Ensuring sufficient, reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible supplies of energy amd raw materials for sustainable development is a key challenge for all countries. UNFC is a tool for effective management of national resource endowments needed for realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UNFC applies to energy and mineral resources; injection projects for the geological storage of CO2; and the anthropogenic resources such as secondary resources recycled from residues and wastes. UNFC aims to provide necessary specifications and guidelines for optimizing the management and development of resources, with positive impacts on the society, environment, local economies and employment.
UNFC has a strong focus on future societal aspirations and incorporates these aspects in a major way. UNFC’s major comparative advantage resides in the fact that it is closely aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UNFC and SDGs
UNFC is a tool that aims at optimizing the management of national endowments of energy resources, with positive implications for local economies, employment, royalties, and tax revenues.
The management of macro and micro soil nutrients like potassium and phosphorous sources are important for food production and can be done effectively thanks to the UNFC.
The UNFC is used as an interconnected tool with other systems to manage impacts on water systems and monitor progress during resource extraction. Trans-boundary sharing of water infrastructure can be part of the mitigation plans, which UNFC can contribute for integrated management and monitoring.
UNFC is used in many countries for effective management of national resource endowments and socio-economically efficient development of the energy resources contributing to sustainable development.
UNFC directly contributes to manage resources efficiently during extraction by promoting cleaner and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
UNFC fundamental criteria for resource development include socio-economic factors that promote the continued viability of a project. These criteria include factors like gender equality and fruitful employment of disadvantaged sections of the local population.
UNFC can be an effective tool for local governments to optimize the management of local and sub-regional endowments of energy resources.
UNFC is an international best practice for sustainable management of mineral resources, petroleum, uranium and renewable energy resources. UNFC provides the tools for addressing the issues related to environmental impact and mitigation and can be part of various sustainability reporting regimes.
UNFC can be used to manage renewable energy projects such as geothermal energy, bioenergy, solar energy, wind energy and hydro power. UNFC is applicable to the management of Carbon Capture and Storage projects.
UNFC application for the management of various natural resources is very effective in the context of the regional and international cooperation. UNFC can serve as a global framework of reference for providing data on natural resources.
Sustainable Development Goals Delivery Working Group
Sustainable Development Goals Delivery Working Group, will develop documents that will support the effective use of UNFC to help attain the relevant Sustainable Development Goals and the commitments of the Paris Agreement. The working group is under initiation.