Intergovernmental Organizations related to Environment and Climate Change

1. Earth System Governance Project (ESGP) 

• It is the largest social science research network in the area of governance and global environmental change.
• ESG’s international research programme takes up the challenge of exploring political solutions and novel, more effective governance systems to cope with the current transitions in the biogeochemical systems of our planet. Earth System Governance is seen not only as a question of governance effectiveness, but also as a challenge for political legitimacy and social justice. 
• The Earth System Governance Project was launched as a project of IHDP (International Human Dimensions Programme), and became a core project of Future Earth in 2015. The Earth System Governance International Project Office is hosted by Utrecht University.

2. Global Environment Facility (GEF) 

• The Global Environment Facility (GEF), established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, is a catalyst for action on the environment — and much more. Through its strategic investments, the GEF works with partners to tackle the planet’s biggest environmental issues. 
• The GEF is A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP of 18 agencies — including United Nations agencies, multilateral development banks, national entities and international NGOs — working with 183 countries to address the world’s most challenging environmental issues. The GEF has a large network of civil society organizations, works closely with the private sector around the world, and receives continuous inputs from an independent evaluation office and a world-class scientific panel. 
• It is a FINANCIAL MECHANISM for five major international environmental conventions: the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 
• GEF is also an INNOVATOR AND CATALYST that supports multi-stakeholder alliances to preserve threatened ecosystems on land and in the oceans, build greener cities, boost food security and promote clean energy for a more prosperous, climate-resilient world; leveraging $5.2 in additional financing for every $1 invested. 
• The GEF Trust Fund was established to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. Funds are available to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and agreements.

3. Green Climate Fund 

• The Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) aim is to expand collective human action to respond to climate change. The Fund aims to mobilize funding at scale to invest in low-emission and climate-resilient development on our home planet. 
• The Green Climate Fund was established by 194 countries party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2010. 
• It is designed as an operating entity of the Convention’s financial mechanism and is headquartered in the Republic of Korea. 
• It is governed by a 24 Board member Board, representing countries, and receives guidance from the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP).
• Created by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Fund aims to support a paradigm shift in the global response to climate change. 
• It allocates its resources to low-emission and climate-resilient projects and programmes in developing countries. 
• The Fund pays particular attention to the needs of societies that are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and African States.

4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• It is the leading international body for assessment of climate change. It is a key source of scientific information and technical guidance to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. The IPCC provides governments at all levels with scientific information they can use to develop climate policies.
• The IPCC is an organisation of governments that are members of the United Nations or the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The IPCC currently has 195 members.

IPCC’s main activities are to prepare:

a) comprehensive assessment reports on climate change, its causes, impacts and response options

b) methodology reports, which provide practical guidance to Parties to help them prepare national greenhouse gas inventories

c) special reports on topics that inform the assessment reports. 

• The IPCC does not undertake new research but synthesises published and peer-reviewed literature to develop a comprehensive assessment of scientific understanding, published in IPCC assessment reports. 
• The IPCC’s work is guided by a set of principles and procedures that govern all the main activities of the organisation. IPCC member governments and observer organisations nominate experts and the IPCC Bureau selects authors and editors with expertise in a range of scientific, technical and socio-economic fields. IPCC reports are the product of multiple drafting and review processes to promote an objective, comprehensive and transparent assessment of current knowledge.

Sixth Assessment Report

• The IPCC is developing its Sixth Assessment Report. The report provides an update on the scientific, technical and socioeconomic aspects of climate change, including: 
  • its causes 
  • potential impacts
  • response strategies. 
• The Sixth Assessment Report is being published in parts, with 3 Working Groups contributing separate reports. 
• The Working Group reports are:
  • The Physical Science Basis
  • Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability 
  • Mitigation of Climate Change. 
• The final part is a Synthesis Report summarising the science and knowledge around climate change. It is based on the Working Group reports, as well as the 3 IPCC Special Reports published between 2018 and 2019.

5. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 

• IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations.
• IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. Its experts are organised into six Commissions dedicated to species survival, environmental law, protected areas, social and economic policy, ecosystem management, and education and communication.
• Created in 1948, IUCN has evolved into the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network.
• Through their affiliation with IUCN, Member organisations are part of a democratic process, discussing and approving Resolutions, which lay the foundations for the global conservation agenda. Members meet every four years at the IUCN World Conservation Congress to set priorities and agree on the Union’s work programme.
• IUCN congresses have produced several key international environmental agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the World Heritage Convention, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
• IUCN continues to support these conventions as they grow stronger and evolve so that they can respond to emerging challenges. IUCN’s Member organisations are represented by the IUCN Council – the governing body. Headquartered in Switzerland, the IUCN Secretariat comprises around 900 staff in more than 60 countries.

IUCN overview 

• IUCN works to tackle three of the most important challenges facing the world’s ocean and polar regions: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Working with governments, business organisations and scientific experts, IUCN unravels the complexities of global threats, and develops innovative solutions for the conservation of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources. 
• IUCN supports countries and communities in achieving effective and equitable protected and conserved areas that yield positive outcomes for society. IUCN works to develop best practices and approaches that enable effective conservation and help sites achieve high standards, while also informing professional capacity development and influencing national and global policy. 
• IUCN is at the forefront of the global fight to save species from extinction. IUCN experts, including over 8,000 Species Survival Commission members in 130 Specialist Groups, and tools such as the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species provide technical expertise and guide conservation action worldwide.
• IUCN is the official advisory body on nature under the World Heritage Convention. IUCN evaluates sites nominated for the World Heritage List and monitors the state of conservation of listed sites, aiming to improve the management of World Heritage sites and enhance the role of the Convention in nature conservation and sustainable development.

6. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 

• It is the leading environmental authority in the United Nations system. UNEP uses its expertise to strengthen environmental standards and practices while helping implement environmental obligations at the country, regional and global levels. UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

Six Areas Of Concentration 

• UNEP re-organised its work programme into six strategic areas as part of its move to results based management. The selection of six areas of concentration was guided by scientific evidence, the UNEP mandate and priorities emerging from global and regional forums.

1. Climate Change : UNEP strengthens the ability of countries to integrate climate change responses by providing leadership in adaptation, mitigation, technology and finance. UNEP is focusing on facilitating the transition to low-carbon societies, improving the understanding of climate science, facilitating the development of renewable energy and raising public awareness.

2. Post-Conflict And Disaster Management: UNEP conducts environmental assessments in crisis-affected countries and provides guidance for implementing legislative and institutional frameworks for improved environmental management. Activities undertaken by UNEP’s Post-Conflict & Disaster Management Branch (PCDMB) include postconflict environmental assessment in Afghanistan, Côte d’Ivoire, Lebanon, Nigeria and Sudan.

3. Ecosystem Management: Facilitates management and restoration of ecosystems in a manner consistent with sustainable development, and promotes use of ecosystem services. Examples include the Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities.

4. Environmental Governance: UNEP supports governments in establishing, implementing and strengthening the necessary processes, institutions, laws, policies and programs to achieve sustainable development at the country, regional and global levels, and mainstreaming environment in development planning.

5. Harmful Substances: UNEP strives to minimise the impact of harmful substances and hazardous waste on the environment and human beings. UNEP has launched negotiations for a global agreement on mercury, and implements projects on mercury and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) to reduce risks to human health and the environment.

6. Resource Efficiency/Sustainable Consumption And Production: UNEP focuses on regional and global efforts to ensure natural resources are produced, processed and consumed in a more environmentally friendly way. For example, the Marrakesh Process is a global strategy to support the elaboration of a 10-Year Framework of Programs on sustainable consumption and production.

7. World Nature Organization (WNO) 

• It is an initiative was born in 2010 by states which are threatened by rising sea levels. It is an intergovernmental organisation which promotes global environmental protection. 
• The WNO Treaty officially entered into force on 1st May 2014. 
• Headquarters: Geneva 
• Key Functions: 
  • WNO acts as a centre of competence for environmental protection, green technologies and sustainability, and as a mediator and initiator, making available experience of practical applications and strategies, offering support on all issues related to responsible conduct as regards the natural environment and its resources and assisting States to benefit from efficient development and from scientific and technology transfer.
  • The World Nature Organization promotes sustainable conduct as regards the natural environment, together with new, environments-friendly technologies, green economies and renewable energies.
  • India is not a member

8. World Food Programme

• The World Food Programme was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 2020 for its efforts to combat hunger, promote peace in conflict-affected areas, and prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict. 
• WFP was established in 1961 by the United Nations General Assembly and FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. 
• WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation and is funded by voluntary contributions from governments, organisations and private individuals. 
• WFP works in particular to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty and hunger. 
• In 2019, more than 100 million people suffered from severe hunger, most of them as a result of war and conflict. The worldwide Corona pandemic did also swell the number of poor and hungry. 
• In 2019, WFP provided emergency food assistance in 88 countries, but the organisation also worked in a long-term perspective to increase local production of food and to meet the nutritional needs of women and infants.

9. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) 

• The IWC was established in 1946 as the global body responsible for management of whaling and conservation of whales. Today the IWC has 88 member countries. 
• The mandate has not changed but many new conservation concerns exist and the IWC work programme now also includes bycatch & entanglement, ship strikes, ocean noise, pollution and debris, and sustainable whale watching.
• India is a Member

10. BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes 

• The BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) is a multilateral facility, supported by donor governments and managed by the World Bank. 
• It promotes and rewards reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the land sector, including efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+), sustainable agriculture, as well as smarter landuse planning, policies and practices. 
• The ISFL currently supports programs in Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mexico, and Zambia.
• Each ISFL program focuses on an entire jurisdiction (state, province, or region) within a country, which provides programs with the opportunity to engage with multiple sectors affecting land use and scale impact over large areas. 
• The ISFL applies a landscape approach in each jurisdiction, which requires stakeholders to consider the trade-offs and synergies between different sectors that may compete in a jurisdiction for land use—such as forests, agriculture, energy, mining, and infrastructure. 
• The ISFL has two key funding instruments, the BioCFplus and BioCF Tranche 3 (T3), which have been designed specifically to operationalize the vision of the ISFL.
  • BioCFplus supports grant-based technical assistance activities and capacity-building efforts in each jurisdiction. It provides the critical investment finance needed to establish an enabling environment for sustainable land use and to develop systems for monitoring, reporting, and verifying greenhouse gas emission reductions. In addition, BioCFplus directly finances advisory service projects aimed at attracting private sector interest in ISFL jurisdictions, which can benefit farmers and other private sector actors. 
  • BioCF Tranche 3 provides results-based payments for verified emission reductions through an Emission Reductions Purchase Agreement (ERPA). The BioCFplus in combination with results-based finance from BioCF T3 allows ISFL programs to use tools and approaches tailored to a country’s specific context. 
• Financing instrument: Results-based Payments, Grant-based Technical Assistance 
• Project scale: The total pledged contribution to the ISFL amounts to $355 million.
• Recipient countries regions/country groups: The ISFL currently works in Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Mexico, and Zambia.

Eligibility criteria: 

• ISFL countries are selected on the basis of criteria that provide the best foundation for ISFL programs to achieve the greatest possible impact. These criteria ensure that countries are prepared to undertake a complex land-use program that will be governed and monitored effectively. They also assess the global community’s commitment to working collectively toward in-country solutions so that countries have the necessary support to achieve results.

11. Arctic Council 

• The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic Indigenous peoples and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. 
• It was formally established in 1996.
• All Arctic Council decisions and statements require consensus of the eight Arctic States.
• The Ottawa Declaration defines these states as Members of the Arctic Council. The eight States have territories within the Arctic and thus carry the role of stewards of the region. Their national jurisdictions and international law govern the lands surrounding the Arctic Ocean and its waters. 
• The Northern regions of the Arctic States are home to more than four million people, whose health and well-being is on the top of the Arctic Council’s agenda. 
• The Council’s activities are primarily conducted in six Working Groups and one standalone Expert Group that cover a broad field of subjects, from climate change to emergency response, from mental health to sustainable development. 
• The Working Groups and Expert Group on Black Carbon and Methane (EGBCM) provide a broad and scientifically-sound knowledge-base upon which informed decisions can be taken. They also develop best practices and recommendations for safe and sustainable operations in the Arctic. 
• India is an Observer State