In 1975 Unesco, with the cooperation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), launched the current International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP). The initial 3-year phase of the IEEP was fundamentally that of promoting and stimulating environmental education among Unesco member states by (1) elaborating concepts, goals, and objectives of environmental education (EE) for its more effective orientation and implementation internationally; (2) developing background research and basic documentation on world needs, priorities and trends in EE; (3) collecting, organizing, and distributing EE information; and (4) convening a series of expert meetings. IEEP actions from its beginnings to the present time are discussed as related to three complimentary domains: development of general awareness of the necessity of EE; development of concepts and methodological approaches in this sphere; and efforts to incorporate an environmental dimension into the educational processes of member states. Highlights of IEEP research/experimentation and a list of IEEP pilot projects, personnel training workshops, meetings, and publications/reports are included. Reports of environmental education activities in African countries (Benin, Congo), Sri Lanka, the United States, and the USSR are also presented. (JN)