The Global Initiative for Resource Efficient Cities (GI-REC) is a UNEP-led initiative launched in June 2012 at the Rio+20 Summit. The initiative aims to invite cities with population over 500,000 worldwide to promote energy efficient buildings, efficient water use, sustainable waste management and other activities. UNEP and its partners aim to assist cities in integrating resource utilization efficiency and sustainable consumption and production concepts and methods into policy making and urban management tools. The initiative encourages cities to cut pollution, promote resource conservation and reduce the cost of urban infrastructure construction, and finally achieve the goal of buidling resource-efficient cities.

The initiative was officially launched in April 2014, with UNEP serving as the secretariat. According to the latest UNEP roadmap, 20, 50, and 100 cities will be selected to join the initiative by 2016, 2017 and 2020.

At present, more than 30 cities across the world have applied to join including Manila, Dubai, Nairobi, London, Bangkok, Bogota, Barcelona, Johannesburg, Helsinki, and Haiphong.

In August 2015, Jiacui (China) was authorized by UNEP to establish “UNEP GI-REC China Promotive Center Headquarters”. The SUC PMC is fully responsible for implementing GI-REC initiative in China and started to make preparations in 2016.