ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the promulgation of environmental guidance for United Nations (UN) field missions. The environmental guidance consists of two documents: the Environmental Policy for UN Field Missions and draft Environmental Guidelines for UN Field Missions. The policy and draft guidelines, developed by UN departments of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, are the first of their kind among the UN bodies primarily concerned with peacekeeping and security. The chapter then discusses pilot environmental assessments that have been conducted with UN field missions and closes with a brief exploration of some of the other environment-related activities that DPKO and DFS have undertaken. It presents the developments in the UN peacekeeping community with regard to environmental management. Peacekeeping missions themselves may have unintended negative environmental consequences. The DPKO-DFS environmental policy and draft guidelines provide a basis for missions to implement environmentally sound practices.
