Arabic Sustainability Dictionary

UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)

The 2011 UN framework setting out the state duty to protect, the corporate responsibility to respect and access to remedy for human rights.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The 1992 international treaty that provides the framework for intergovernmental efforts to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations and address climate change.

United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)

A UN initiative under which companies commit to ten principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Unmodified conclusion

An assurance conclusion issued without qualification, when the practitioner has found no material misstatement.

Upstream fuel- and energy-related emissions

Emissions from extracting, producing and transporting fuels and energy that a company uses, plus grid transmission and distribution losses, not already counted in Scopes 1 and 2; Scope 3 category 3.

Use of proceeds

The requirement that funds raised through a green, social or sustainability instrument be allocated to eligible projects.

Validation

An independent evaluation of the reasonableness of assumptions, methods and projections, such as an emissions target or a carbon project design, before or at the start of implementation.

Value chain

The full range of activities, resources and relationships related to a company's business model, from upstream suppliers to downstream customers and end-of-life.

Verification

An independent evaluation of historical data or claims, such as a GHG inventory, against agreed criteria.

Virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA)

A financial contract in which a buyer and a renewable generator settle the difference between a fixed price and the market price, with the buyer usually receiving the energy attribute certificates but not physical power.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Organic chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature and contribute to ground-level ozone formation.

Voluntary carbon market (VCM)

A market in which companies and individuals buy carbon credits voluntarily, outside regulatory compliance obligations.

Waste diversion rate

The share of total waste generated that is diverted from disposal.

Waste diverted from disposal

Waste that is prepared for reuse, recycled or otherwise recovered instead of being landfilled or incinerated.

Waste hierarchy

An order of preference for waste management: prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, other recovery and, last, disposal.

Waste-to-energy (WtE)

Processes that generate electricity or heat from waste, mainly through incineration with energy recovery or anaerobic digestion.

Wastewater treatment

Physical, chemical and biological processes that remove contaminants from used water before discharge or reuse.

Water consumption

Water withdrawn that is not returned to its source or a third party, commonly calculated as water withdrawal minus water discharge.

Water discharge

The total volume of effluent and other water leaving an organisation's boundaries to surface water, groundwater, seawater or a third party during a period.

Water efficiency

Achieving the same output or service with less water.

Water footprint

The total volume of freshwater used directly and indirectly to produce a product or service or by an organisation.

Water intensity

Water withdrawn or consumed per unit of output or economic activity.

Water recycled and reused

Water that has been used and is then treated, where needed, and used again within the organisation before discharge.

Water scarcity

A lack of sufficient available freshwater to meet demand, whether because of physical shortage or inadequate infrastructure.

Water security

Reliable access to sufficient water of acceptable quality for health, livelihoods, ecosystems and production, with acceptable water-related risks.

Water stewardship

The use of water in a way that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial, achieved through site and catchment-based actions.

Water stress

A condition in which demand for water exceeds the available renewable supply in a given area, or poor quality restricts its use.

Water withdrawal

The total volume of water drawn into an organisation from all sources, such as surface water, groundwater, seawater and third-party supply, during a period.

Water-related risk

Physical, regulatory and reputational risks to an organisation arising from water scarcity, flooding, pollution or water governance.

Watershed

An area of land that drains rainfall and streams to a common outlet, such as a river, lake or sea.