Finding substantial reserves of oil and natural gas can offer significant opportunities for the social, economic and political development of any country. However, without adequate environmental management, oil and gas operations can have lasting social and environmental impacts such as oil pollution and public health risks.
Different stages of oil and gas exploration and production involve the use of chemicals, generate various types of waste, produce greenhouse gas emissions, and take place in human settlements and wildlife habitats. These can also pose risks that may lead to serious environmental damage.
While the primary goal of the UNEP is to reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels to fight climate change, it is also recognized that oil and gas continue to remain part of the global energy transition. Ensuring that greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas are significantly reduced and that oil and gas production do not impact negatively on local communities, public health, biodiversity and ecosystems are therefore an integral part of UNEP’s work in this sector.
From 2016-2024, UNEP established a collaboration with the Government of Norway’s Oil for Development Knowledge Programme which aimed to enhance national institutional capacities for reducing environmental and pollution risks and strengthening environmental management in the upstream oil and gas sector in fragile and developing country contexts. UNEP provided training and capacity development support to OfD partner countries, which included: Angola, Cuba, Ghana, Lebanon, Iraq, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania/Zanzibar, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Colombia. UNEP has provided dedicated support to Iraq, Colombia, Ghana and countries in East Africa.
Key Highlights
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Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA) Reports
Recently launched in October 2024, the Institutional Capacity Needs Assessment towards Strengthening Sustainable Oceans Governance in Ghana focuses on the institutional capacities and environmental policy and legal frameworks related to ocean governance, with a particular focus on environmental data management, environmental management in coastal and marine areas and addressing marine and coastal pollution, including from Ghana’s offshore oil sector. Read more
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Online Training Resource Library
Explore the UNEP-Norway Partnership Training Resource Library, a comprehensive collection of learning materials delivered by UNEP from 2017-2024, designed to support training efforts for improved environmental and pollution management in the upstream oil and gas sector. Available to the general public, interested users can access presentations, group exercises, knowledge questionnaires, videos, and supplementary guidance documentation to improve own knowledge or integrate into existing training course curricula.
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Annual Webinar Series
Catch up on our Global Webinar Series 2024 where we explored key topics shaping the energy transition, from gender equality, environmental considerations in the context of technological developments, effective governance and strategic policy driving positive environmental change in the energy sector. Discover insights and practical approaches to foster inclusive, sustainable progress in energy across all sectors.
Main services
UNEP has experience working with the oil industry in fragile and vulnerable countries and delivering capacity building support, including from its work in Ogoniland, Nigeria. It can draw from its in-house expertise and global network of partners, which will complement the specialized assistance provided by Norway.
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In-country Capacity Needs Assessments
UNEP undertakes institutional assessments of capacity gaps and priorities of Government institutions for improving environmental management in the oil and gas sector. The standardized assessment template covers all aspects of environmental management in the oil and gas sector, including policy/legal/regulatory frameworks, Environmental Impact Assessment process, waste and water management, biodiversity issues and environmental data management, emissions to air, and emergency preparedness and response.
Key findings and recommendations are presented as the country’s “Road Map” for long-term capacity development on environmental management in the sector. Findings help inform Norway’s OfD Country Programming, as well as provide a reference point for establishing dialogue with international development partners and mobilizing additional resources.
UNEP initiates a systematic checklist and carries out extensive stakeholder consultations and undertakes field visits. Each CNA process is tailored to the country’s specific context and needs and the focus and scope are determined with Government consultation. Since 2017, UNEP has carried out capacity needs assessments and developed “Road Maps” in the following countries:
Title: Institutional Capacity Needs Assessment towards Strengthening Sustainable Ocean Governance in Ghana
Year:2024
Key Takeaway:Ghana’s commitment to developing a Sustainable Ocean Plan by 2025 necessitates strengthening institutional environmental governance in policy and legal frameworks, environmental data management and planning, environmental impact assessments and compliance monitoring, as well as addressing the challenges of marine pollution, including from Ghana’s offshore oil industry.Title: Strengthening Environmental Management and Reducing Pollution Risks from the Oil and Gas Sector in Uganda
Year: 2024
Key Takeaway: Uganda’s CNA highlights the urgent need to strengthen environmental governance and institutional capacity to mitigate pollution and biodiversity impacts posed by Uganda’s emerging oil and gas sector, balancing energy goals with climate and sustainability commitments as production advances in the Albertine Graben region.Title: Institutional Capacity Needs Assessment for Reducing Environmental and Pollution Risks in the Oil and Gas Sector in Colombia English | Spanish
Year: 2022
Key Takeaway: The Colombia Capacity Needs Assessment highlights the importance of inter-ministerial coordination and collaboration and environmental compliance monitoring, given Colombia’s already robust environmental policy and legal frameworks. The report identified emerging needs for enhanced community involvement, environmental trainings especially in the offshore oil sector, environmental data management systems, and addressing legacy waste in the sector.Title: Environmental Legal and Policy Review to Inform the Emerging Oil and Gas Sector in Somalia
Year: 2022
Key Takeaway:Somalia’s emerging oil and gas sector presents an opportunity to strengthen environmental governance with more coherent policy and legal frameworks, including at the Federal Member State level. Clearer mandates and a dedicated Environmental Authority could improve environmental oversight and federal-state collaboration. Additional laws on pollution, waste and climate impacts would fill critical gaps.
Title: Preliminary Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Petroleum Sector for the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia
Year: 2022
Key Takeaway:The Preliminary SEA Report provides guidance for the sustainable development of the potential oil and gas sector in the south-eastern coastal states of Somalia. The report focuses on upstream activities and represents a strategic and comprehensive policy tool to guide and inform environmental and socio-economic baseline conditions. It also considers, health, safety and security regulations, policy, governance arrangements and decision-making pertaining to this emergent sector.
Title: Institutional Capacity Needs Assessment for Strengthening Environmental Management in the Oil and Gas Sector in Mozambique English | Portuguese
Year: 2018
Key Takeaway: The Mozambique CNA serves as a critical roadmap for Mozambique to effectively manage its oil and gas industry, amid significant natural gas reserves and recent discoveries. Recommendations include addressing overlapping institutional mandates, developing regulations to implement legislation including for air emissions, investing in oil spill preparedness and response plans and training, having a centralized environmental database to understand “no-go” areas, and anticipate waste volumes from new oil and gas fields.Title: Rapid Institutional Capacity Needs Assessment of Iraq’s Ministry of Health and Environment for Environmental Management in the Oil
Year: 2018
Key Takeaway:The Iraq CNA identified significant opportunities for enhancing environmental governance in the oil and gas sector. Endorsed by the Government of Iraq, the CNA identified seven main institutional capacity challenges, such as strengthening regulatory frameworks, enhancing environmental data management, specifically the EIA process and supporting regular technical trainings for staff. Bridging these capacity gaps will help Iraq balance growth from its oil and gas sector with a commitment to sustainable environmental stewardship.
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Trainings and Capacity Building
Since 2017, UNEP has developed and delivered a number of training packages at national, regional and global levels. Trainings cover different aspects of reducing pollution risks and strengthening environmental safeguards and environmental management in oil and gas exploration and production. Trainings are delivered on site or through online platforms.
Training is targeted primarily towards Government institutions both at national and sub-national levels, but may also include civil society, national Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practitioners, and academia to enhance foundational knowledge and skills related to risk mitigation and safeguarding environmental aspects in upstream oil and gas activities. A key objective is to develop national expertise that support environmental regulatory oversight and management in the sector. Trainings are designed to also promote inter-governmental and multi-sectoral coordination, bringing together environmental, climate, petroleum and energy actors, as well as other relevant development sectors (e.g. land-use planners, infrastructure, etc).
Since 2017, UNEP has delivered a total of 45 trainings and trained 1,597 women and men in up to 33 countries, of which included all 14 OfD partner countries. Of the total amount trained, 34% were women. Extended trainings were provided to the following OfD partner countries: Colombia, Ghana, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Mozambique, Myanmar, Tanzania, Uganda and Somalia.
Training sessions include practical, hands-on learning, such as field visits, table-top exercises and interactive group exercises. Trained participants are networked with each other through LinkedIn to encourage peer-to-peer learning and exchange of knowledge and experiences.
Our training library now comprise these modules:
- Foundation Course on Oil and Gas Exploration and Production and Promoting Sound Environmental Management
- Hazardous Chemicals and Waste Management in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production
- Upstream Oil and Gas in Environmentally Sensitive Areas
- Oil Contaminated Site Assessment
- Remediation of Oil Contaminated Sites
- Produced Water and Wastewater Management
- Air Emissions and Climate Change Issues in the Oil and Gas Sector, with a focus on methane emissions
- Oil Spill Preparedness and Response including IMO Level 1-3 Model Courses, shoreline contaminated and clean up assessments, strengthening local and national level cooperation, Training of Trainers, among others
- Decommissioning
- Associated gas processing and treatment
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In-country Technical Assistance
Output E – Technical assistance provided to OfD country Environmental Ministries/Agencies to enhance management and regulation of the oil and gas sector
- Technical advisory services provided for environmental compliance certificates (ECC) for offshore oil and gas in Myanmar (2016)
In 2016, the Government of Myanmar had launched two offshore exploration blocks (A6 and AD7) and requested UNEP to provide technical advisory support to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC), and work with their Environmental Conservation Department (ECD) towards the development of environmental compliance certificates (ECC) for permitting exploration activities in the licensed offshore blocks. UNEP assisted the ECD in reviewing EIA reports submitted by operators and provided technical inputs towards development of the EECs. UNEP further recommended: (i) continued training on EIAs and compliance monitoring for the ECD; (ii) development of oil spill contingency planning including exercises; and (iii) strengthen biodiversity mapping offshore. UNEP highlighted the importance of addressing co-benefits for coastal communities from offshore oil and gas activities and enhancing coordination between international development partners.
- (i) Undertaking contaminated site assessments and prioritizing environmental hotspots in conflict-affected areas in Iraq (2018), and (ii) field demonstration of bioremediation techniques of oil contaminated areas (2019)
In 2018, UNEP conducted an institutional capacity needs assessment of the Ministry of Health and Environment (MoHE) and its environmental management capacity in the oil sector. The CNA identified seven main challenges, including enhancing MoHE’s contaminated site assessments and clean-up capacities, especially in conflict-affected areas.
In 2019, UNEP provided technical assistance and training to MoHE and the Ministry of Oil (MoO) on contaminated site assessments and supported MoHE and MoO in mapping and prioritizing contaminated sites in conflict-affected areas. They identified seventy-four damaged oil sites affected by the conflict.
Additionally, UNEP provided technical assistance for contaminated site clean up, which focused on pragmatic and low-cost solutions. Bioremediation techniques were trialed in Kirkuk which proved highly effective and helped to catalyze similar clean-up actions in Iraq. Experience from this pilot demonstration was captured in these videos, available in English and Arabic.
- Technical advisory support for the Government of Iraq to integrate methane emissions reduction from its oil and gas sector in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) (2021)
In 2020, UNEP, in collaboration with the International Methane Observatory and Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), delivered a number of multi-country webinars and trainings for OfD-supported countries, with a focus on methane emission reduction in the oil and gas sector. Iraq was identified as one of the major methane emitters globally. Following these sessions, the Government of Iraq expressed interest to learn more about methane emissions in the country, and a high-level seminar was organized by UNEP for its senior policymakers. This led to the establishment of Iraq’s Inter-Ministerial National Task Force on Methane Emissions in 2021, whose members were also involved in the update of Iraq’s NDC revision process.
Subsequently, UNEP provided technical advisory services which supported the Government of Iraq in incorporating methane emissions reduction from the oil and gas sector in Iraq’s revised NDC submission (2.0). As a result, Iraq included a methane chapter in its NDC which for the first time refers to specific actions for emissions reduction in the oil and gas sector. The Government of Iraq also signed on as a participant to the Global Methane Pledge launched at UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021. Can we link to the NDC 2.0 submission?
- Technical advisory oversight of the methane emissions (pilot) inventory in Iraq’s oil sector (2022-2023)
Sustaining its interest on methane emissions reduction in its oil and gas sector, the Government of Iraq requested for technical assistance support for methane emissions inventory in its oil sector. In 2022, the Norwegian Environmental Agency commissioned Carbon Limits to pilot methane emissions quantification and build a Tier 3 methane inventory, using Carbon Limit’s MIST tool. The pilot involved working with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Oil and the Midland Oil Company which offered to host the inventory process using one of their oil field sites. For this engagement, UNEP’s primary role, through the International Methane Observatory, was to provide technical oversight throughout the process.
- Undertaking a preliminary Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) for Somalia’s potential offshore oil and gas sector (2021-2022).
In January 2021, UNEP initiated a preliminary Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) at the request of the Somali Government, with key findings presented in March 2022. The SEA aimed to support national policies for sustainable coastal and marine management within Somalia’s blue economy, including its offshore oil and gas sector, by identifying potential risks/conflicts as well as opportunities. Conducted entirely online due to COVID-19, the SEA focused on the Obbia, Coriole, and Kismayo basins, mapping environmental sensitive areas and key biodiversity hotspots, important socio-economic and cultural assets including critical infrastructure, among other data points. A Technical Working Group of 24 institutions identified 12 strategic areas with 24 key issues which prioritized environmental data management, oil spill preparedness, and harmonizing legal frameworks. In May 2022, UNEP trained government institutions on the SEA process, further prioritizing recommendations for future implementation. Hyperlink SEA Report
- Technical assistance to support the Government of Iraq, Ministry of Environment’s EIA Department to establish its first EIA case and data management online system (2021-2024).
In UNEP’s 2019 institutional capacity needs assessment report, environmentally data management and strengthening capacities for environmental compliance monitoring were identified as important capacity challenges in the Ministry of Environment (MoE). UNEP proposed the establishment of an EIA case management online system to support implementation of Iraq’s EIA guidelines, particularly for oil and gas projects, and enhance EIA processes and project decision making and approvals. An online mapping interface, utilizing UNEP’s MapX platform, enables the EIA Department to geo-reference all EIAs in the country, and provides an initial visualization of potential conflicts/ overlaps with sensitive areas.
Hands-on training on use and management/maintenance of the platform was held in 2022 and 2023. The EIA Department led the platform migration on the MoE’s website hosted by Iraq’s National Data Center in 2023. IT personnel were trained to ensure long-term maintenance support. UNEP developed User Manuals in English and Arabic. Include link to EIA platform
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Global outreach and multi-stakeholder dialogues
Through its global outreach activities, UNEP seeks to increase public awareness and multi-stakeholder dialogue on environmental aspects and risks associated with oil and gas exploration and production, and to promote international best practice and enhance environmental governance and sustainability principles in countries. UNEP also works to scale up and mainstream capacity building and training efforts in countries through its academic networks.
Global Webinar Series
Since 2019, UNEP has been delivering webinars on a range of topics related to environmental, oil and gas and energy transition issues. The webinars seek to enhance public knowledge and encourage dialogue between experts, private sector, civil society, and government stakeholders from around the world. It also allows UNEP to continue providing additional training support to OfD-supported countries.
Our webinars often attract over 1,500 registered participants from 80-100 countries on average, with 250-400 people actively participating in each webinar. Participants who join our webinars mostly come from the private sector and government institutions but also include civil society and academia.
2024 Global Webinar Series on the Key Considerations in the Energy Transition
Summary: The 2024 Global Webinar Series entitled Key Considerations in Energy Transition brought together critical perspectives on environment-related energy transition issues related to infrastructure, inclusion, and policy and legal frameworks. The series begins with Building Blocks, where industry and policymakers discuss the importance of resilient and adaptable infrastructure in meeting energy demands while fostering sustainable growth. The second session, Bridging the Gap, underscores the importance of social and gender inclusivity in the energy sector, highlighting equitable energy access. Make or Break explores the legal landscape, analysing how regulations and policy decisions can either accelerate or impede the transition toward cleaner energy.
2023 Global Webinar Series on Sustainable Ocean Governance and Energy Considerations
Summary: The 2023 Global Webinar Series focused on Sustainable Ocean Governance and Energy, addressing the challenges of increased ocean activity amid threats such as marine pollution and biodiversity loss. The series explored how the energy sector can support sustainable ocean management. Legal and Policy Developments examined international frameworks for ocean protection; The New Energy Mix discussed shifts from traditional to renewable energy in marine settings, and Environmental Assessment Tools highlighted planning methods to protect ocean ecosystems. Featuring insights from government, industry and organizational leaders, the series emphasized collaborative approaches for sustainable ocean stewardship.
2022 Global Webinar Series on Strengthening National Oil Spill Preparedness and Response in Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Summary: The 2022 Global Webinar Series focused on vital aspects of oil spill contingency planning, response strategies, and environmental sensitivity. The series began with Implementing International Conventions, where experts from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other organizations emphasized aligning national oil spill frameworks with international conventions to enhance preparedness. The second session, Environmental Sensitivity Mapping, highlighted the role of sensitivity maps as essential tools in spill response planning, addressing technical requirements and data challenges. The final session, Oil Spill Assessment and Response, examined environmental impacts and strategies for effective response in sensitive areas, underscoring the importance of coordinated action in environmental protection.
2021 Global Webinar Series on Enabling Oil and Gas Producing Countries to Transition Towards a Low Carbon Future
Summary: The 2021 Webinar Series explored strategies for oil and gas-producing countries to transition towards a low-carbon future. This three-part series focused on aligning national climate and energy policies available technologies that contribute to climate mitigation in upstream oil and gas production, and decommissioning of oil and gas fields: best environmental practices. Experts from UNEP, industry, and academia discussed the roles of National and International Oil Companies (NOCs and IOCs) in managing emissions and supporting low-carbon technologies, highlighting the varied challenges and opportunities each country faces during this transition.
2020 Global Webinar Series on Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Management in the Oil and Gas Sector
Summary: The 2020 Executive Webinar covered key environmental aspects of hazardous chemicals and waste in oil and gas production. Aimed at sector practitioners, including policymakers and civil society, this webinar provided a foundational overview on current international best practices on hazardous chemicals and waste management in the sector.
2019 Global Webinar Series on Undertaking Oil Contaminated Site Assessments
Summary: The 2019 Executive Webinar provided an overview on how to manage and undertake oil contaminated site assessments. By adopting structured methodologies and fostering national and international cooperation, stakeholders can address contamination effectively and reduce environmental and public health impacts.