About UNOSD

The United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) supports the UN Member States in planning and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through knowledge sharing, capacity development, policy advisory, research, and partnerships with a particular focus on Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and Landlocked Developing States (LLDCs).

UNOSD was established in 2011 by the United Nations and the Government of the Republic of Korea. UNOSD is supported by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea, Incheon Metropolitan City, and Yonsei University.

UNOSD is part of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).

Focus Area

UNOSD promotes sustainable development through the following activities.

• Knowledge Exchange: Serving as a broker of knowledge, UNOSD continues to facilitate the sharing of information, tools and resources available for sustainable development practitioners. We facilitate connections between researchers and practitioners, particularly for national and local policy making and programming.

• Capacity Development: The Office’s role as a broker of knowledge is complemented by the direct support which UNOSD provides through capacity development activities in the field of sustainable development. This includes institutional building, whereby UNOSD supports the strengthening of public agencies through administrative reforms, strategy and policy review, etc.

• Policy Advisory and Research: The Office provides direct assistance to UN Member States in their efforts to implement the SDGs, notably through the transfer of acquired knowledge and cross-cutting tools and methodologies that were created or refined through its knowledge exchange and capacity building in addition to disseminating available knowledge and information on sustainable development issues.

• Partnerships: To implement the activities above, UNOSD nurtures cooperation and promote efficient and effective sharing of resources, including expertise, capital and knowledge from and between all stakeholders.

Implementation Strategy

• UNOSD is uniquely positioned, institutionally as well as geographically, to play an increasingly substantive role in the dissemination and adoption of sustainable development strategies and practices.
• We draw on numerous world-leading institutions and experts through our connections within UN DESA, a central player in sustainable development global governance.
• We fill a gap in sustainable development knowledge management and networking aimed at supporting policy making for SDGs implementation in developing countries.
• We bring together and promote synergies among governments, institutions, stakeholders, experts, and researchers with diverse expertise and backgrounds.
• UNOSD is located in Songdo, Incheon, Republic of Korea which puts UNOSD at the heart of an emerging international hub of sustainable development related innovation, policies, and research.