The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) was established in 1972 and is headquartered in Nairobi (Kenya). The UNEP is a sub-body of the UN General Assembly, often referred to as the “environmental conscience of the United Nations“.
It is first and foremost meant to be a catalyst for the United Nations' environmental activities. It identifies and analyses environmental problems, works out environmental protection principles and develops regional environmental protection programmes. Every two years the organisation publishes a report about the state of the world’s environment taking stock of damage and developments.