16 January 2014: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched UNEP Live, a web-based platform that will provide people around the world with open access to UNEP data, global, regional and national resources, and other knowledge and tools.

UNEP Live will deliver evidence and information to inform discussions on the post-2015 development agenda. UNEP Live also aims to support monitoring, reporting and data verification efforts, including for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), once they are agreed.

UNEP Live will use big data, cloud computing, distributed networks and improved search functions to provide policymakers and the public with data access. The platform includes applications, digital publishing tools and multimedia content in all six UN languages.

UNEP launched UNEP Live at the Group on Earth Observations (GEO-X) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. UNEP will collaborate with several UN entities to prioritize environmental data sets for sharing with the public. UNEP will also engage with UN agencies on specific aspects of UNEP Live; for instance, UNEP will work with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on SDG indicators, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) to implement frameworks for environmental data and statistics, and the UN Statistics Division (UNSD) to support countries to improve access to information. [UNEP Press Release] [UNEP Live] [IISD RS Coverage of GEO-X]