Green Prisons: A Guide to Creating Environmentally Sustainable Prisons - Ancillary Meeting at the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Abu Dhabi
26 September 2026 | 13:00–14:00 (GMT+4) | Room 2C | Hybrid event
Organized by: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) | Ministry of Justice of Japan | Penal Reform International (PRI) | Permanent Mission of Norway to the International Organizations in Vienna
Prisons are rarely at the centre of discussions on environmental sustainability, yet correctional institutions can have significant environmental footprints and are themselves increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change. At the same time, measures to improve energy and resource efficiency, strengthen environmental management and introduce nature-based activities can help improve prison conditions while supporting rehabilitation and reintegration.
In May 2024, UNICRI and Penal Reform International (PRI) launched the research initiative "Exploring the Intersection of Environmental Sustainability and Rehabilitation in Prisons". The research examines how environmental sustainability can be incorporated into prison management and rehabilitation in ways that generate social as well as ecological benefits.
This ancillary meeting will present the resulting "Green Prisons: A Guide to Creating Environmentally Sustainable Prisons" and bring together policymakers and practitioners to examine how environmental considerations can be integrated into prison management and rehabilitation. Drawing on examples from different national contexts, the discussion will explore practical approaches that combine environmental sustainability with improved prison conditions, rehabilitation and social reintegration, while placing human dignity at their core.
The meeting will provide an opportunity to:
Present the key findings and recommendations of the Green Prisons guide, developed through the UNICRI–PRI research initiative.
Showcase practical approaches from different national contexts, demonstrating how environmental measures can improve prison management and living conditions while supporting rehabilitation and reintegration.
Promote dialogue on rights-based, rehabilitation-oriented approaches to sustainable prison reform, including how promising practices can be adapted to different legal, economic and climatic contexts.
Greener prisons are not only about reducing environmental impact. They are also about rethinking how prison environments can contribute to human dignity, rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society.
AGENDA
OPENING REMARKS
• Mr Hisahiro Morikawa, Special Assistant to the Director, General Affairs Division, Ministry of Justice, Japan
• Mr Leif Villadsen, Acting Director, UNICRI
GREEN PRISONS: KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE UNICRI–PRI RESEARCH INITIATIVE
• Mr Jerome Mangelinckx, Global Policy Manager, Penal Reform International
JAPAN’S GREEN INITIATIVES: THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES ON PEOPLE IN PRISON
• Dr Mana Yamamoto, Ministry of Justice, Japan
• Dr Tetsuro Urabe, Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo / Earthwatch Japan
CONNECTING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY WITH REHABILITATION, REINTEGRATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
• Ms Claire Machan, Rehabilitation, Reintegration & Community Portfolio Coordinator, IPS
PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVE
• Officer Olukemi Ibikunle, United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Corrections Officer and UN Trailblazer Award recipient
MODERATED DISCUSSION WITH THE FLOOR – Q&A
CLOSING REMARKS
• Mr Jan Austad, Policy Director, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Norway
Greener prisons are not only about reducing environmental impact. They are also about rethinking how prison environments can contribute to human dignity, rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society.
Join us in Abu Dhabi or online to explore how environmental sustainability can become part of the way we think about the future of prisons.
For further information about the event, please contact: Mr Matthew Burnett Stuart, UNICRI, matthew.burnettstuart@un.org
