Green Chemistry for Life – Evaluation of the PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC Program

Commissioned by UNESCO, an evaluation of the PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC Green Chemistry for Life Program assesses the programme’s relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability from 2013 to 2025.

This evaluation of the PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC Green Chemistry for Life program demonstrates the strong strategic value of IUPAC’s engagement in advancing global green chemistry. The report highlights how IUPAC’s scientific leadership, credibility, and role in proposal evaluation have helped ensure the program supports high-quality, sustainability-driven research aligned with the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. It provides evidence that the partnership has strengthened early-career scientists worldwide, expanded international collaboration networks, and contributed to research outputs and capacity-building consistent with IUPAC’s mission to advance chemical sciences for the benefit of society. Importantly, the evaluation identifies opportunities for IUPAC to further amplify its impact through enhanced outreach, governance strengthening, networking mechanisms, and innovation pathways.

• See full report at <https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396872.locale=en>

The PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC Green Chemistry for Life Programme, launched in 2013, provides competitive research grants of up to USD 30,000 to early-career scientists for projects aligned with the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. Jointly implemented by UNESCO, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and PhosAgro, the initiative aims to foster green and sustainable chemistry approaches that support safer chemical practices, reduced environmental impact and more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

Since its launch, the programme has supported a total of 55 early-career researchers across multiple cohorts through grant funding. Projects span cleaner synthesis routes, waste valorisation, biocatalysis, renewable feedstocks, green extraction, sustainable formulations and energy/component-efficient processes. A dedicated grant focused on phosphogypsum was introduced in 2016. Governance reflects the tripartite structure, with UNESCO acting as the main executive partner responsible for overall coordination, administration, and oversight of implementation. UNESCO, PhosAgro, and IUPAC share responsibility within a goal-oriented alliance that brings together a sponsor and industrial partner (PhosAgro), a specialised UN agency promoting science, education, and culture (UNESCO), and the leading international non-governmental organisation representing the global chemistry community (IUPAC). An international scientific jury, supported by its tripartite Monitoring Bureau, constitutes the principal mechanism for the scientific evaluation of proposals and monitoring programme implementation. All three partners contribute to key stages of the process, including the evaluation and selection of grant applications, dissemination of calls, programme visibility, and related activities such as the organisation of international green chemistry symposia.