The Facilities Management unit of UNU Centre, Tokyo oversees the operation and maintenance of the UNU Headquarters Building and equipment, including the provision of an uninterrupted supply of utilities as well as the on-premises security and safety of staff, students and visitors.
The UNU Headquarters Building was designed by renowned architect Dr. Kenzo Tange. The handover ceremony of the building by the Japanese Government took place on 30 June 1992, and the physical move of UNU into the new building was completed the following month. The official inauguration of the UNU headquarters building, held on 17 February 1993, was attended by then Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
ISO 14001
ISO 14001 is an international standard that sets forth the requirements for an environmental management system (EMS).
As an ISO 14001 accredited institution since January 2001, the United Nations University sets out goals in its environmental policy statement. These goals are implemented through a comprehensive plan that contains objectives and measurable targets, with monitoring, review, self-assessment, and analysis of performance against the plan.
Corrective action, whenever needed, is taken, and all personnel are encouraged to participate in an open dialogue on how best to improve the environmental performance and the EMS of the University. Maintaining the organisation’s EMS is a commitment made by all UN system organisation under the “Greening the Blue initiative of UN”, which aims to achieve climate neutrality of all the UN system organisations by 2020.
Among UNU’s efforts to reduce CO2 emissions made in connection with maintaining ISO 14001, UNU Centre:
Our four goals
As part of its commitment to the ideals and practices of environmental sustainability, UNU has established four goals for the continual improvement of University’s environmental performance and for the prevention of pollution — two concerned with “greening” and two focused on “making a contribution”. These goals are to:
The role of UNU staff and students
Procedures related to the certification process — such as auditing, information management, and preparation of EMS-related documents — are the responsibility of the UNU ISO 14001 Steering Committee. Individual staff members and students are encouraged to contribute by:
- carries out a “Cool UNU” campaign every summer (which includes setting air-conditioning thermostats at 28°C, promoting the wearing of light business-casual clothing, etc.) and a “Warm UNU” campaign every winter
- monitors the Headquarters Building’s utility consumption (water, gas, and electricity) and the consumption of printer and copy machine paper
- bring about environmental improvements in our work practices (such as promoting “green” procurement, complying with environmental laws, reducing waste and energy consumption, etc.)
- improve the quality of the working environment (including internal air quality, water quality, light, and workplace health and safety)
- contribute to the global community through our research projects and capacity building efforts
- contribute to the local community through our activities and events
- participating in ISO 14001 training sessions that are organised by the UNU ISO 14001 Steering Committee
- working on environment-related projects that contribute to raising awareness around the world on pressing environmental problems
- getting involved in capacity building activities that support preservation of the environment
- taking steps to implement waste recycling and resource & energy conservation measures
- acting in an environmentally friendly way every day, such as by recycling paper, reducing and separating waste, turning off electronic equipment when not in use, etc.