The Untold Story of the World's Leading Environmental Institution: UNEP at Fifty

by Maria Ivanova, John W. McDonald (Foreword)

The past, present, and possible future of the agency designed to act as the world's environmental conscience.

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) was founded in 1972 as a nimble, fast, and flexible entity at the core of the UN system--a subsidiary body rather than a specialized agency. It was intended to be the world's environmental conscience, an anchor institution that established norms and researched policy, leaving it to other organizations to carry out its recommendations. In this book, Maria Ivanova offers a detailed account of UNEP's origin and history. Ivanova counters the common criticism that UNEP was deficient by design, arguing that UNEP has in fact delivered on much (though not all) of its mandate.

Genres: Environment

370 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 23, 2021

Reviews

[Jenny Hovland Johanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Maria Ivanova provides an insightful and thorough analysis of the evolvement of the environment-development agenda by taking us through the history of the UN Environment Programme. The author has interviewed some of the most prominent leaders and experts in the field which makes it an incredibly interesting read. Would highly recommend for anyone interested in environmental governance and international environmental issues.

[Leif · Rating 5 out of 5]

An irreplaceable book, and enormously valuable.