Underscoring the importance of environmental protection and management in the work of peacekeeping missions, the United Nations Department of Field Support (DFS) today launched a new strategy to maximize its peace operations’ efficiency in the use of natural resources, and to minimize their risk to people, societies and ecosystems.
“Environmental performance is crucial to ensure that we do no harm to the people we are mandated to protect,” said UN Under-Secretary-General and the head of DFS Atul Khare in New York at the launch of the strategy at Columbia University.
“We need to change our systems and we need to change our mind set,” he added.
DFS is the key service provider to international peacekeeping operations, supporting both UN and non-UN peace missions, with nearly 168,000 authorized personnel, in over 30 countries.
The six-year strategy, which is in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), identifies challenges and objectives based on five pillars: energy; water and wastewater; solid waste; wider impact; and environmental management systems. It also includes key performance indicators for these areas.
Source: United Nations News Centre – UN launches new strategy to minimize environmental footprint of its peace operations