Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach, held annually on 5 June since 1973. This year it is hosted by Sweden.

Truly transformative options towards sustainability need to be available, affordable and attractive for people to make more conscious and sustainable everyday decisions. How we build our homes and cities and how and where our money is invested, as well as what we do for fun are key areas for transformation.

On a higher scale key areas include: energy, production systems, global trade and transport systems, and protection of biodiversity. However many of these options can only be improved and transformed by larger entities, such as: national and sub-national governments, financial institutions, businesses, international organizations, and other organizations with the power to rewrite the rules.

The solution is to transform our societies and economies to make them inclusive, equality accessible and more connected with nature. The good news is the solutions and the technology exist and are increasingly affordable.

UNCDF offers an array of solutions for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and other developing countries in the specific areas of climate finance, clean energy, and biodiversity finance. Briefly:

• Climate Finance: UNCDF aims to deliver accelerated and enhanced volumes of financing and support for climate adaptation of vulnerable communities in LDCs. UNCDF is launching a global climate exchange-traded fund with the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance.
• Clean Energy: UNCDF aims to increase resilience in LDCs by supporting an energy transition agenda that emphasizes decentralized, renewable and clean energy projects and products that drive green growth.
• Biodiversity Finance: UNCDF will look to support innovative initiatives that catalyse finance for integrating biodiversity conservation into business models and economic development. This includes the blended finance Global Fund for Coral Reefs, which supports business approaches to marine biodiversity protection.

For a thorough summary of UNCDF’s climate related work, on adaptation, mitigation-energy and biodiversity, check out the UNCDF Climate Presentation HERE.