UNIDO assists countries in capacity building for the implementation of relevant multilateral environmental agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol on the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

There is a need to phase out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances, which lead to the continuing degradation of human health and the natural environment. The Montreal Protocol provides a response to that need. UNIDO therefore assists the Governments of developing countries and countries with economies in transition that are signatories to the Montreal Protocol to comply with its requirements. In this context, UNIDO supports both mitigation and adaptation approaches. This includes the development of viable projects for greenhouse gas emission reductions in developing countries, providing sustainable development benefits at the national level, in addition to contributing to global environmental efforts to mitigate climate change. It further includes the development of relevant programmes and projects, focusing on the adaptation priorities of the industrial sector in developing countries.

Further, there is a commitment on the part of Governments that are parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to implement legal, organizational and environmental management measures, including substantive technological changes, in order to comply with the requirements of the Convention. The production and use of POPs, as well as their presence in the biosphere, are causing serious damage to human health and the environment. UNIDO helps developing countries and countries with economies in transition to achieve compliance with the Stockholm Convention and aims to  develop the capacities of developing countries to protect their populations and their environmental resources from POPs-related pollution.