Summary
The High-Level Segment of the second UN Environment Assembly of the UN Environment Programme (UNEA-2) opened on Thursday. UN heads welcomed all delegates, in the presence of President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, who delivered opening remarks.
A ministerial luncheon took place, where high-level delegates were briefed on the previous day’s symposium on mobilizing investment for sustainable development.
Meanwhile, the three drafting groups of the Committee of the Whole (COW) continued to meet to finalize all resolutions for consideration and adoption by ministers on Friday, and the COW met in plenary in the evening.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has published a briefing note for the GMGSF 2016 and provided daily web coverage, daily reports from the UNEA-2. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from this meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF format.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
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UNEA-2 HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT
L-R: Ségolène Royal, President of UNFCCC COP 21 and Minister of the
Environment,
Energy and
Marine Affairs,
France; President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya; Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, President of UNEA-2; Jan Eliasson, UN
Deputy
Secretary-General; Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director; and Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign
Affairs
and Cooperation, Morocco
UNEA-2 participants were entertained by the Kenyan Boys Choir
Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, President of UNEA-2
Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director
Ségolène Royal, President of UNFCCC COP 21 and Minister of the
Environment,
Energy and
Marine Affairs,
France
Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister of Foreign
Affairs
and Cooperation, Morocco
Jan Eliasson, UN
Deputy
Secretary-General
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya
L-R: Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, President of UNEA-2 and Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of the Governing Bodies,
UNEP
Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, delivering his policy statement
Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, received a standing ovation from UNEA-2 participants
Chen Jining, Minister of Environmental Protection, China
Joan Clos, Secretary General of the Habitat III Conference and Executive Director, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
Elba Rosa Pérez Montoya, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Cuba
Amina J. Mohammed, Minister of Environment, Nigeria
Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of the Governing Bodies, UNEP
Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Anyaa Vohiri, Executive Director and CEO, Environmental Protection Agency, Liberia
Didier Dogley, Minister of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, Seychelles
Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
Inger Andersen, Director-General, IUCN
Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa
L-R: Drafting Group 3 Co-Chair Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan, and Ahmad Al-Qatarneh,
Secretary-General, Ministry of
Environment, Jordan
Arun Kumar Mehta, India
Bomo Edith Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
Ramon Paje, Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines
Maria de Fátima Jardim, Ministry of Environment, Angola
Andrä Rupprechter, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Austria
Cristiana Pasca Palmer, Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, Romania
L-R: Franz Perrez, Ambassador
for
the Environment and Marc Chardonnens, State Secretary for the Environment,
Switzerland
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE (COW)
View of the evening session of the COW
L-R: Mette Wilkens, UNEP; COW Chair Idunn Eidheim, Norway; Tim Kasten, UNEP; Masa Nagai, UNEP;
and Hushan Al-Fityan, Rapporteur
MINISTERIAL LUNCHEON
Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, welcomed participants to the working ministerial luncheon
L-R: Amina J. Mohammed, Minister of Environment, Nigeria; Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director;
Erik Solheim, incoming UNEP Executive Director; and Jan Eliasson, UN
Deputy
Secretary-General, looking at a
model satellite.
Shamshad Akhtar, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building
and Nuclear Safety, Germany
SIDE EVENTS
View of the side event on marine plastics and microplastics, organized by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and
Environment,
GRID Arendal and the Global Partnership on Marine Litter
Cecilie Mauritzen, Chief Scientist, Kon-Tiki2 Expedition, Norwegian Institute for Water Research, spoke of her experiences encountering marine pollution.
Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, spoke of the duties of governments to ensure they put in place mechanisms to protect people from the toxic chemicals found in marine waste.
Jane Nishida, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, US, spoke on the US Trash Free Waters Initiative that works with US state and city governments to develop a domestic model that can be replicated.
Vidar Helgesen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway, announced a US$1 million pledge to UNEP to combat marine plastic debris.
Siti Nurbaya, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia, spoke of her country's campaign, “Less Plastic, More Fantastic” and said that they are willing to work at all levels to come up with solutions to marine litter.
Konrad Paulsen Rivas, Chilean Ambassador to Kenya, spoke of his country's work with the US on the “Our Oceans” conference and their focus on pursuing oceans and seas policy.