“Greener and Smarter Homes”

It is a pleasure to host this exhibition on Greener and Smarter Homes, and I thank the UNECE and the many partners for the collaboration in bringing it together. It shows in very practical terms how we can all achieve greater energy efficiency with greener and smarter homes, and the need for partnerships in doing so.

I appreciate in particular the opportunity to thank the Services Industriels de Genève who have partnered with UNOG in two major infrastructure projects that have helped to bring greater sustainability in our buildings management: namely the Genève-Lac-Nations project, which ensures that the Palais des Nations is now cooled with 100% renewable energy from Lac Léman, and the Natural Gas Projects, which now heats this building with natural gas.
This exhibition highlights many of the initiatives that have contributed to reducing energy consumption and curbing our carbon emissions. It shows that it truly pays off to change processes and ways of doing business – with new windows, different light fixtures, use of photovoltaic solar panels, better thermal insulation, among many other initiatives. Over a period of twelve years, UNOG managed to cut the consumption of electricity by 29%, fuel by 34% and water by 70%. As a result, carbon emissions were reduced by 38% simply by applying managerial and technical improvements.

Thanks to the energy efficiency project that we carried out in 2013 and 2014, the CO2 emissions at the Palais des Nation are expected to be further reduced in the years to come. This project was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Swiss Confederation which consisted, amongst other things, of replacing 1,049 windows.

Sustainability is also a key parameter in the Strategic Heritage Plan for the renovation and modernization of the Palais des Nations. We want to make sure that this collective home of the family of nations is both greener and smarter for generations to come.

With technological advances, we are seeing the goal of greener and smarter homes come within reach for an increasing proportion of the world’s population. But we must not lose sight of the fact that across the world, millions of people have no access to sustainable energy, let alone green housing. Our collective task is to ensure that the experience and know-how that we accumulate enables a much more effective response to this challenge.

Responding to the challenge of sustainable housing is among the key focus areas for the “Sustainable Buildings and Construction Programme”, which is one of the five initial programmes under the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP), adopted at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012.

The post-2015 development agenda will be a key vehicle in this respect, to tackle the challenge of sustainable housing in a systemic manner, bringing together the strengths of the entire United Nations family. Our colleagues in the UNECE and UNEP are the forefront of these efforts and UNOG is pleased to be supporting this work.

Above and beyond the illustrative examples, this exhibition is a source of inspiration. Inspiration for what each one of us can do for a greener future. Technological advances play an important part in the process towards greater sustainability. But for real and lasting impact we need to change mindsets. And that starts with each individual making sustainability a priority in everyday choices – in our homes, in our commuting patterns, in the office, in whatever we do.

Let’s make sure that all our choices – collective and individual – are sustainable.