Alicia White receives accreditation from the United Nations Environment Assembly Programme.
Aug 27, 2024
Alicia becomes the only Black woman in the United States to receive accreditation from the United Nations Environment Assembly Programme for founding and leading a climate organization.. Alicia founded Project Petals in 2015, which started as a local organization. Now access, education with UNEP empowers us to actively engage in global environmental policy dialogues and decision-making processes. Alicia hopes to help shift global policy to support under-resourced and BIPOC communities globally who are bearing the brunt of climate change and environmental degradation. Alicia is the only Black woman in the US to found and lead a UN-accredited organization within the United States. Project Petals, a New York-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming under-resourced BIPOC communities through environmental advocacy, announced today that it has received accreditation from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This rare honor, awarded to only 167 organizations in the US, recognizes Project Petals' impactful work in promoting sustainable and equitable communities.
This accolade underscores the nonprofit's success in creating green, healthy spaces and advancing climate justice. The UNEP accreditation cements Project Petals' status as a pivotal player in the international environmental movement. "Our environmental advocacy work demonstrably improves the environment in communities disproportionately impacted by climate change through healthy environmental spaces," said Alicia White, the Founder of Project Petals.
With the UNEP accreditation, Project Petals joins an elite group of global organizations recognized for their excellence in environmental advocacy. Their unique programs, which include urban conservation, green space creation, climate resilience training, and youth leadership development, have significantly improved the quality of life in BIPOC communities. This recognition underscores the nonprofit's commitment to creating lasting, positive change.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) leads the way on global environmental issues. The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the world’s highest-level decision-making body for matters related to the environment, with a universal membership of all 193 Member States.
It sets the global environmental agenda, provides overarching policy guidance, and defines policy responses to address emerging environmental challenges. It undertakes policy review, dialogue, and the exchange of experiences, sets strategic advice for the future direction of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and fosters partnerships for achieving environmental goals and resource mobilization.
For over 50 years, UNEP has partnered with diverse stakeholders to address the planet's most pressing environmental challenges and drive transformative change. UNEP safeguards ecosystems, strengthens governance, provides data-driven insights, and supports nations transitioning to low-carbon, resource-efficient economies.
Alicia White at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations in New York.