Latest Media Reports
UNEP to Assist Maldives in Becoming Carbon Neutral
UNEP and World Customs Organization Confiscate ODS
World Bank and UNDP Launch Climate Finance Options
Database
DECEMBER 2010
UNEP to Assist Maldives in
Becoming Carbon Neutral
12 November 2010: The UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced it is collaborating with GTZ
and the Government of the Maldives to assist the country in becoming
carbon neutral by 2020. Assistance will be provided to the Maldives
through the implementation of a pilot air-conditioning project, with
zero ozone depleting and low global warming potential (GWP). Under the
initiative, GTZ will fund the demonstration project and UNEP will
provide policy and technical assistance. The Government of the Maldives
recently announced its Carbon-Neutral Government Program, under which 11
government offices will be made carbon-neutral in an effort towards
achieving the country's Carbon-Neutral Pledge. The collaboration with
UNEP and GTZ are intended to contribute to this. UNEP aims to replicate
the cooperation model in other countries. [UNEP
OzonAction Newsletter]
UNEP and World
Customs Organization Confiscate ODS
A joint initiative by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Customs Organization,
entitled Sky-hole Patching II and involving over 80 countries, has
resulted in the confiscation of over 7,500 cylinders of
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and other
ozone depleting substances. Most seizures took place in the Asia and
Pacific region, notably in China, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and India [Joint
WCO/UNEP Operation Nets Large Haul of Ozone Depleting Substances]
World Bank and UNDP
Launch Climate Finance Options Database
30 November 2010: The World Bank and UN
Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a Climate Finance Options
platform, which allows users to track climate-change related finance by
region, focus area, sector or financing mechanism. The database seeks to
respond to information needs on the multitude of funds available for
climate action in developing countries. The platform aims to help
stakeholders in developing countries, such as project developers and
local government officials, orient themselves in the field of climate
finance and find most suitable sources of funds. [The
platform]
NOVEMBER 2010
FAO Launches IUU Initiative
22
November 2010: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has
announced that an FAO Technical Consultation has agreed to identify a
structure and strategy for the development and implementation of the
Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and
Supply Vessels. The new initiative aims to combat illegal, unreported
and unregulated (IUU) fishing by improving transparency in the global
fisheries sector.
The recommendations of the consultation
will be presented to the January 2011 meeting of FAO's Committee on
Fisheries for approval. [FAO
press release]
UNEP
FI Calls for Policies to Spur Private Investment in Low-carbon Growth
16 November 2010: The
UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Climate Change
Working Group, together with partners, have called for national and
international policies that will spur private investment into low-carbon
growth and protect the world economy from the worst impacts of climate
change, in a statement issued in the lead-up to Cancun. According to
UNEP, the 259 signatories represent the largest-ever group of investors
to call for government action on climate change, or risk economic
disruptions far more severe than the recent financial crisis. The
statement calls for domestic policies in both developed and developing
countries including: short-, mid- and long-term greenhouse gas reduction
targets; energy and transportation policies to accelerate deployment of
energy efficiency, renewable energy, green buildings, clean vehicles and
clean fuels; strong and sustained price signals on carbon emissions and
well-designed carbon markets; phase out of fossil-fuel subsidies, as
agreed to by G-20 leaders in 2009; adaptation measures to reduce
unavoidable climate change impacts; and corporate disclosure of material
climate-related risks. [Press release]
UNEP and WCO Intercept Large Haul of ODS
November 2010: A
joint initiative by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World
Customs Organization (WCO), entitled Sky-hole Patching II and involving
over 80 countries, has resulted in the confiscation of over 7,500
cylinders of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
and other ozone depleting substances. Most seizures took place in the
Asia and Pacific region, notably in China, Thailand, Hong Kong, China
and India. [Press release]
OCTOBER 2010
UNEP Launches Reports from Carbon Mapping Project
The UN Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC)
has launched carbon maps showing how carbon stocks in Asia, Africa and
Latin America overlap with biodiversity hot spots. Launched at the 10th
session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD), convening in Nagoya, Japan, the maps were
produced with the aim of assisting governments in setting priorities for
carbon investments. According to UNEP, the maps pinpoint places where
investments in carbon can contribute to community livelihoods, forest
conservation and fighting climate change. The maps overlay the carbon
held in the vegetation and soils of terrestrial ecosystems with
population density, protected areas and economic activities. UNEP
launched carbon mapping publications for Cambodia, Ecuador, Argentina,
Nigeria and China on carbon, biodiversity and ecosystem services [Carbon
Mapping Project].
SAICM and OECD Continue Work on Perfluorinated Chemicals
The Secretariat of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management (SAICM) has announced that the Steering Group on
Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs) of the Organization of Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) is taking forward recommendations of
SAICM resolution II/5 on PFCs. Under the OECD initiative, a database on
PFCs is being developed for information exchange purposes. In addition,
the OECD is continuing to consider the development, facilitation and
promotion of national and international product stewardship programmes
and regulatory approaches for PFCs with other participating
organizations of the Inter-organization Programme for the Sound
Management of Chemicals. [SAICM
website]
UNITAR Becomes UN-Water Member
4 October 2010: The application for UN-Water membership of the UN
Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) has been accepted. UN-Water
is composed of representatives from 26 UN organizations. Other
organizations outside the UN are partners in UN-Water. [UNITAR
press release]
SEPTEMBER 2010
UNEP Joins Clean Stove
Initiative
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has
joined the Global Alliance for Clean Cook Stoves, an initiative launched
at the 65th Session of the General Assembly, and aiming to reduce deaths
linked with indoor emissions, by boosting the efficiency of
approximately three billion cook stoves across Africa, Asia and Latin
America. [UNEP
press release]
UNEP Provides
Adaptation Assistance to Rwanda
The UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have announced the
implementation of the Rwandan Climate Change and Development Project -
Adapting by Reducing Vulnerability (CC DARE). The project involves
relocating human settlements from Rwanda's sloping Gishwati Forest, an
area that has suffered severe environmental degradation, exacerbated by
extreme weather events. The joint UNEP/UNDP CC DARE programme aims to
complement and strengthen ongoing and planned adaptation and risk
management activities, based on national priorities. [UNEP
press release]
Basel Convention
Announces Probo-Koala Programme in Africa
The Secretariat of the Basel Convention has
announced a joint initiative with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to
assist African countries in the development of national legislation and
enhance enforcement capacity for chemicals conventions, entitled the
"Probo Koala Programme." According to the Secretariat, the Programme
aims to assist Côte d'Ivoire in the aftermath of the dumping of
hazardous waste from the Probo Koala vessel in Abidjan, through a series
of training courses for implementation and enforcement authorities.
Activities will also be extended to other African countries including
Morocco, Madagascar, Gabon, Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania. [Basel
Convention Bulletin]
UNECE Launches
Policy Dialogue on Integrated Water Resource Management in Georgia
23 September 2010: From 14-17
September 2010, a representative of the UN Economic Commission for
Europe (UNECE) Water Convention Secretariat held a series of meetings in
Tbilisi with representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection
and Natural Resources of Georgia, other ministries, private companies,
NGOs and international donor organizations to discuss water management
issues in Georgia. The meetings marked the official launch of the UNECE-led
National Policy Dialogue on Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
in the country, which focuses on: preparation of the National Water Law
based on the IWRM principles; setting up the targets for implementation
of the UNECE/World Health Organization (WHO) Protocol on Water and
Health of the UNECE Water Convention; and transboundary water
cooperation with its neighbor Azerbaijan. [UNECE
National Policy Dialogues on IWRM Programme website] [UNECE
press release]
Global Mechanism Developing South-South Cooperation Web Portal
September 2010: The Global Mechanism of the UN Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) is developing a web-based, knowledge exchange
tool to strengthen the role of local stakeholders in decision-making
processes related to Sustainable Land Management (SLM). The scope|acp
project is a component of the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Capacity
Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in
African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries programme. The project
is funded by the European Commission (EC). The Global Mechanism is
currently developing the web portal's features, and is seeking feedback
regarding its content and structure through a survey. [scope|acp
web site]
UNEP Announces Emissions Reductions Plan
The UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) has released a master plan to reduce its carbon
footprint. Between 2010 and 2012, UNEP has committed to reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions by 3% each year from 2009 levels. A key target
area is work-related travel by UNEP employees, which currently accounts
for over 85% of UNEP's carbon emissions. The new strategy aims to reduce
employee travel by 3% each year from 2010-2012. UNEP will also introduce
a 'green meetings' policy, which will require all UNEP-related
conferences, events and meetings to adhere to UNEP's 2009 Green Meeting
Guide.
[UNEP
web site]
UNEP Opens Champions of the Earth Nominations
UNEP has opened
nominations for the 2011 Champions of the Earth award. Members of the
public from across the world can nominate their own environmental heroes
for the prize. Nominations will be accepted until 31 October 2010 and
can be made via the awards website. [UNEP
web site]
UNEP Launches Initiative to Link Tourism and Conservation
The UNEP/GRID-Arendal centre has announced the "Linking Tourism and
Conservation" initiative, launched in response to continuing breakages
from Greenland's ice sheet. The new initiative will investigate how
sustainable tourism can help support the management and development of
protected areas. UNEP/GRID-Arendal also plans to produce an interactive
map of tourist destinations that are participating in conservation work
to encourage investment in tourism projects that support conservation,
and allow tourists to view a destination's green credentials before
finalizing their trip. [UNEP
web site]
FAO and the University of Cape Town Offer Post-Graduate Course in
Pesticide Risk Management
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in a joint initiative
with the University of Capetown, South Africa, is developing a distance
learning post graduate course in pesticide risk management. The course
aims to provide regulators with tools to evaluate new applications for
registration of pesticides in their countries, based on effective risk
assessment. [Rotterdam
Convention web site]
JULY 2010
UNECE Executive
Secretary Visits Aral Sea Area
16 July 2010: Ján Kubi, UN Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) Executive Secretary, visited the Executive
Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) on 16
July 2010, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The visit provided an opportunity to evaluate
existing cooperation with IFAS, such as that carried out under the
framework of the Regional Dialogue and Cooperation on Water Resources
Management, and the help offered to countries of Central Asia to
strengthen cooperation on dam safety in the region by improving national
legislation and by negotiating a regional agreement. The two sides also
discussed future needs, including the development and implementation of
the Third Aral Sea Basin Programme, which aims to coordinate efforts of
Central Asian countries and the international community to mitigate the
environmental and social consequences of the Aral disaster. The visit
was part of broader efforts by UNECE to support the sustainable
development of Central Asia, in particular by strengthening
transboundary water cooperation.
[UNECE
press release, 16 July 2010]
[Project
"Regional dialogue and cooperation on water resources management in
Central Asia" website]
UNGA Adopts Consensus Resolution on the UN Women Agency
2 July
2010: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has voted unanimously
on a
resolution
(A/64/L.56), paragraphs 49 and 50, to create the UN Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment of Women or
UN Women.
The resolution focuses on strengthening the institutional arrangements
for support of gender equality and the empowerment of women and the
establishment of the new entity.
The new
entity will merge the existing mandates and functions of four UN
agencies and offices including the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM),
the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the Office of the
Special Adviser on Gender Issues, and the UN International Research and
Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW). The new
entity will function both as a secretariat and implementing agency to
carry out operational activities at the country level. The new agency is
expected to be operational by 1 January 2011. The resolution also
establishes an Executive Board, comprised of member States, as the
governing body of the entity to provide intergovernmental support to and
supervision of its operational activities.
[UNGA
Resolution]
[UNGA
Press Release summarizing the General Assembly meeting, 2 July 2010]
[Press
conference]
[UN
and Women]
JUNE 2010
UNEP and Basel
Convention Assist in Strengthening National Waste Management Systems in
Côte D'Ivoire
The UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the Basel Convention Secretariat have commissioned a new
laboratory that is equipped to test for hazardous waste from ships
entering the West African port of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The laboratory
is part of a joint project between the Basel Convention Secretariat and
UNEP aiming to strengthen national waste management systems in Côte
d'Ivoire. Led by UNEP's Disasters and Conflicts Programme, the project
was instigated following an incident in Abidjan in 2006, when thousands
of people were exposed to toxic waste following a dumping incident. The
new scientific facility is based at the Centre Ivoirien Anti-Pollution (CIAPOL)
in Abidjan. Also under the project, CIAPOL staff received intensive
training on techniques such as testing soil and water samples for
potential contamination. [UNEP
press release, 24 June 2010]
UNEP AND GEF
COOPERATE TO GREEN WORLD CUP
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the South African Department of
Environmental Affairs (DEA) have announced further initiatives to green
the World Cup and assist in reducing carbon emissions. Three major
greening projects were announced: renewable energy interventions in six
World Cup host cities, an awareness-raising drive on green tourism, and
a UNEP programme to offset the carbon emissions of eleven World Cup
teams. Renewable energy interventions include twelve billboards, 60
traffic lights and 78 street lights being switched to solar power,
across six cities in South Africa. Carbon offsetting is being sponsored
by sports brand Puma for the following teams: Algeria, Cameroon, Cote
d'Ivoire, Ghana, Uruguay, Italy and Switzerland.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 8 June 2010
UN/ISDR
LAUNCHES MAKING CITIES RESILIENT CAMPAIGN
On 30 May 2010,
the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) launched
a world disaster reduction campaign, titled 'Making cities resilient: my
city is getting ready.' The campaign, a two-year scheme,
seeks to bring more than 1000
local government leaders around the world to sign up for
and to commit to a checklist of 'Ten
Essentials' that will make their cities more resilient, with a specific
goal to enhance awareness about the benefits of focusing on sustainable
urbanization to reduce disaster risks. The ten essentials build on the
priorities identified under the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 to
build the resilience of nations and communities to disasters, and
emphasize actions such as to: put in place organization and
coordination to understand and reduce disaster risk, based on civil
society participation; assign a budget for disaster risk reduction;
prepare risk assessments; maintain critical infrastructure that reduces
risks; assess the safety of all schools and health facilities; apply and
enforce realistic, risk-compliant building regulations and land use
planning principles; ensure education programmes and training on
disaster risk reduction; protect ecosystems and natural buffers to
mitigate floods, storms and other hazards, and adapt to climate change
by building on good risk reduction practices; install early warning
systems and emergency management; and ensure the needs of survivors are
prioritized during reconstruction. The campaign emphasizes that making
cities safer to disasters means sustainable urbanization. When
successfully applied, resilient cities help reduce poverty and provide
for growth and employment, more social equity, business opportunities,
balanced ecosystems, better health and improved education. UN/ISDR
is coordinating the initiative, in collaboration with the UN Human
Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the UN World Health Organization
(WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Links to
further information
UN/ISDR Making Cities Resilient Campaign
Ten essentials
UNWTO TO
CELEBRATE TOURISM AND BIODIVERSITY
The UN World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO) has announced that celebrations for 2010 World
Tourism Day will take place under the theme: Tourism and Biodiversity.
World Tourism Day will be celebrated on 27 September 2010, and will be
officially hosted by Guangdong Province, China. UNWTO is holding a
global online photo competition to raise awareness of the World Tourism
Day theme, with applications due by 31 August 2010.
Link to further information
UNWTO web site
UNWTO World Tourism Day web site
MAY 2010
UNEP AND
GEF TO HELP REDUCE WORLD CUP'S CARBON FOOTPRINT
The UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have announced an
initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Under the initiative, the GEF has provided US$1 million to help retrofit
solar panels on public street lights, traffic lights and billboards
around the stadia in the six cities hosting the World Cup. UNEP and GEF
will continue to announce activities in the lead up to the World Cup.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 25 May 2010
UNDP LAUNCHES PHOTO CONTEST "PICTURE THIS: WE CAN
END POVERTY"
The UN
Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Olympus Corporation
and the Agence France-Presse (AFP) Foundation, launched a photo contest
titled "Picture This: We Can End Poverty." The competition will feature
work carried out in various countries to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 to demonstrate how ordinary people
around the world are addressing their most pressing development
challenges.
Last year, the
photo contest on caring for the Earth focused on climate change and
environmental degradation in Africa. An exhibit featuring the winning
photos will be held during the UN Summit on the MDGs in September in New
York. Each photo entry can focus on one of the MDGs. The deadline for
entries is 16 July 2010.
Links to
further information
UNDP Newsroom, 14 May 2010
Picture This
Website
UNDP SUPPORTS INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN SAMOA TO RECORD THE IMPACT OF
CLIMATE CHANGE ON THEIR LIVELIHOODS
The UN Development Programme
(UNDP) is providing support through the Global Environmental Facility (GEF)
Small Grants Programme Initiative to indigenous communities to record
the impacts of climate change on their habitat. The videos produced will
aim to support climate resilience and grassroots actions for policy
change. A video produced by eight indigenous communities from Samoa was
featured at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December 2009
and will be screened at the Fourth GEF Assembly, to be held in Punta del
Este, Uruguay, from 24-28 May 2010. This participatory video brought
together indigenous women and men – from rural and fisher communities –
to capture the impact of climate change on their livelihoods. In
addition, the UNDP Community Based Adaptation Project (CBA) is providing
grants to each community to implement adaptation strategies to cope with
climate change. In the upcoming months, communities in Morocco and
Namibia are expected to initiate video productions on the effects of
climate change on their daily lives.
Links to further information
UNDP Newsroom, 13 May 2010
UNDP and Community Based Adaptation
UNEP ANNOUNCES SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PARTNERSHIP
The UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the French Government have announced the Global Partnership
for Sustainable Tourism, which is aimed at making the tourism industry
environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. The Partnership
is designed to identify and replicate successful and sustainable
initiatives. The new entity will focus on policy, projects, tools and
networks for all tourism stakeholders at all levels, by addressing and
working on: policy frameworks; climate change; environment and
biodiversity; poverty alleviation; cultural and natural heritage;
private sector sustainable practices; and finance and investment.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 12 May 2010
NORWAY
PROVIDES US$34 MILLION TO UNEP'S TRANSFORMATIONAL STRATEGY
The UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) has received US$34 million from the Government of Norway towards
the organization's forward-looking work programme and its Medium Term
Strategy (MTS), for 2011/2012. The MTS is centered on the cross-cutting
themes, including: climate change; ecosystem management; environmental
governance; harmful substances and hazardous waste and resource
efficiency, including sustainable consumption and production. The
Norwegian funds will assist UNEP in responding to countries requesting
support and advice in delivering the policies and smart market
mechanisms as they move towards a low carbon, resource efficient Green
Economy.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 6 May 2010
UNEP-WCMC
GLOBAL ISLAND DATABASE LAUNCHED
The UN Environment Programme
World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) launched the Global
Island Database (GID) during the 18th session of the UN Commission on
Sustainable Development in New York, US, on 10 May 2010. The GID aims to
boost sustainable management of islands by identifying and bringing
together existing sources of data and information relevant to island
systems, and presenting new analyses to aid resource managers and
decision-making at the island, national, regional and global levels.
Link to further information
UNEP press release
Global Islands Database
UNEP-WCMC LAUNCHES CARBON AND CO-BENEFITS WEB SITE
The UN Environment Programme-World
Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC), with support from the German
Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), has launched a new website
highlighting the potential for actions on maintaining natural carbon
stocks to generate co-benefits, i.e. that are additional to climate
change mitigation effects. The new UNEP-WCMC website demonstrates the
utility of spatial analyses to assist decision makers in identifying
areas where high carbon, high biodiversity priority and ecosystem
service values overlap, in order to secure co-benefits. It showcases
UNEP-WCMC's recent work with in-country partners on developing such
analyses and includes an interactive mapping tool that allows users to
explore the spatial relationships between carbon and co-benefits.
Link to further information
Carbon, biodiversity & ecosystem services web site
APRIL 2010
UNEP ANNOUNCES "CHAMPIONS OF THE EARTH"
UNEP
announced the United Nations' highest awards for environmental
leadership, the 2010 Champions of the Earth, on 22 April. Winners
included: Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo for his work in forestry and
ecosystem infrastructure; President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, for
his international climate change campaigning; Prince Mostapha Zaher,
Director General of Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection
Agency, for his sustainability advocacy; Taro Takahashi of Japan for his
pioneering research into how oceans cycle carbon; China's Zhou Xun for
her work on green lifestyles; and Vinod Khosla of the US for his work as
a green energy entrepreneur and co-founder of Sun Microsystems.
Link to
further information
UNEP press release, 22 April 2010
UNGA TO HOLD HIGH-LEVEL
EVENT ON BIODIVERSITY
To mark the International Year of
Biodiversity, the UN General Assembly decided on 15 April 2010 to hold a
high-level event on biodiversity, on 22 September 2010, the eve of the
opening of the general debate of its 65th session. The high-level event
will provide an occasion for world leaders to provide political impetus
and support for a sustained global response to the world's biodiversity
challenges, and the need to address each of the three objectives of the
Convention on Biological Diversity. During the high-level event,
roundtable discussions will discuss post-2010 biodiversity targets, the
links between climate change and biodiversity, and the importance of
biodiversity to poverty alleviation and development and to the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Link to further information
CBD press release, 16 April 2010
UNEP
SUPPORTS LIVE EARTH RUN FOR WATER CAMPAIGN
The UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) supported the global Live Earth Run for Water campaign,
which took place on 18 April 2010, and aimed to mobilize communities in
over 175 cities worldwide to raise awareness of the growing scarcity of
safe, clean water. The campaign was organized around the theme: "Every
step and every drop counts to solve the water crisis." It featured a
series of 6 km community runs or walks, the average distance women and
children walk to collect water in many developing countries. In some
cities, educational Water Villages and sustainably-managed concerts
featuring international artists were held.
Links to
further information
UNEP press release, 16 April 2010
Live Earth Run for Water web site
UNESCO AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ESTABLISH CENTRE FOR
THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
On 8 March 2010, the UN Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Government of the
Dominican Republic signed an agreement establishing, under the auspices
of UNESCO, the Centre for the Sustainable Management of Water Resources
in the Caribbean Island States in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
According to the agreement, the functions performed by the centre will
include: promoting and performing scientific research on water
management in the region, and hydrologic aspects thereof; promoting and
facilitating applications of technology towards better practical use of
water; expanding and coordinating research activities, in cooperation
with the various international agencies and the relevant entities of the
States of the region; and organizing and implementing activities for
knowledge and information transfer for training.
Link to further information
UNESCO press release, 1 April 2010
UNEP RELEASES MARCH
2010 EDITION OF MEA ACPs NEWSLETTER
UNEP has released the March 2010 edition of
the Multilateral Environment
Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean and
Pacific (ACP) Countries Programme. The newsletter includes a guest
article on activities being undertaken under the Strategic Approach to
International Chemicals Management and the Quick Start Programme, as
well as updates on activities at the Pacific, African and Caribbean
project hubs.
Link to further information
MEAs ACPs March 2010 newsletter
EARTH HOUR CELEBRATED
Earth Hour, a global call to
action on climate change, took place on 27 March 2010, from 8:30-9:30 pm
(local time). Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2
million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to
make their stand against climate change. In 2008, Earth Hour became a
global sustainability movement, with more than 50 million people across
35 countries participating. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted
that the event asked the world to turn off its lights to serve as both a
"warning and a beacon of hope." International landmarks went dark as
lights were switched off in thousands of cities around the world. The
event was organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which said that
global participation in this year's event jumped to 126 countries from
88 nations last year, with the goal as before, being to raise public
awareness about the threat of climate change.
Links to further information
Voice of America press release
UNEP press release
MARCH 2010
FAO DIRECTOR-GENERAL
PLANTS TREES IN HAITI
Director-General of the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Jacques Diouf launched, with the
Government of Haiti, the spring planting season by distributing seeds,
fertilizer and tools to farmers at a ceremony during a recent four-day
visit to Haiti. The Director-General also planted fruit trees with young
people in the community of Croix-des-Bouquets, outside Port-au-Prince,
and pledged FAO's support to the Government's campaign to plant 10
million trees, starting with fast-growing fruit trees that provide a
quicker return on investment, and later including other tree
species. The FAO had recently announced the launch of its "Fruit trees
for Haiti" initiative to raise funds for fruit trees in school gardens
and to build awareness of the role of trees in protecting the
environment and reducing risks from hurricanes, flooding and erosion.
Link to further information
FAO media release, 15 March 2010
UNECE AND FAO
COLLECTING DATA ON EUROPE'S FORESTS
The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have begun collecting
data on the state of forests and forest management in Europe. Data will
be collected from 46 countries in the European region, and will include
information on forest health and vitality, productive and protective
functions, biodiversity and social and economic dimensions of forest
management.
UNECE/FAO have invited national
correspondents to provide measurements of a variety of numeric data,
such as forest carbon stock, timber trade and employment, as well as a
description of policies, institutions and financial instruments.
The results of the data collection, which
is performed every four years and is based on the pan-European Criteria
and Indicators for sustainable forest management, will be presented in
the "State of Europe's Forests" report. This report will be released at
the sixth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe
(MCPFE), which will be held in Norway in 2011.
Link to further information
UNECE press release, 11 March 2010
UNEP LAUNCHES CARBON
FINANCE COLLABORATION IN AFRICA
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP),
Standard Bank and the German Government's International Climate
Initiative are collaborating on the Africa Carbon Asset Development (ACAD)
Facility. ACAD supports African carbon projects through a combination of
technical assistance, grants and preferential access to corporate
finance and transactional guidance. Taking a new approach toward
capacity and market development, ACAD shares costs and risks with
African banks such as Standard Bank to realize and replicate projects.
According to UNEP, the ACAD partnership
couples UNEP's longstanding capacity building expertise in environmental
policy and finance with the financial know-how and regional reach of
Standard Bank.
ACAD has recently awarded its first grants
to innovative development projects including: providing partial payment
for validation costs under the Cleaner Development Mechanism on the Lake
Turkana Wind Power Project in Kenya; and supporting the costs of
engineering and carbon auditing studies required to earn carbon credits
of the Lagos Waste Management Authority in Nigeria, which is developing
several waste-to-energy sites.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 3 March 2010
FAO CALLS FOR
PROPOSALS FOR FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT PROGRAMME
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
announced the second call for proposals for pilot projects and technical
assistance through the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade
Support Programme for African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP-FLEGT
Support Programme). The four-year initiative has two main components:
providing assistance to ACP countries in putting the European Union
FLEGT Action Plan into practice, and supporting the collection, analysis
and dissemination of FLEGT-related information and lessons learned among
stakeholder groups in ACP countries.
Link to further information
The
call for proposals
UNEP RELEASES ENVIRONMENTAL OUTLOOK FOR THE ARAB REGION
The UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) has released a report titled "Environment Outlook for the Arab
Region: Environment for Development and Human Well-being," which
outlines the multiple challenges facing the Arab region, from climate
change and food insecurity to decreasing water availability and
unemployment. The report, compiled by the Council of Arab Ministers
Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE), provides a comprehensive and
integrated assessment of the state of environment in the region. The
report emphasizes that: the region is one of the most water-scarce in
the world; biofuels and food security are among a suite of emerging and
intertwined challenges facing the region; and the region is predicted to
be among the hardest hit by the potential of direct and indirect climate
change impacts. These predicted impacts include: loss of coastal zones;
more severe droughts and desertification; increased groundwater
salinity; and a surge in epidemics and infectious diseases.
Link to further
information
Environmental Outlook for the Arab Region website
FEBRUARY 2010
UNESCO SIGNS
COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH CTBTO
On 3 February 2010,
Irina Bokova, Director-General of the
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
signed an agreement with Tibor Tóth, Executive Secretary of the
Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Organization (CTBTO), to enhance cooperation between the two
organizations, notably for the benefit of tsunami early warning systems
and capacity building in developing countries. At the signing ceremony,
Bokova noted that the data received by the CTBTO from its global network
of monitoring stations can advance research on ocean processes and
marine life, and contribute to sustainable development.
Link to further information
UNESCO IOC press release, 8 February 2010
UNEP FINANCE
INITIATIVE RELEASES CLIMATE SURVEY
The UNEP Finance
Initiative (UNEP FI) has launched a global survey to identify the
climate change data needs of the financial services sector. The survey
aims to establish: how and to what extent financial institutions
(lenders, investors and insurers) are already affected by climate change
and how their exposure will develop in the future; the information needs
of the financial services sector with regard to the physical impacts of
climate change; and how well financial institutions are already equipped
with the climate change information needed and where gaps exist.
Link to
further information
UNEP FI website
ILO WARNS OF HIGH GLOBAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATES
On
27 January 2010, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director
General Juan Somavia launched the ILO's annual Global Employment Trends
report.
This
report indicates that unemployment reached the highest level on record
in 2009, with nearly 212 million jobless worldwide, or 6.6%of the global
workforce. The report provides a regional outlook and indicates that the
Central and South-Eastern Europe (non-EU) and Commonwealth of
Independent States (CSEE & CIS) experienced the most severe shock in
terms of economic growth of all regions. The report notes that the ILO
has adopted a Global Jobs Pact, aimed at creating jobs, including green
jobs strategies, protecting workers and stimulating economic recovery.
Links to further
information
UN News Centre, 27 January 2010
ILO press release, 26 January 2010
The Global
Employment Trends
report
UNEP CONVENES
WORKSHOP ON GREEN ECONOMY REPORT
The UN Environment Programme
convened a workshop on the Green Economy Report (GER) from 17-18
November 2009, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Green Economy Initiative (GEI)
seeks to mobilize the global economy towards investments in key sectors
of the economy and in "natural" infrastructure such as forests and
soils. The GER, a key component of the GEI, will seek to make a
macroeconomic case for increasing public and private investments in
"green sectors." At the workshop, the coordinating authors and
contributors presented the progress made and discussed pending issues.
The report is expected to be finalized in June 2010 (IISD RS sources).
FAO PUBLISHES WEBSITE
ON ASSISTED NATURAL FOREST REGENERATION
The UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) has published a new website on assisted natural
regeneration (ANR) of forests. The website explains that ANR aims to
accelerate, rather than replace, natural successional processes by
removing or reducing barriers to natural forest regeneration such as
soil degradation, competition with weedy species, and recurring
disturbances. The website also lists benefits to ANR, including
providing job opportunities for communities, increasing biodiversity,
and increasing carbon sequestration.
Link to further information
The
website
JANUARY 2010
UNECE MARKS 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF BAIA MARE
ACCIDENT
On the 10th anniversary of the
Baia Mare accident – a cyanide and heavy metals spill into the
Sasar, Lapus, Somes and Tisza rivers that reached the Danube and
eventually the Black Sea – the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
issued a reminder of the need for vigilance to prevent industrial
accidents. Through the Secretariat of its Convention on the
Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (Industrial Accidents
Convention) and of the Convention on the Protection and Use of
Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention),
the UNECE has been supporting its member States in their joint work to
reduce the likelihood of an industrial accident. Since its entry into
force in 1996, the Water Convention has provided an important legal
framework and contributed to improving transboundary water management in
the pan-European region.
Link to further information
UNECE press release
, 29
January 2010
UNEP PROVIDES
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSISTANCE IN HAITI
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has
announced it will lead the environmental recovery effort in Haiti, which
was struck by an earthquake on 12 January 2010, by ensuring that
environmental issues are integrated into the respective cluster response
plans. The UN is appealing for US$562 million, covering a period of six
months, with US$1 million earmarked for environmental interventions.
UNEP is providing technical assistance and support on environmental
matters to the Humanitarian Country Team and to the local government,
including through emergency environmental assessments of affected sites
and active participation in the humanitarian cluster system. Key issues
identified to date include: increasing medical waste and lack of safe
disposal options; tens of millions of tonnes of demolition material; the
danger of secondary spills of hazardous chemicals; and the environmental
impact of massive population displacements.
Links to further information
UNEP press release, 20 January 2010
UNEP press release, 28 January 2010
UNEP ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIAN PREMIER
LEAGUE
As part of its
ongoing efforts to promote eco-friendly sports, the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) has announced a partnership with the Indian Premier
League (IPL) to reduce its carbon footprint. According to UNEP, under
the partnership, the IPL will increasingly offset its games' emissions
and green its operations, from waste management to energy efficiency and
water use. UNEP will assist the IPL in achieving climate neutrality,
supporting its efforts to reduce emissions through the introduction of
renewable energy and to compensate for emissions, as well as with green
merchandizing. The partnership begins on 12 March with the opening of
the IPL's 45-day season. The IPL will promote UNEP initiatives including
the Climate Neutral Network, the Billion Tree Campaign and World
Environment Day.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 22 January 2010
UNEP PREPARES TO LEAD ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY IN
HAITI
The UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced it will lead the
environmental recovery effort in Haiti, which was struck by an
earthquake on 12 January 2010, by ensuring that environmental issues are
integrated into the respective cluster response plans. The UN is
appealing for US$562 million, covering a period of six months, with US$1
million earmarked for environmental interventions. Major environmental
issues, including waste management, mass burials and disposal of
demolition material, are anticipated in the early recovery phase.
Together with immediate efforts, UNEP announced it will continue to
develop the Haiti Regeneration Initiative, a long-term programme aimed
at reducing poverty and vulnerability to natural hazards through the
restoration of ecosystems and sustainable natural resource management.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 20 January 2010
INTERNATIONAL
BIODIVERSITY YEAR KICKS OFF
In an effort to curb the unprecedented
loss of the world's species and ecosystems due to human activity, the
United Nations is marking 2010 as the International Year of
Biodiversity. Although initial celebrations began in November under the
slogan "Biodiversity is life, biodiversity is our life," the official
launch took place on 11 January 2010, in Berlin, Germany. This will be
followed by the first major event of the Year, a high-profile meeting at
the Paris headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), on 21 and 22 January 2010. Several other events
will follow throughout the year in venues around world, culminating in a
high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York at the start of the
General Assembly's 65th annual General Debate in September and an
official closing in Kanazawa, Japan, in December 2010.
In related news, Puma and the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) established a strategic partnership to
support biodiversity worldwide and specific initiatives in Africa. The
"Play for Life" partnership will support the 2010 International Year of
Biodiversity by raising awareness about habitat and species conservation
among football fans and the general public during worldwide football
events.
Links to further information
IYB website
UN news release, 1 January 2010
UNEP press release, 6 January 2010
UNEP press release, 11 January 2010
UNEP PUBLISHES ACP MEA PROJECT UPDATE
The UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Commission have released a
newsletter on the Multilateral Environment Agreements in African,
Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP MEAs) Project. The newsletter
contains an article by the Managing Director of the Global Mechanism
(GM) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), describing
the GM's efforts to strengthen capacities of participating ACP country
stakeholders by building partnerships on key cross-cutting and
horizontal thematic issues that support the implementation process of
the UNCCD. The newsletter also provides information on upcoming
activities in the African, Caribbean and Pacific project hubs.
Link to
further information
African, Caribbean and Pacific Multilateral Environmental Agreements
website
UNEP RELEASES DOCUMENTS FOR ELEVENTH SPECIAL SESSION
The UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) has released several documents in advance
of the Eleventh Special Session of the Governing Council/Global
Ministers Environment Forum, scheduled to convene in Bali, Indonesia
from 24-26 February 2010. These include documents on: enhanced
coordination across the UN system, including the Environment Management
Group (UNEP/GCSS.XI/3); international environmental governance and the
outcome of the work of the consultative group of ministers or high-level
representatives (UNEP/GCSS.XI/4); comments by the Executive Director on
the management review of environmental governance within the UN system
carried out by the Joint Inspection Unit (UNEP/GCSS.XI/5); progress on
mercury (UNEP/GCSS.XI/6); and the intergovernmental science-policy
platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services (UNEP/GCSS.XI/7)
Links to
further information
Eleventh Special Session website
Eleventh Special Session working documents
up to top
