntarily, govern the conduct of business across borders and
are observed in countless thousands of transactions every day.
ICC also contribute to establish the business stance on vital
technical and sectoral subjects e.g. financial services, information
technologies, telecommunications, marketing ethics, the environment,
transportation, competition law and intellectual property.
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Camara de Industria
de Guatemala (CIG)
http://www.tradepoint.org.gt/redtp/camaras/camind/indexe.html
The organization represents
industrialists in Guatemala. It was founded in 1958 through the
merger of the 10 year old "Asociación General de Industriales"
(AIG) and the industrial sector of the "Cámaras Unidas
de Comercio y de Industria". Since 1980s, CIG has advocated
more neo-liberal trade views in order to help Guatemalan industries
gain access to foreign markets. CIG publishes Industria, a monthly
bulletin.
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Journals and Magazines
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Journal of Cleaner
Production
http://www.cleanerproduction.net |
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Research Institutes
and Academia
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Tellus Institute for Resource and Environmental Strategies |
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Business and Finance
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BHamner
http://www.cleanerproduction.com/finance.htm
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