How the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sets Climate Change Agendas and Influences Global Action

As the environmental program of the United Nations, UNEP aims to play a key role in shaping the global discourse on climate change, influencing international negotiations, and directing funding streams to effective climate action initiatives. This presentation will explore UNEP’s strategic approach to climate action, examining two key elements that enable the organization to set trends and drive positive change: First, we will show how UNEP seeks to use science to inform policy by focusing on one of its flagship reports, the Emissions Gap Report. Our presentation will discuss the mechanisms behind the development of these reports, exploring how UNEP identifies and prioritizes emerging scientific issues, while also looking at UNEP’s internal capacity to produce these reports. We will also look at the assessment of the reports by external stakeholders, with a particular focus on their potential to catalyze accelerated climate action. Second, we will look at how UNEP’s work has been instrumental in placing the concept of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), a nature-centered approach to climate change adaptation, on the global climate change agenda and promoting its integration into national and international frameworks. Our presentation will show how UNEP has strategically engaged in partnerships to disseminate the concept of EbA, promote a global discourse on EbA, and facilitate its adoption and implementation in different contexts.
To gain a deeper understanding of UNEP’s impact and the mechanisms behind it, this presentation draws on insights from document analysis and interviews with UNEP staff, other UN stakeholders, and external partners, including government and donor representatives. Our analysis provides valuable perspectives on UNEP’s effectiveness in influencing climate change agendas, key factors contributing to its success, and areas for improvement. UNEP’s work on climate change exemplifies the power of science, partnerships and strategic communications to drive global action.