[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-14px|auto||auto||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
By Laura Argibay<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>UNHCR Reporting <\/span><\/span>Officer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n On\u00a0<\/span>World Environment Day<\/span><\/b><\/a>, the global community\u00a0reflects on\u00a0the urgent need to protect our planet. For UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency<\/strong>,<\/a> this responsibility is\u00a0closely linked\u00a0to how we deliver our mandate\u2014supporting displaced people in some of the\u00a0world\u2019s\u00a0most remote and fragile environments.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Across more than 130 countries, UNHCR relies on energy, infrastructure, and\u00a0transport\u00a0services to reach communities in need. Yet these essential support services\u2014powering offices, running facilities, and enabling transport\u2014have traditionally depended on energy- and fuel-intensive systems. That is now changing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Through a series of integrated initiatives, the\u00a0<\/span>Global\u00a0Mobility\u00a0and Infrastructure Service (GMIS)<\/span><\/b>, within the Division of Resource Management\u00a0(DRM), is advancing the sustainable transformation of UNHCR\u2019s mobility and infrastructure services\u2014strengthening resilience, improving efficiency, and reducing costs while supporting more responsible humanitarian operations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2026\/06\/GIZ_1-scaled-e1780584372657.jpg” alt=”Solar panels installed at UNHCR\u2019s Kakuma sub-office in Kenya in 2023.” title_text=”Solar panels installed at UNHCR\u2019s Kakuma sub-office in Kenya in 2023.” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Solar panels are installed at the UNHCR Kakuma sub-office, Kenya, in 2023. \u00a9 German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ)<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Reliable energy is essential to humanitarian operations. Within GMIS,\u00a0<\/span>Sustainable Energy Services (SES)<\/span><\/b>\u00a0is leading UNHCR\u2019s shift to cleaner energy solutions, especially in remote and crisis-affected environments.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the\u00a0centre\u00a0of this effort is the\u00a0<\/span>Green Financing Facility (GFF)<\/span><\/b><\/a>, developed with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the IKEA Foundation.\u00a0The GFF helps operations transition to clean, reliable solar power through an integrated technical and financing model. Winner of the\u00a0<\/span>2025 AidEx Sustainable Initiative of the Year Award<\/a><\/strong>, it provides end-to-end financial support for the installation and operation of solar energy solutions. This centrally managed approach uses a revolving fund to cover up-front costs, which offices repay over time. Because capital is recycled as loans are repaid, a fixed pool of donor funding can reach far more sites than a conventional grant model, where each dollar is spent once and cannot be redeployed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2026\/06\/Myanmar_Ridesharing-2025-scaled.jpg” alt=”UNHCR Myanmar team at the Smart Fleet Ridesharing launch in Yangon, July 2025.” title_text=”Launch of Smart Fleet Ridesharing in Yangon, Myanmar, in July 2025″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″ text_font_size=”9px”]<\/p>\n The UNHCR Myanmar team during the launch of Smart Fleet Ridesharing in Yangon in July 2025. \u00a9 UNHCR\/Pan Pwint<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Transport\u00a0is essential to humanitarian operations, enabling staff to deliver\u00a0assistance. Within GMIS, the Asset and Fleet Management Section\u00a0(AFMS)<\/strong>\u00a0is leading UNHCR\u2019s Sustainable Fleet Transformation, changing fleet services from a linear \u201cprocure\u2013use\u2013dispose\u201d model to a more circular, data-driven, and efficiency-focused approach that cuts emissions and costs while improving oversight, safety, and operational flexibility.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/a>\u00a0 Optimizing\u00a0fleet use:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0UNHCR is actively adapting fleet supply to real operational needs\u2014using\u00a0utilization\u00a0data, vehicle tracking, and shared-transport\u00a0solutions to reduce\u00a0kilometres\u00a0travelled, fuel consumption, and operating costs while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0flexible response capacity. Real-time monitoring helps\u00a0identify\u00a0underused vehicles for redeployment or disposal, while the\u00a0<\/span>Smart Fleet Ridesharing\u00a0<\/span><\/b>and<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>inter-agency carpooling<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>programmes<\/b><\/span>\u00a0enable staff to share journeys more efficiently across operations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/a>\u00a0 Rethinking procurement:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>UNHCR is rethinking procurement through\u00a0<\/span>UN FLEET<\/span><\/b>, the joint initiative with WFP that embeds sustainability criteria into vehicle leasing and supports the uptake of more fuel-efficient, hybrid, and electric vehicles where\u00a0feasible. This shift is helping\u00a0optimize\u00a0vehicle management, lower lifecycle costs, and reduce CO\u2082 emissions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/a>\u00a0 <\/span>Extending resource use and advancing circularity:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0UNHCR is also improving how vehicles and assets are\u00a0maintained, reused, and recovered. Optimized maintenance standards and servicing plans help reduce waste and improve efficiency, including the extension of engine oil change intervals from\u00a05,000 km\u00a0to\u00a010,000 km<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0following technical validation. In parallel,\u00a0<\/span>UN Global\u00a0Auction and\u00a0Disposal Services<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0supports transparent, compliant disposal through public auctions\u2014maximizing cost recovery, enabling reuse in secondary markets, and reducing waste as part of a more circular approach to fleet management.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n UNHCR is turning data into a\u00a0driver of smarter, leaner, and more sustainable services. Across fleet and infrastructure, GMIS is using digital tools and operational insight to cut costs, sharpen decisions, and reduce environmental impact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u27a1\ufe0f<\/a> \u00a0 Smart Fleet:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0UNHCR is strengthening fleet oversight through data-driven tools that improve\u00a0utilization, cost control, compliance, and safety. A\u00a0<\/span>Vehicle Tracking System<\/span><\/b>\u00a0provides real-time visibility of locations, routes, speed, and vehicle use, while the 2025\u00a0policy document,\u00a0<\/span>Standards\u00a0on Fuel Management,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0strengthens\u00a0control over fuel stocks, consumption, and costs. A\u00a0<\/span>mobile app for drivers<\/span><\/b>\u00a0is also being developed to support vehicle checks, fuel reporting, and safer driving. Together, these tools enable faster, evidence-based decisions and stronger accountability.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Shifting operations to cleaner energy<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
2. Driving more sustainable fleet services<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
3.\u00a0Using data and innovation to drive smarter services\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n