UNEP Science Strategy 2011-2013

Release Date: 2011

The Science Strategy addresses the need to strengthen the scientific base of UNEP and to reinforce its work on the science-policy interface. The Strategy has four overarching goals covering the areas of “emerging issues”, “sustainability scenarios”, “sustainability science”, and “scientific competence”. The first three of these areas are outward-looking, and the fourth addresses the internal situation of UNEP. The four goals are:

1. Anticipating the future: UNEP takes the lead in the UN system in identifying emerging environmental issues.
2. Designing the future: UNEP becomes a major global player in developing “solution-oriented”, sustainability scenarios.
3. Catalyzing needed science: UNEP takes a lead in formulating and advocating a worldwide sustainability science agenda that meets the critical needs of sustainable development.
4. Bolstering UNEP’s scientific weight: UNEP equips itself scientifically to accomplish more at the sciencepolicy interface and to strengthen itself as the “leading global environmental authority”.