As "the voice for the environment" in the United Nations system, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) speaks on behalf of generations not yet born and acts as a clearinghouse for scientific information. It works with other U.N. entities as well as international organizations, national governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector, reporting on the changing state of the world environment, tracking the causes of change, and working collaboratively to develop responses to those changes. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP has six regional offices and centers, including the Global Resource Information Database and the World Conservation Monitoring Center. Its Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics is headquartered in Paris. UNEP also hosts several secretariats that were formed in response to the passage of international treaties, conventions, and protocols relating to the environment.

Origins

At the time of the first Earth Day...