Success Stories

Many of the environmental issues the world is facing today, from climate change to ozone depletion, are global in nature. With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNDP supports international cooperation to promote sustainable development. The GEF is the largest fund for protecting the environment, with UNDP as one of the implementing agencies, along with UNEP and the World Bank. The UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme has funded more than 8,400 projects by non-governmental and community organizations around the world. In 2006, the GEF received its fourth replenishment of US$3 billion from 32 donor countries; the GEF Council approved $203 million in grants for UNDP projects; and UNDP leveraged an additional $500 million in project co-financing from governments and other partners. A GEF example that promotes environmentally friendly ways of cultivating coffee combines just under $12 million of GEF financing with over $70 million mainly from the private sector; Kraft, one of the world's largest coffee roasters, has increased its purchase of certified coffee from five million pounds to 29 million pounds over the last two years. In 2005, Kraft launched Kenco sustainable certified coffee in the UK, and has subsequently introduced several other brands in Europe and North America. An early success of the project has been the announcement that all 1,200 McDonald's restaurants in the UK and Ireland will sell exclusively Kenco coffee, which amounts to more than 143,000 cups a day. McDonalds has stated that it will extend this commitment to serving certified sustainable coffee in all of its European outlets during 2007.

Throughout 2006, UNEP worked with partners to establish and implement an environmental agenda for recovery. Following the devastating tsunami of December 2004, the Maldives Post-Tsunami Environmental Assessment carried out by UNEP drew attention to approximately 290,000 cubic metres of waste, including hazardous waste, healthcare waste, oil spilled from generators and leakage from septic tanks. In 2005, UNEP cleared 89 islands of hazardous waste; the three remaining affected islands were cleared in 2006. In September, UNEP undertook additional site investigations to determine the nature and scale of oil contamination in shallow soils and groundwater at two tsunami-affected islands, which revealed significant contamination. UNEP's Post-Tsunami Environmental Assessments identified damages to mangroves that threatened vital ecosystem services, including coastal habitats with its Indonesian project partner, Wetlands International Indonesia Programme, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) at a site in Aceh Besar. Training in seedling preparation and rehabilitation techniques was conducted, two nurseries were built and a re-vegetation project was launched with community groups. The programme also included training in design and implementation of local rehabilitation programmes.

Last updated 1 November 2007