In its natural state, tropical peat occurs in flooded swamps and is one of nature’s most effective ways of removing carbon from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate global warming. When peat catches fires, it releases up to ten times more carbon than forest fires. Indonesia is home to 40 per cent of the world’s tropical peatlands, and they hold up to 57 billion metric tonnes of carbon. It is indisputable that the protection and restoration of the Indonesian peatlands is vital for the planet. As part of this, UNOPS and partners are supporting communities that are at the forefront of peatland restoration and conservation by strengthening cooperation between villages.

Facing historical discrimination, indigenous groups around the world lack access to social services and economic and political opportunities. The indigenous people of the Philippines are no different. Battling high levels of pervasive illiteracy and unemployment, even accessing a birth certificate is a challenge. Without a birth certificate, children are unable to access public education nor are they able to access government social welfare programs, intended to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty in the Philippines. With SDG 16 in focus, UNOPS in partnership with the EU are ensuring no one is left behind by providing access to legal services in the communities.   

Villages across rural Cameroon are getting better access to safe drinking water. With funding from KOICA, UNOPS is working in partnership with the government and communities to build and rehabilitate water infrastructure.

UNOPS: Geographic Information Systems may be a secret ingredient to accelerating progress on the SDGs.

UNOPS and the European Union (EU) have joined forces for the EU4Culture project in Albania, which restores and revitalizes 24 culturally significant heritage sites that suffered damage during a devastating earthquake.

Scalping accidents disproportionately affect women and girls in northern Brazil. A new initiative by the government of Brazil and UNOPS is helping to empower survivors through entrepreneurship.

At the beginning of 2023, UNOPS helped deliver more than 300 electricity generators to 13 regions in Ukraine as part of an emergency response project to support the needs of Ukrainian communities.

The capacity of the maternal and neonatal ward in the District General Hospital in Matara, Sri Lanka, is increasingly falling short. UNOPS works to rehabilitate a new hospital to serve the community.

To improve road safety and increase access to markets, UNOPS provided project management and technical assistance for the rehabilitation of more than 300 kilometres of roads in Niger.

Renewable energy is touted as a solution for rural electricity access in Africa. UNOPS-implemented projects in Sierra Leone run solar-powered mini-grid systems in rural areas of the country.

COVID-19 pushed healthcare systems to their breaking point. UNOPS works to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to minimize the toll on healthcare facilities and workers across Ethiopia.

Supporting sustainable procurement could help drive economic development in Least Developed Countries - here's how.

Least developed countries (LDCs) represent around 880 million people. That is 13 per cent of the world’s population. LDCs confront the biggest barriers to sustainable development. They face energy poverty, limited access to markets, lack of productive capacity and climate vulnerability. Together with partners, UNOPS implements a broad range of sustainable development projects in LDCs – supporting vulnerable communities and advancing opportunities and equality. The projects increase access to sustainable energy, build critical public infrastructure, strengthen resilience and expand health capacity.

Following the catastrophic floods that ravaged the country, over 20 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. UNOPS, with funding from the World Bank, is working with the Sindh government in responding to the crisis by procuring tents and other vital supplies.

The UNOPS Access to Health Fund aims to improve health equity in Myanmar – which has one of Asia's highest HIV prevalence rates - and supports the most underserved and vulnerable populations.