Activities
The Joint Environment Unit has a single purpose in dealing with environmental emergencies: to mobilize and coordinate international assistance. This assistance can be used in two ways:
(1) Responding to environmental emergencies
(2) Helping countries to improve their preparedness to respond to environmental emergencies
The Joint Environment Unit works with affected countries to identify and mitigate acute negative impacts stemming from emergencies, providing independent, impartial advice and practical solutions. It also works with organizations dedicated to medium and long-term rehabilitation to ensure a seamless transition to the disaster recovery process.
In addition, the Joint Environment Unit acts as the Secretariat for the Environmental Emergencies Partnership (EEP), launched by OCHA and UNEP at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. This bridges gaps between emergency prevention, preparedness and response, and between disaster management stakeholders by supporting information sharing, facilitating collaborative activities between partners, and increasing the range of stakeholders involved in environmental emergencies management.
History
In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly acknowledged the serious threats posed by environmental emergencies. Governments had come to recognize the connections between environmental conditions, human health and the success of development efforts. Member states also determined there was a need to improve international response to environmental emergencies and dedicated the UN to that role. An innovative partnership was developed between two UN agencies to meet this new commitment. The Joint Environment Unit is the result of that cooperation, which integrates the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) technical expertise into the humanitarian response coordination structure of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Structure
The Joint Environment Unit is housed in OCHA’s Emergency Services Branch. The branch is responsible for developing, mobilizing and coordinating the deployment of OCHA’s international rapid response capacities to provide assistance to countries affected by natural disasters and other emergencies. As a result, the Joint Environment Unit has full access to OCHA’s tools and services for response, including the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams. The Joint Environment Unit links to UNEP through the Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI), responsible for the implementation of environmental policy in order to foster sustainable development at global, regional and national levels.