The international activities of the Vernadsky Foundation are carried out based on the Environmental Doctrine of the Russian Federation, the Environmental Policy of the Foundation's founding companies and the Sustainable Development Goals for the period up to 2030 (the UN Sustainable Development Agenda for the period up to 2030)

The Foundation is the only Russian non–governmental organization in the history of UNESCO (since 1946), elected to the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee. During the work in the Committee from 2018 to 2020, the Foundation led a thematic group on climate issues and public initiatives aimed at solving climate problems. The Foundation has created a "library of best practices" — an information center (Climate Initiatives Best Practices Clearing House) on various public initiatives and projects in different countries designed to address the climate agenda (including environmental pollution, waste management and the formation of ecological culture).

The Vernadsky Foundation participates in the work of the Interdepartmental Working Group under the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation on issues related to climate change and ensuring sustainable development under the leadership of the Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation on Climate Change, the Special Representative of the Head of the Russian State on Climate Issues Ruslan Edelgeriev.

Since 2016, the Foundation has been a permanent participant in the UN Climate Conferences (Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In 2018, the Foundation received the status of an observer organization of the UNFCCC.

In 2020, the Vernadsky Foundation signed a Memorandum on the activities of the Russian Partnership for Climate Conservation and became one of its official partners. The Russian Partnership for Climate Conservation is active in the international arena: its representatives regularly take part in UN conferences on climate change, and the association itself influences the climate agenda within Russia as the only association of companies on the climate agenda.

Since 2013, the Foundation has been actively cooperating with various divisions, structures and programs of UNESCO, as well as with the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to UNESCO and with the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia).

In 2015, the Foundation received consultative status (privileged partnership status) with UNESCO. The Vernadsky Foundation is the only official partner of the Russian Committee of the UNESCO Program "Man and the Biosphere" (RusMAB).

Interaction with the United Nations

Since 2003, the Foundation has been holding a consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) and has been actively cooperating with the UN Information Centre in Moscow