DECEMBER 2007
UNEP INITIATES OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY PLAN IN
REPUBLIC OF KOREA
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has set in motion
an emergency action plan to help the Republic of Korea respond to an oil
spill caused by the oil tanker Hebei Spirit's collision with a barge on
7 December 2007, resulting in 10,500 metric tonnes of crude oil being
released into the sea. The oil slick is affecting approximately 160 km
of coastline near an important habitat for birds. A joint UN-EU rapid
environmental assessment team was also sent to help the authorities
mitigate the effects of the spill.
Link to
further information
UNEP Press release, 18 December 2007
2007 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT EXAMINES CLIMATE CHANGE
AND DEVELOPMENT
On 27 November 2007, the UN Development Programme's (UNDP)
Human Development Report on 'Fighting climate change:
Human solidarity in a divided world' was launched in Brasilia, Brazil,
with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as well as the
Spanish Minister for Development, Leire Pajin, on hand. Kemal Dervis,
UNDP Administrator, stressed that this year's Global Human Development
Report, a UNDP flagship publication, was being launched at a significant
time, as governments were preparing to gather in Bali to negotiate the
roadmap for further negotiations on commitments for the post-2012
period. He also noted that the Report will help galvanize action of UN
Country Teams working with national counterparts on climate change
adaptation and disaster preparedness. Kevin Watkins, UNDP's lead author
of the Report, stressed the threat of climate change to development
given that the world's poorest people are most vulnerable to its
consequences. He said the Report argues that, with the right reforms,
many of the negative effects of greenhouse gas emissions can be reversed
without sacrificing economic growth. To achieve this goal, the Report
proposes a combination of carbon taxation, cap-and-trade programmes,
energy policies and technology transfers.
Links to further information
Human Development Report 2007/2008: Fighting Climate Change – Human
Solidarity in a Divided World
UNDP Newsroom
REPORT SAYS JOB OPPORTUNITIES OFFER SILVER LINING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Addressing the challenges of climate change will also imply
significant new employment opportunities states a preliminary draft
report, Green Jobs: Can the Transition to Environmental
Sustainability Spur New Kinds and Higher Levels of Employment?,
commissioned by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with
the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Trade
Union Confederation (ITUC). Referring to the report, UNEP's Executive
Director Achim Steiner said that: "The transition is being spurred on by
the existing Kyoto climate agreement with its carbon trading and clean
development mechanisms and the anticipation of further and more decisive
emissions reductions post-2012." The final report will be released in
early 2008.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 6 December 2007
UNGA PREPARES
FOR ADOPTION OF FOREST INSTRUMENT
The UN Secretariat is organizing a High-Level Special Event during the
UN General Assembly (UNGA) Plenary Session on 17 December 2007, titled
"The Non-Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests (NLBI) –
Heralding a New Era in Implementing Sustainable Forest Management."
This event will follow the expected adoption of the NLBI by the UNGA on
the same day. The NLBI was adopted by the UN Economic and Social Council
in October 2007, after having been negotiated and adopted by the UN
Forum on Forests earlier in the year.
Link to further information
Under-Secretary General's letter informing Permanent Missions about the
event, 3 December 2007
NOVEMBER 2007
UNEP TREE-PLANTING CAMPAIGN REACHES GOAL
Plant for the Planet:
Billion Tree Campaign has achieved its
objective of planting one billion trees worldwide, according to a press
release issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on 28 November
2007. The campaign was initiated by UNEP, the World Agroforestry Centre
and Prince Albert II of Monaco in November 2006, inspired by Nobel Peace
Prize winner Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Kenyan Green Belt
Movement, with the aim of catalyzing the pledging and planting of one
billion trees in 2007. The billionth tree planted is believed to be in
Ethiopia, which planted close to 700 million trees, primarily the
African olive tree and the African pencil cedar, making it the
campaign's top-ranking country.
Link to further
information
UNEP Press release, 28 November 2007
TREE-PLANTING
CAMPAIGN REACHES GOAL
On 28 November
2007, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced that Plant for
the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign had achieved its objective of
planting one billion trees worldwide. The campaign was initiated by
UNEP, the World Agroforestry Centre and Prince
Albert II of Monaco in November 2006, inspired by Nobel Peace Prize
winner Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Kenyan Green Belt Movement,
with the aim of catalyzing pledges and the planting of one billion trees
in 2007. The billionth tree planted is believed to be in Ethiopia, which
to date has planted close to 700 million trees, primarily the African
Olive tree and the African pencil cedar, making it the campaign's
top-ranking country.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 28 November 2007
UNEP AND
REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO ESTABLISH ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST FUND
On 22 November
2007, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced an agreement with
the Republic of Korea to establish a Trust Fund that addresses key
environmental issues in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK),
with the Republic of Korea contributing US$ 4.4 million. The Trust Fund
will focus on forest depletion, declining water quality, air pollution,
land degradation and biodiversity in the DPRK, in addition to supporting
eco-housing initiatives, environmental education, the clean development
mechanism and renewable energy technology. In 2004, UNEP signed a
Framework Agreement for Cooperation in Environment with the DPRK, and
published the first DPRK State of the Environment report.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 22 November 2007
UNEP ESTABLISHES
SCIENCE PANEL TO BOOST RESOURCE EFFICIENT GROWTH
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
announced the establishment of an International Panel for Sustainable
Resource Management on 9 November 2007, at the World Science Forum in
Budapest, Hungary. The Panel's overall aim is to provide scientific
assessments on the use intensity, security of supplies and environmental
impacts of selected products and services on a global level, with a view
to boosting resource efficient growth and innovation. The Panel will be
supported by a Secretariat hosted by the Sustainable Consumption and
Production Branch of UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics, based in Paris, France.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 9 November 2007
UNEP LAUNCHES
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY GENERATION INITIATIVES
Two alternative energy projects, led the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) and funded by the Global Environment
Facility (GEF), aiming to develop new forms of indigenous energy in
parts of Africa, were launched on 8 November 2007. Cogeneration for
Africa seeks to use waste from the sugar industry to generate
electricity, and the initiative has been endorsed by, among others,
Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. Greening the
Tea Industry entails a small-scale hydro initiative to deliver power
to tea plantations across Eastern and Southern Africa. The projects are
expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce energy costs and
enhance the sugar and tea industries' global competitiveness.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 8 November 2007
ENVIRONMENTAL
DATABASE MADE ACCESSIBLE FOR MORE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
announced on 16 November 2007 that more than 100 developing countries
now have access to one of the world's largest online databases of
environmental science research. The "Online Access to Research in the
Environment" (OARE) project, coordinated by UNEP, Yale University, the
International Association of Scientific Technical and Medical
Publishers, and over 340 international publishers and scientific
societies, was launched in 2006 to offer this free or low-cost service
to 70 of the world's least developed countries. The objective of the
project is to assist in bridging the North-South scientific and digital
divide, and to strengthen environmental institutions in developing
nations.
Links to further information
OARE press release, 6 November 2007
OARE official
website
UNEP AND UNDP TO ASSESS OIL CONTAMINATION
IN THE NIGER DELTA
Further to a request from the Nigerian
government, the Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch of the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) will conduct a comprehensive assessment of
oil contamination in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta. The assessment
will operate within the Programme Framework for Improving Human
Development in that region, led by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
The past exploration and production of oil in the area have caused
spills that continue to be problematic, and since their suspension 15
years ago, the lack of maintenance of the infrastructure has led to
further contamination.
Link to further information
UN News Center, 5 November 2007
OCTOBER 2007
UNEP ANNOUNCES PLAN TO
ASSIST CONSERVATION OF GORILLAS IN DRC
The UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that it will assist the
Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) government in drafting and
developing national environmental laws, regulations and guidelines. One
of the objectives of the initiative is to assist in the conservation of
gorillas and sustainable livelihoods in the Virunga National Park. It
also calls for posting a UNEP expert in the country to provide
environmental support to the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) and the UN
Country Team, including environmental impact assessments for proposed
development projects.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 26 October 2007
UNEP REPORT ASSESSES
CURRENT STATE OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
launched its Global Environment Outlook: environment for development
(GEO-4) report on 25 October 2007, highlighting that climate change,
the extinction of species and the deterioration of fisheries are among
the major global threats that require urgent action. GEO-4 offers the
most comprehensive UN report on the environment, and was prepared by
about 390 experts across the world. It assesses the current state of the
global atmosphere, land, water and biodiversity, describing changes in
the past two decades, and offers an outlook using four scenarios to
explore futures to the year 2050.
Links to further information
UNEP Press release, 25 October 2007
GEO-4 report
UNGA PRESIDENT
PROVIDES UPDATED INFORMATION ON UN REFORM PROCESSES
In a letter dated 4 October 2007, the
President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Srgjan Kerim, informed UN
member States that Claude Heller (Mexico) and Peter Maurer (Switzerland)
have agreed to continue to serve as Co-Chairs for the UNGA consultations
on International Environmental Governance (IEG). The IEG consultations
will resume on 26 October 2007, and at this meeting member States will
be given a second opportunity to respond to the Co-chairs' Options
Paper. In addition, UNGA President Kerim has forwarded the Report of the
Co-Chairs of the UNGA consultations on System-Wide Coherence. The
report's conclusions include, inter alia: that the
Secretary-General should commission an independent assessment of the
current UN system of IEG; and that member States should agree on the
composition and mandate of the Sustainable Development Board by
September 2007, and the Board should convene its first session by June
2008.
Links to further information
UNGA President Srgjan Kerim's letter, 4 October 2007
Report of the Co-chairs of the UNGA consultations on System-Wide
Coherence
INTERNATIONAL CLEANUP
EVENT SHARES RESULTS ON INTERNET
The International Cleanup Weekend, jointly
organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Google, took place
from 13-14 October 2007, inviting community groups and individuals on
all continents to clean up local parks, beaches and streets, and share
their results on the Internet. According to the International Cleanup
Weekend website, 287 cleanups were carried out by 3000 people in 35
countries worldwide.
Link to further information
UNEP News release, 4 October 2007
International Cleanup Weekend website
BLOG ACTION DAY FOCUSES
ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
The first-ever Blog Action Day took place
on 15 October 2007, giving bloggers around the world the opportunity to
push for environmental protection. More than 14 million readers have
viewed the 15,000 blogs participating in the event that was supported by
the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). In a news release, UNEP reported
that, by raising awareness of environmental issues, the global blogging
community hopes to reach millions of people and spur debate.
Links to further information
UNEP News release, 12 October 2007
Blog Action Day website
FOUR NATIONS
INITIATIVE ISSUES REPORT ON UN GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The Four Nations Initiative (4NI), which involved Chile, South Africa,
Sweden and Thailand, has issued proposals on improved governance and
management of the UN Secretariat, from the perspective of UN member
states. The four countries released their final report on 13 September
2007 at a meeting to which all UN member and observer states were
invited. "Towards a Compact: Proposals for Improved Governance
and Management of the United Nations Secretariat" is based on
six months of consultations with member states and UN
Secretariat representatives, and contains 32 specific proposals on
improved governance and management of the UN Secretariat. It discusses
questions of accountability and transparency in connection to three
central work processes of the UN, the mandate cycle, the planning and
budgetary process and human resources, and offers proposals and ideas on
how to improve dialogue and arenas between the member states and between
member states and the UN Secretariat.
Links to further information
The report:
Towards a Compact: Proposals for Improved Governance and Management of
the United Nations Secretariat
The
4NI website
NEW ZEALAND TO HOST
2008 WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
On 1 October 2007, the UN Environment Programme announced that New
Zealand, which is one of the first countries to pledge a carbon-neutral
future, will be the main host of World Environment Day on 5 June 2008.
The global 2008 celebrations will focus on solutions and opportunities
for countries, companies and communities to "kick the habit" and
de-carbonize their economies and life-styles.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 1 October 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007
UNEP AWARDS PRIZE TO
LOCAL LEVEL CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIONS
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has awarded
the Sasakawa Prize 2007 to two non-governmental initiatives in South
Africa and Bangladesh for their efforts to combat climate change on the
local level: Jeunesse Park for initiating the design of the first carbon
calculator in South Africa, making it easy and affordable for
government, institutions and communities to offset carbon emissions; and
the organization Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha for travelling through
Bangladesh's extensive river network to bring environmental education
and renewable energy supplies to local communities.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 27 September 2007
UNESCO ADDS NEW SITES TO
BIOSPHERE RESERVE NETWORK
Following a recent meeting in Paris,
France, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) has added 23 sites to its Man and the Biosphere Programme. The
additional sites include, inter alia, habitats in three countries
that have not been part of the Programme before: mangroves in El
Salvador; limestone formations in Qatar; and sea grass beds and coral
reefs in the United Arab Emirates. Launched in 1970, the Man and
Biosphere Programme targets the ecological, social and economic
dimensions of biodiversity loss and uses its network of biosphere
reserves as vehicles for knowledge-sharing, research and participatory
decision-making. The biosphere reserves currently include 529 sites in
105 countries.
Link to further information
UNESCO press release, 20 September 2007
UNEP TO STEP UP
ENVIRONMENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN DRC
On 17 September 2007, a UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) fact finding mission arrived in Kinshasa, the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to explore conservation efforts in
protected areas, institutional capacity building, and ways to mitigate
the impact of human activities on environment and natural resources,
with a view to improving UNEP's involvement in environmental activities
in the DRC. The current mission is a result of specific recommendations
made after the joint UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization-UNEP mission to the Virunga National Park in the DRC in
August 2007, tasked to investigate the death of a number of mountain
gorillas.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 17 September 2007
UN ANNOUNCES MDG FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN 2008
The UN announced that it will organize a MDG Festival in June
2008, which will feature high-profile international celebrities and
entertainers who will present awards for outstanding achievements to
promote the Millennium Development Goals.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 12 September 2007
UNGA ADOPTS DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
On 13 September 2007, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. One hundred forty-three
member States voted in favor of the Declaration, while eleven abstained
and Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US voted against the
non-binding text, which addresses the individual and collective rights
of indigenous peoples, and their rights to culture, identity, language,
employment, health, education and other issues.
Link to further information
UNPFII website
AUGUST 2007
"ONE UN" PILOTS REPORT
PROGRESS, CHALLENGES
The UN Development Group (UNDG) has
reported that in spite of progress, the One UN pilot countries still
face significant challenges. The One UN pilot initiative will test in
eight countries how the UN family and its many agencies can deliver in a
more coordinated way at the country level, with the aim being to ensure
more effective development operations and accelerated progress towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals. According to UNDG, to the
pilot countries face challenges in ensuring programmatic coherence and
strategic focus at the same time as agency inclusiveness; evaluation of
the impact of the pilots; accountability and authority; and
operationalization of "One Offices."
Meanwhile, a retreat held in July 2007 in
Cape Verde endorsed more detailed and inclusive outputs as regards their
"Delivering as One" programme and agreed to enlarge cooperation among UN
agencies. In Rwanda, the One UN Steering Committee has approved the
United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) that will lead
the activities of the UN in Rwanda for the period 2008-2012.
Links to further information
Formula One Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue 4, July-August 2007
Reports
from support missions to pilot countries
UNEP AWARDS
LIFE-CYCLE PROJECTS IN BRAZIL, SOUTH AFRICA AND ZIMBABWE
The 2007 winners of the new UNEP/SETAC
Life Cycle Award include three projects that offer new approaches to
assessing the environmental impacts of sugar production in South Africa,
the life-cycle of newsprint paper in Zimbabwe, and the impacts of
unsustainable practices on Brazil's biodiversity.
The award recognizes work from academics
and private companies in developing and emerging economies who have
started innovative projects based on the "life-cycle approach," which
relate to the environmental impacts a product's production, use and
disposal.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 28 August 2007
UN MISSION
EMPHASIZES LOCAL INVOLVEMENT FOR PRESERVATION OF MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
An expert mission supported by the UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and tasked to
investigate the recent slaughter of nine mountain gorillas of the
Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
concluded its 11-day visit by stressing that local communities
involvement are central to efforts to preserving the endangered species.
The press release issued on 22 August 2007 also stated that
representatives of the DRC authorities and the UN Mission in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) have pledged their support for the
preservation of the mountain gorillas.
Link to further information
UNESCO Press release, 22 August 2007
UN MISSION TO INVESTIGATE KILLINGS OF GORILLAS IN
DRC
An expert mission supported by the UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will visit the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) to probe the recent, apparently senseless, slaughter
of mountain gorillas, a highly endangered species inscribed on UNESCO's
World Heritage in Danger list. The mission will investigate the reasons
for targeting the animals and propose measures for their protection and
for improving the conservation of the site. Some 700 mountain gorillas
are estimated to still live in the area of the DRC's border with Uganda
and Rwanda.
Link to
further information
UN News release, 10 August 2007
BROWN CLOUDS COUPLED
WITH GHG EMISSIONS ENDANGER ASIAN WATER SUPPLIES
A new analysis of pollution-filled "brown clouds" over south Asia,
carried out at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC, San Diego, US,
finds that atmospheric brown clouds containing soot and trace metals
from a variety of urban, industrial and agricultural sources have
enhanced solar heating of the lower atmosphere by about 50 percent. The
Scripps paper, published in the 2 August 2007 edition of the journal
Nature, concludes that the combined heating effect of greenhouse gases
and the brown clouds is enough to explain the withdrawal of Himalayan
glaciers observed in the past half century. The glaciers supply water to
major Asian rivers, which comprise the principal water supply for
billions of people in China and India.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 1 August 2007
POVERTY-ENVIRONMENT
INITIATIVE LAUNCHES PORTAL
The launch of the portal UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI)
in July 2007 marked another milestone in the process of scaling-up the
UNDP-UNEP global partnership on PEI. The website will be gradually built
up as part of the knowledge management programme of the newly
established UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Facility in Nairobi. In early
September 2007, the
Division of Regional Cooperation
will share with partners and
stakeholders an overall update on the status of and future plans for PEI
scale-up and the Poverty-Environment Facility.
Link to further information
PEI website
JULY 2007
UNEP AND ECA TO COOPERATE ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
At a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 23 July 2007, the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
announced their intention to cooperate on African environment-related
issues, including the economic costs of climate change and financing the
shift to a low-carbon economy. They also decided to revise their
existing agreement to cover environmental statistics, adaptation
economics, and sustainable production and consumption.
Link to
further information
UN News release, 23 July 2007
UNDP SETS OUT TO JUMP-START CARBON MARKET IN EASTERN EUROPE AND THE CIS
The UN Development
Programme (UNDP) has launched the project Leveraging Carbon Finance
for Sustainable Development in South-eastern Europe and the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), aiming to develop public and
private sector capacities to access carbon finance, identify
opportunities, and provide project management services to individual
projects to help jump-start a carbon market in the region. To date
participation in the Kyoto Protocol's flexible mechanisms, the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI), has been
limited in many of these countries due to low awareness and
understanding of carbon finance.
Within the framework of UNDP's carbon finance project, however,
capacity-building
initiatives have been initiated in Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Uzbekistan, as well as pilot
efforts in Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine, with Macedonia recently presenting a
strategy, developed with UNDP support, to enable participation in
CDM. Training was also held recently in Ukraine to build private sector
capacity to initiate and develop JI projects.
Link to further information
UNDP Press release, 12 July 2007
UNICEF PARTNERS WITH THE EU TO
PROVIDE ACCESS TO WATER TO DJIBOUTI'S POOR
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the EU and the
government of Djibouti have entered into a partnership to provide access
to clean drinking water to at least 25,000 of the poorest and most
vulnerable rural residents of the country. Through the venture, the EU
will provide UNICEF with two million Euros for its water and sanitation
programme with the Ministry of Agriculture. The agency will provide
technical expertise and contribute an additional 60,000 Euros. The EU
and UNICEF partnership programme aims to install water facilities and
strengthen community participation in maintaining the water
infrastructure in Djibouti.
Link to further information
UNICEF Press Release, 2 July 2007
UNDP-GEF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
PROJECT REPORTS PROGRESS
The UN Development Programme-Global Environment Facility's (UNDP-GEF)
project Biodiversity conservation in coffee, which seeks to
protect coffee farmers and biodiversity in Latin America, is making
strides, according to a project report dated 14 June 2007. The project
focuses on establishing new, environmentally and socially responsible
ways of doing business, and one of the main strategies is to transform
productive practices in the coffee sector by increasing market demand
for certified sustainable coffee. The project works with major coffee
traders, roasters and importers to increase the volumes of Rainforest
Alliance certified (RAC) coffee, one of the most rigorous and complete
sustainability standards in the coffee industry. An early success has
been the announcement that 1,200 McDonald's restaurants in the UK and
Ireland will exclusively sell RAC coffee.
Link to further information
UNDP-GEF Project report
JUNE 2007
UNEP FI LAUNCHES CLIMATE CHANGE DECLARATION BY
FINANCE SECTOR
The
UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) launched its
"Declaration on Climate Change by the Financial Services Sector," signed
by over 20 of UNEP FI member companies, on 5 June 2007. The declaration
states, among other things, that: anthropogenic climate change is real;
the cost of inaction will be extremely high; financial institutions must
take greater action and integrate climate change into their everyday
decision-making; and governments need to set ambitious, long-term
targets for emissions reduction. The statement will remain open for
endorsement in the run-up to the climate change negotiations in Bali,
Indonesia, in December 2007.
Link to further
information
UNEP FI Statement, 5 June 2007
UNESCO REMOVES SITES
FROM WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER
The UN Education, Scientific and Cultural
Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee, which is meeting in
Christchurch, New Zealand from 23 June-2 July 2007, has announced that
The Everglades National Park in the United States and Río Plátano
Biosphere Reserve in Honduras have been removed from the List of World
Heritage in Danger. The objective of the World Heritage Committee's
meeting is to examine the state of conservation of sites on UNESCO's
World Heritage List and on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Link to further information
UN News release, 24 June 2007
UNDP LAUNCHES MDG CARBON FACILITY
On 5 June 2007, the UN Development
Programme (UNDP) announced the launch of its MDG Carbon Facility, as
well as an agreement with the banking and insurance company Fortis,
designating it to be the financial services provider for the Facility.
The MDG Carbon Facility is a
mechanism seeking to provide assistance to greenhouse gas reduction
projects in the developing world, as well as to harness the resources of
the carbon market to deliver real, sustainable benefits to the
environment and contribute to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Fortis' role will be to purchase and sell on the emissions-reduction
credits generated by these projects, and the profits from the purchases
will provide developing countries with resources to finance investment
and to promote development. The MDG Carbon Facility will operate within
the framework of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint
Implementation and aims to address the CDM's current limitations in
terms of geographical reach and focus on "end of pipe" technologies. The
partnership between UNDP and Fortis covers an initial pipeline of
projects which will generate 15 million credits during the Kyoto
Protocol's first commitment period (2008-2012).
Links to further information
UNDP Press release, 5 June 2007
MDG Carbon Facility website
UN REFORM PILOTS
STARTING TO DEVELOP "ONE UN" PROGRAMMES
Several countries that are part of the "One
UN" pilot initiative, which will test how the UN family can deliver in a
more coordinated way at country level, have started to develop "One
Programmes" by translating their joint vision, detailed by their UN
Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), into a joint operational
document. Viet Nam, which started before the "One UN" pilot initiative,
has operationalized part of its UNDAF in a "One Plan" of six UN entities
that will be amended to include a further five UN agencies in 2008.
Mozambique has produced a common operational document and Rwanda just
finalized a draft outline of a similar document. Albania has been
drafting a "One Programme Framework," while Cape Verde is discussing how
other agencies can become involved in the Executive Committee agencies'
(i.e. UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP) existing common operational document.
Link to further information
Formula One Newsletter, Issue 3, June 2007
WORLD ENVIRONMENT
DAY STATEMENTS CALL FOR ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
World Environment Day – 5 June 2007 – was celebrated globally under
the theme "Melting Ice – A Hot Topic?" To mark the day, UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon wrote an opinion column for The International
Herald Tribune in which he noted that "Solutions to global warming
proposed by developed nations cannot come at the expense of less
fortunate neighbours on the planet." Leaders of several UN agencies and
their partners urged the G8 leaders to adopt emissions targets during
their 6-8 June 2007 meeting, with senior officials from the UN
Development Programme, the Convention on Biodiversity and the World
Conservation Union encouraging G8 leaders "to protect the diversity of
life on earth and support adaptation and mitigation of climate change"
and the heads of more than 20 financial service companies who are
members of the UN Environment Programme's Finance Initiative calling on
G8 leaders to adopt deep emission reduction targets no later than 2009.
Links to further information
UN news reports, 5 June 2007
UN news reports, 5 June 2007
MAY 2007
45 SITES NOMINATED FOR INCLUSION ON WORLD HERITAGE LIST
In a press release on 31 May 2007, the UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announce that 45 sites have been
nominated for inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The nominated
sites this year include 11 natural sites, 32 cultural sites and two
mixed sites. The World Heritage Committee will consider requests for the
inscription of the new sites on the World Heritage List at its meeting
in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 27 June-2 July 2007.
Links to
more information
UNESCO Press release, 31 May 2007
The
World Heritage List
GLOBAL COMPACT INTRODUCES BUSINESS LEADERSHIP
PLATFORM ON CLIMATE CHANGE
In a press release on 30 May 2007, the UN Global Compact introduced the
statement "Caring for Climate: The Business Leadership Platform,"
drafted by the UN Environment Programme, WBCSD and Global Compact, which
provides a practical platform for Global Compact participants to advance
climate change solutions and demonstrate leadership. Global Compact
anticipates that a significant number of business leaders will become
signatories of the statement, and expects that the occasion of the
Global Compact Leaders Summit (Geneva, Switzerland, 5-6 July 2007) will
be used to express the urgent need to address climate change.
Links to
further information
UN Global Compact Press release, 30 May 2007
The
Statement
INDONESIAN TEENAGERS AWARDED FOR IMPROVING
LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
Two teenage girls from Indonesia, Wening Pranaya and Vania Santoso, have
received first prize in the Volvo-UNEP Adventure Award 2007. Their
project 'Waste for a Better Future' involves removing rubbish and
recycling it into souvenirs with the additional advantage of adding
value and helping overcome poverty. The Volvo Adventure, in partnership
with UNEP, is an educational programme that rewards environmental
projects undertaken by young people to improve their local environment.
'Waste for a Better Future' competed against 365 projects
submitted from 47 countries worldwide.
Link to
further information
UNEP Press release, 30 May 2007
QATAR TO HOST FOLLOW-UP
TO UNGA DEBATE ON MDGs
In a letter dated 7 May 2007, UN General
Assembly (UNGA) President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa has informed UN
Member States about the meeting entitled "Financing Development to
achieve the MDGs" to take place in Doha, Qatar, from 17-18 June 2007,
which is a follow-up to the thematic debate "Partnerships to achieve the
MDGs," held in November 2006. The meeting will focus on translating
existing commitments into action, reviewing developing country efforts
to implement scaled up Millennium Development Goal (MDG) strategies, and
exploring innovative financing sources, and could serve as an input to
the preparatory process of the 'Follow-up International Conference on
Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey
Consensus,' which will convene in Doha in the second half of 2008.
Links to further information
UNGA President's letter, 7 May 2007
Draft programme
UNEP, UNDP AND WORLD
BANK TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION ON ENERGY ACCESS
At a Ministerial luncheon during the
Commission on Sustainable Development at UN Headquarters, New York, US,
on 10 May 2007, representatives from the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank expressed
their commitment to strengthen their cooperation on energy access, with
a view to supporting poverty reduction and sustainable development. The
cooperation will build on existing partnerships such as the UNEP/UNDP
Poverty Environment Facility and collaboration between UNDP and the
World Bank on strategies for reducing poverty.
Links to further information
UNPD Press release, 10 May 2007
IISD RS coverage of the side event
RAMSAR, UNESCO AND
IUCN SIGN MOU WITH AIRLINE GROUP
On 14 May 2007, the Ramsar Convention,
UNESCO-Man and the Biosphere (MAB) and IUCN-the World Conservation Union
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Star Alliance
airline group, thereby launching "Biosphere Connections." This new
programme will develop over the next years as a key means to communicate
to the wider public the activities of the three organizations. In
addition, under the partnership, the Star Alliance will assist field
workers from the three environmental agencies with transport to relevant
meetings.
Links to further information
Ramsar Press Release, 14 May 2007
IUCN press release, 14 May 2007
Biosphere connections website
ALBANIA LAUNCHES
ONE UN PILOT PROGRAMME
On 14 May 2007, the Government of Albania together with a number of
UN Agencies launched the country's One UN Pilot Initiative. By way of a
nationally led process, UN Agencies in Albania are developing the One UN
Programme to enhance their efficiency and collaboration. The programme
will focus on addressing national priorities such as: more transparent
and accountable government; increased access to quality basic services;
gender equality; and the environment.
Link to further information
UNDP Press release, 14 May 2007
UNEP/CHINESE INITIATIVE TO CURB ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
An initiative to assist customs officers in China deal with
multi-billion dollar environmental crime has been initiated by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), secretariats of multilateral environment
agreements (MEAs), the Chemical Weapons Convention, the World Customs
Organisation and Interpol. The effort seeks to equip customs officials
with the necessary skills and know-how to address this growing problem.
A wide range of chemicals are controlled, banned or subject to phase
outs under MEAs, nonetheless, environmental crime and illegal trade is
estimated to be valued at tens of billion dollars a year.
Link to further information
UNEP Press release, 16 May 2007
EQUATOR PRIZE
AWARDED TO FIVE COMMUNITY GROUPS
The UN Development Programme announced the winners of the Equator
Prize on 22 May 2007 during a ceremony at UN headquarters in New York,
US. Five community groups from tropical regions in Africa, Asia and
Latin America won the US$ 30,000 prize for their initiatives to
alleviate poverty while conserving local biodiversity. The honor
recognized efforts to: sustainably manage an octopus fishery in
Madagascar; conserve grasslands and savannah as part of an ecotourism
venture in Kenya; conserve nut forests in Guatemala; promote the
alternative use of marine resources and control invasive plant species
in Ecuador; and deliver information to locals about sustainable
agricultural practices and market prices in Bangladesh.
Links to further information
UNDP news release, 22 May 2007
Webcast of announcement
UNEP ANNOUNCES THAT
BILLION TREE CAMPAIGN HIT GOAL ON INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
The UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) campaign to secure pledges to
plant one billion trees has achieved its goal seven months early. To
mark International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May 2007, Senegal
pledged to plant 20 million trees, taking the campaign over its target.
The campaign will now switch to ensuring that the pledges result in one
billion planted trees by the end of the year.
Link to further information
UNEP news release, 22 May 2007
UN INITIATIVE ON RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT GAINING
MOMENTUM
The Principles of Responsible Investment, an initiative of the UN Global
Compact and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI),
has announced that, on its first anniversary, it has
attained over 180 leading institutional signatories, representing more
than US$ 8 trillion in assets under management. The Principles of
Responsible Investment are voluntary and provide a framework for
analyzing environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues in
the investment process. The newly established PRI Engagement
Clearinghouse is the first global collaborative forum for investors to
work together and share knowledge to take action on ESG issues.
Link to further information
Principles of Responsible Investment Press release, 29 April 2007
APRIL 2007
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL HOLDS CLIMATE TALKS WITH
BARROSO, GORE
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has held meetings with European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and former US Vice President Al
Gore, with climate change the key topic of discussion. The
Secretary-General reiterated his strong commitment to the issue and
mobilizing political will, and said he would raise the issue during the
G8 Summit in June.
Link to further information
UN news release, 27 April 2007
UN LAUNCHES
LEADERSHIP CAPACITY SCHEME FOR WORLD'S POOREST COUNTRIES
On 25 April 2007, the UN launched a programme to assist least
developed countries (LDCs) in developing their national leadership
capacity to address key development challenges, ranging from HIV/AIDS to
poverty reduction. The programme will initially pilot in nine countries,
including Cambodia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda,
Yemen and Zambia. Anwarul K. Chowdhury, UN High Representative for the
Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing States and Small Island
Developing States, has indicated that, if successful, the initiative
will be extend to 20 LDCs by the end of 2007 and will cover all 50 LDCs
by next year.
Links to further information
Zeenews.com, 28 April 2007
UN-Office of the
High Representative for the
Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing States and Small Island
Developing States
website
INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES COORDINATE ACTION TO
ADDRESS ILI-BALKHASH BASIN ISSUES IN KAZAKHSTAN
To coordinate their activities, the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Centre in Almaty (Kazakhstan), the European
Commission's delegation to the Republic of Kazakhstan, the World Bank,
the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) and IHP met
at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
office in Almaty, where they agreed to enhance their cooperation to
address the threats faced by the Ili-Balkhash Basin. The Basin is
affected by uncontrolled water consumption and pollution from growing
industrial and agricultural needs.
Link to further information
European Commission's Press release, 17 April 2007
UN PUBLIC
INFORMATION TO FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND MDGS
Recently appointed UN Under-Secretary-General Kiyotaka Akasaka has
outlined the priorities of the Department for Public Information for
2007, stating that attention will be paid to four themes: peace and
security; climate change; development and the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs); and human rights. Akasaka also drew attention to the wide
reach of the UN website, which logs over 50 million unique visits
annually, and the important work of the UN Information Centres operating
in various countries.
Link to further information
UN News release, 30 April 2007
UNESCO
URGES DRC TO END KILLING OF ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN WORLD HERITAGE SITES
In a letter from Koïchiro
Matsuura, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's
(UNESCO) Director-General, to Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Jean-Marie Guehenno, UN
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Matsuura urges that
measures be taken to stop the poaching and killing of endangered animals
in the five World Heritage sites of the DRC. The letter follows reports
that several hundred hippopotami and at least two mountain gorillas have
been killed in recent months in the Virunga National Park, which was
inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 and on the World Heritage
List in Danger in 1994. Matsuura also calls for extending the mandate of
the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC) to include protection of the DRC's World
Heritage sites and other protected areas.
Link to
further information
UNESCO World Heritage Conservation press release, 26 April 2007
EU PROPOSES WAY FORWARD ON INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL
GOVERNANCE
In a document to the Co-Chairs of the UN General Assembly informal
consultations on the UN's environmental activities, dated 20 April 2007,
the European Union outlines a proposal for the next steps to be taken
regarding international environmental governance (IEG). To achieve an
IEG architecture that will meet the growing number and intensity of
environmental challenges, the EU advocates upgrading the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) into a specialized agency, a UN Environment
Organization (UNEO). Arguing that the existing processes and agreements
on strengthening IEG have not been accompanied by the necessary
political weight and that progress on implementation has been slow, the
EU asserts that a UNEO could help achieve the essential reform by
"injecting ambition and political weight." The EU's vision for UNEO's
mandate, institutional structure and rationalization of financing is
outlined in the document. In addition, the EU argues that the
establishment of a UNEO should be accompanied by a broader strategy for
strengthening IEG, noting that a number of processes are open to pursue
IEG reform, including UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial
Environment Forum, the General Assembly informal consultations on UN's
environmental activities, UN System-wide Coherence follow-up, and the
French-led group of the Friends of UNEO.
Link to
further information
EU Contribution document to Co-Chairs, 20 April 2007
UNDG LAUNCHES NEWSLETTER ON UN REFORM PILOTS
The UN Development Group (UNDG) has released the first issue of "Formula
One," a monthly newsletter that aims to provide regular
updates from the eight "One UN" pilot countries – Albania, Cape Verde,
Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uruguay and Viet Nam. Four
months into the implementation of the "One UN" initiative, UNDG reports
that the pilot countries' approaches to translating the vision for
greater coherence will differ from country to country, noting that space
is needed for experimentation to explore each pilot's own solutions at
the country level.
Links to further information
UNDG One UN Pilots website
Formula One, Issue 1, April 2007
SUCCESSFUL INDIAN
SOLAR PROGRAMME RECEIVES AWARD
UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Indian
Solar Loan Programme was honoured with the Energy Globe at a ceremony on
11 April 2007 in Brussels, Belgium. The four-year Indian Solar Loan
Programme was launched in 2003 with support from the UN Foundation and
Shell Foundation, and is a partnership between UNEP, the UNEP Risoe
Centre, and two of India's largest banking groups with the objective to
establish a consumer credit market for financing solar home systems in
Southern India. The programme's innovative financing arrangement
involves an interest rate reduction, market development support, and a
process to qualify solar suppliers. UNEP has taken advantage of the
Indian Solar Loan Programme's success to expand into other areas,
including solar water heating loan programmes now underway in Morocco
and Tunisia.
Link to further information
UNEP India press release, 12 April 2007
RWANDA JOINS "ONE UN"
PILOT PROGRAMME
In a signing ceremony on 10 April 2007,
Rwanda's government officially confirmed that it will join the "One UN"
pilot programme. The initiative, which will also be carried out in
Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uruguay and Viet
Nam, aims to ensure coherency and effectiveness by consolidating a
single UN presence in the country, while capitalizing on the strengths
and comparative advantages of the different members of the UN family.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, Moustapha Soumaré, said the main
goal of joining the "One UN" programme is to create a more efficient UN
to build a better future for Rwandans. The initiative is part of the
larger reform effort called for in the UN High-Level Panel on
System-wide Coherence report released in November 2006.
Link to further information
UNDP press release, 10 April 2007
MARCH 2007
G-77/CHINA AND NAM CONVEY VIEWS ON UN SYSTEM-WIDE COHERENCE
In a letter to
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dated 29 March 2007, the Group of 77
and China (G-77/China) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have drawn
attention to several of their concerns regarding the System-Wide
Coherence report and the follow-up process. The letter stresses that the
implementation of recommendations contained in the report should follow
in-depth intergovernmental consideration and agreement by the General
Assembly, and states that several issues are not sufficiently covered in
the report, such as the quality and quantity of financial
resources for operational activities, effective intergovernmental
governance, and coordination and cooperation with the Bretton Woods
Institutions and bilateral donors. G-77/China and NAM also caution that
the proposed creation of the Sustainable
Development Board needs careful consideration to avoid duplicating the
work of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Link to further information
Choike press release, 29 March 2007
UNDP SIGNS MOU TO SUPPORT CHINESE CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIONS
In a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) signed on 26 March 2007, in Beijing, China, the
UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the governments of China and Norway
have agreed
to support a new project focusing on
developing and implementing provincial programmes on climate change
mitigation and adaptation. Entitled "The Provincial Climate Change
Programme in China," the project will support efforts to implement
China's national climate change programme in seven provinces, and is
expected to be launched in mid 2007.
Link to further
information
UNDP press release, 26 March 2007
SRI LANKAN TEA PROMOTES
GLOBAL COMPACT
On 19 March 2007, Sri Lankan companies
Kelani Valley Plantations Ltd. and Mabroc Teas Ltd. announced plans to
distribute information about the ten UN Global Compact principles to
consumers worldwide in two new tea brands. With a view to connecting
Global Compact advocacy with implementation, the profits from the tea's
sale will contribute to improving the living environment for some 10,000
families involved in tea production in the Kelani Valley Plantations.
Links to further information
UN News release, 19 March 2007
The ten UN Global Compact principles
WWF HOSTS CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAMME
WWF has launched a new corporate
responsibility and sustainability programme for business managers,
entitled "One Planet Leaders." The programme is designed to develop the
competencies of senior managers in international businesses to build on
existing policies and apply the principles of corporate responsibility
and sustainability to company strategy and operations. The first
workshops will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from April to June
2007.
Link to
further information
WWF website
UNDP ANNOUNCES
FINALISTS FOR BIODIVERSITY PRIZE
On 12 March 2007, the Equator Initiative, a
partnership between the UN, civil society, business, governments and
communities led by UN Development Programme (UNDP), announced the
finalists for its 2006 Equator Prize, honoring 25 efforts to conserve
and sustainably use the equatorial region's biodiversity with a view to
reducing poverty. The finalists' projects range from innovative
ecotourism to sustainable crocodile-egg harvesting.
Link to further information
UNDP press release, 12 March 2007
CO-CHAIRS REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL REFORM DOCUMENTS
In a
letter dated 5 March 2007, Co-Chairs Berruga (Mexico) and Maurer
(Switzerland) of the General Assembly informal consultations on
environmental governance have informed UN Member States that a summary
of the debriefing on their attendance at the Paris Conference for Global
Ecological Governance and the 24th session of the UN Environment
Programme Governing Council/Global Environment Ministerial Forum, held
on 15 February 2007, is available online. The letter also highlights
that the dedicated website has been updated with the talking points used
for the Co-Chairs' presentation at the meetings in Paris and Nairobi, in
addition to all available country statements made during the informal
consultations in January 2007.
Links to further information
Co-Chairs' letter, 5 March 2007
UN Reform Environmental Governance
INTERNATIONAL
BIOFUELS FORUM LAUNCHED AT UN
The International Biofuels Forum, a joint
project of Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the United States and the
European Commission, was launched at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on
2 March 2007. The forum will seek to expand the world market for
alternative fuels and to structure the dialogue among the biggest
producers and consumers of biofuels to establish common norms and
standards, and work towards the commoditization of biofuels. A further
objective is to identify ways to encourage investment in countries with
the potential to develop alternative fuels. The International Biofuels
Forum will meet regularly for one year and plans to convene an
international biofuel conference in Brazil in 2008.
Links to further information
UN News Release, 2 March 2007
Wired News press release, 3 March 2007
GLOBAL COMPACT AND SAN
FRANCISCO LAUNCH CLIMATE PARTNERSHIP
The UN Global Compact, the City of San
Francisco and a number of Bay Area businesses launched on 1 March 2007
the Principles on Climate Leadership
and Business Council on Climate Change (BC3) initiatives. The new
partnerships will involve voluntary actions to address climate change.
The initiative will give Bay Area businesses a forum in which to
share best practices to reduce greenhouse gases, and it will also seek
to create a model for climate action in the commercial and public
sectors that the Global Compact will aim to place in companies and
cities around the world.
Link to further information
UN Global Compact press release, 1 March 2007
UNEP FI OFFERS E-LEARNING
COURSE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
On 1 March 2007, registration opened for UN
Environment Programme Finance Initiative's (UNEP FI) latest e-Learning
course, "Climate Change: Risks and Opportunities for the Finance
Sector," which will be held from 4-25 June 2007. The course will seek to
support staff in financial institutions to enhance their knowledge on,
inter alia: the effect of climate change on energy financing and
energy alternatives; carbon finance; and the Kyoto Protocol flexible
mechanisms.
Links to further information
UNEP FI website, 1 March 2007
To register online visit
UNITAR website
FEBRUARY 2007
INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR LAUNCHED
The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 officially began on 1 March
2007. Events to mark this date included an official opening ceremony at
Palais de la Découverte, a science museum in central
Paris, France. IPY New Zealand held a launch event at Scott base,
Antarctica, attended by the New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and
Sir Edmund Hillary. To assure full and equal coverage of the Arctic and
the Antarctic, IPY 2007-8 will actually cover two full annual cycles,
from March 2007 to March 2009. It represents the largest polar
research programme in 50 years, with a major focus on global warming,
and will involve over 200 projects with scientists from
over 60 nations examining physical, biological and social research
topics.
Links to further information
IPY website
UN News Release, 26 February 2007
E-DISCUSSION LAUNCHED IN PREPARATION FOR ECOSOC
MINISTERIAL
The UN Development Group's (UNDG's) is hosting a month-long e-discussion
on "Strengthening Efforts to Eradicate Poverty" in March 2007. This discussion will
feed into the Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) annual ministerial
substantive review (AMR), which was mandated by the 2005 World Summit to
assess progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and
implementation of other goals and targets agreed at the major UN
conferences and summits over the past 15 years. The two-day AMR will
convene during ECOSOC's high-level segment in July 2007, with a number of
activities feeding into it. In addition to the e-discussion, a
global AMR preparatory event is planned to take place in New York in
March 2007 and three tentative country-led meetings are planned in
Mexico, Bangladesh and Morocco in the first half of 2007.
Link to further information
NGLS invitation to participate in e-discussion
PROGRAMME
PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ARAB STATES INITIATED
The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), a UN-backed
initiative, was launched at the 24th session of UNEP Governing Council
in Nairobi, Kenya, on 7 February 2007. AFED will seek to bring together
civil society and the private sector to solve local and global
environmental concerns. Its targets include: developing a common market
for environmentally-friendly technologies and products; and producing an
annual environment progress report.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 7 February 2007
UNDP AND UNEP
LAUNCH POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT FACILITY
On 6 February 2007 the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) fortified their partnership by launching a
joint Poverty and Environment Facility at the 24th session of UNEP
Governing Council in Nairobi, Kenya. The facility is one of the first
concrete examples of UN reform and will help developing countries
integrate sound environment management into their poverty reduction and
growth policies
Link to further information
UNDP press release, 6 February 2007
UNDP AND CHINA
PARTNER ON CARBON FINANCE PROJECT
On 6 February 2007, in Beijing, China, the UN Development Programme
(UNDP) and the Chinese government announced the launch of a carbon
finance project entitled "MDG Carbon: Carbon Finance for Achieving
Millennium Development Goals." The initiative seeks to alleviate poverty
and develop the renewable energy sector in western China by introducing
carbon trading in 12 provinces. The carbon trading will be used as
a tool to generate income for impoverished communities by increasing
"green" investments.
Link to further information
UNDP press release, 6 February 2007
RAMSAR ENHANCES COLLABORATION WITH GRASP
On the sidelines of the
24th session of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing
Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-24/GMEF)
in Nairobi, Kenya, Ramsar Secretary General Peter
Bridgewater and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, in the presence
of Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) Team Leader Melanie Virtue,
signed an exchange of letters to enhance their collaboration. The GRASP
Partnership is a World Summit on Sustainable Development Type II
Partnership lead by UNEP and UNESCO, intended to lift the threat of
imminent extinction faced by gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and
orangutans across their ranges in equatorial Africa and southeast Asia.
The project partners include: Ramsar; great ape range States and donor
governments; the biodiversity-related multilateral environmental
agreements; UN institutions;
international and national great ape conservation NGOs; the global great
ape scientific community; and private sector entities. The letters
provide that the Ramsar and GRASP Secretariats will, when feasible,
cooperate: in the elaboration of management plans for Ramsar sites with
great apes; towards the designation of new Ramsar sites with great ape
habitats; on projects in or around transboundary sites with great apes
habitat; and towards capacity building of Ramsar and GRASP focal points
and site managers.
Link to further information
Ramsar press release, 9 February 2007
ITALY SIGNS AGREEMENT
WITH UNESCO TO SUPPORT WWAP
The World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)
was founded in 2000 as a collective response of the 24 agencies
comprising UN-Water to assist countries in reaching their commitments in
key water-related challenge areas. On Friday 2 February, the
Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the Minister for the
Environment, Land and Sea of the Republic of Italy, Alfonso Pecoraro
Scanio, signed an agreement whereby the Ministry will support WWAP
during its third phase (2006-2009) and the WWAP Secretariat will be
transferred to Perugia, Italy. The main objective of the third phase
will be the production of the third World Water Development Report,
which will be launched on World Water Day in March 2009.
Link to further information
UNESCO Press release, 6 February 2007
UNESCO REITERATES
COMMITMENT TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN AFRICA
In his address at the African Union Summit
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 29 January 2007, the UN Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Director-General
Koïchiro Matsuura said UNESCO would help implement Africa's Science and
Technology Consolidated Plan of Action, citing UNESCO's work in the
areas of biotechnology, biodiversity conservation and satellite remote
sensing for environmental monitoring.
Links to further information
UNESCO press release, 1 February 2007
Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura's address
UNDG ANNOUNCES PILOT
COUNTRIES FOR UN REFORM
UN Development Group (UNDG) announced on 1
February 2007 that Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda,
Tanzania, Uruguay and Viet Nam will become pilot countries in the UN
reform programme "One UN," which will assess how the UN system can
deliver in a more coordinated way at the country level. All eight pilot
countries host a wide range of UN activities and reflect a broad range
of size and levels of income, said Kemal Derviş in his role as the Chair
of UNDG. The creation of these pilots was recommended by the High-Level
Panel on UN System-wide Coherence in November 2006.
Link to further information
UNDP press release, 1 February 2007
UNEP HONOURS CHAMPIONS
OF THE EARTH 2007, ANNOUNCES AWARD FINALISTS
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed on
1 February 2007 the seven leaders who will be honoured as Champions of
the Earth 2007, attributable to being "role models who have committed
themselves to realizing a more just, equitable and sustainable world."
The winners, whose achievements range from chemical safety, sustainable
waste management and the greening of sporting events to the conservation
of deserts, rainforests and the global climate, will be presented with
their awards at a special ceremony in Singapore on 19 April 2007.
UNEP also announced ten finalists for five
Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (Seed) Awards
on 25 January 2007. The Seed Awards aim to encourage local
entrepreneurs to promote economic growth, social development and
environmental protection. Finalists are engaged in a range of
entrepreneurial partnerships, including the promotion of traditional
medicine, support of community-based tourism, and production of
alternative fuels. The five winners will be announced at the 15th
session of the Commission for Sustainable Development in May 2007 in New
York.
Links to further information
UNEP/Grid-Arendal press release, 1 February 2007
UNEP press release, 25 January 2007
JANUARY 2007
UNEP REPORT HIGHLIGHTS ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY IN
LEBANON
A report prepared by the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Post Conflict
Branch released on 23 January 2007 stresses that the environmental
problems stemming from the recent Lebanon conflict, such as damaged
water infrastructure, toxic waste and cluster bombs on farmland, need to
be urgently addressed. While the post conflict assessment report
provides a comprehensive picture of the many serious environmental
challenges facing Lebanon, a positive finding is that the marine
environment appears to have escaped serious long term damage.
Link to
further information
UNEP press release, 23 January 2007
UNDP PARTNERS WITH AZERBAIJAN TO PROMOTE RENEWABLE
ENERGY
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Azerbaijan signed two projects
to support development of renewable energy on 17 January 2007, which
will focus on creating a healthy investment environment for small
hydropower applications, and addressing legal and institutional
constraints to enable sustainable and commercial wind energy
development.
Link to
further information
UNDP press release, 17 January 2007
STRENGTHENED UNEP TOP TEAM ANNOUNCED
In a press release on 19 January 2007, the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) announced a strengthened management team, which according to UNEP
Executive Director Achim Steiner will "bring enhanced capacity, vision
and action to UNEP in order to fulfil its mandate and meet the big
challenges facing the environment and sustainable development in the
early 21st century." The new appointees include: Sylvie Lemmet (France)
who has been appointed Director, Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics; Peter Gilruth (US), Director, Division of Early Warning and
Assessment; Ibrahim Thiaw (Mauritius), Director, Division of
Environmental Policy Implementation; Janos Pasztor (Hungary),
Secretariat of the Environmental Management Group; Juanita Castaño
(Colombia), Chief of UNEP's New York liaison office; Paul Akiwumi
(Ghana), Chief of UNEP's Executive Office; and, John Scanlon
(Australia), Special Advisor on Policy and Operational Matters. The
search for a suitable candidate for the position as Director of the
UNEP/Global Environment Facility Division is ongoing.
Link
to further information
UNEP press release, 19 January 2007
FRANCE JOINS UNEP'S TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGN
UNEP has launched a second appeal to the international community to
join its global tree planting campaign, "Plant for the Planet: the
Billion Tree Campaign," from France, with several French partners
endorsing the initiative. The campaign, which seeks to help mitigate
climate change and encourage environmental action around the world, has
to date recorded over 157 million tree planting pledges globally,
including 5.5 million in France.
Link
to further information
UNEP press release, 18 January 2007
ECOSOC PRESIDENT OUTLINES 2007 GOALS
In a press briefing on 18 January 2006 to outline the UN Economic
and Social Council's (ECOSOC) goals for 2007, newly-elected President
Dalius Čekuolis (Lithuania) suggested ways
to rejuvenate ECOSOC by involving a larger variety of people, such as
government ministers, activists, academics and business executives, in
its work. In the year ahead, ECOSOC will be tasked with two major new
functions: the Annual Ministerial Review that will assess ECOSOC's
progress in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); and the
biennial Development Cooperation Forum, which involves outreach to
non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders with which ECOSOC
interacts. Čekuolis noted that the new
functions would help to strengthen accountability in delivering and
implementing the MDGs, and better coordinate the actors engaged in the
development agenda.
Links
to further information
UN News Centre, 18 January 2007
Press Conference by New ECOSOC President, 18 January 2007
UNDP AND UZBEKISTAN PARTNERS TO TAP CARBON FINANCE
POTENTIAL
On 15 January 2007, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and
Uzbekistan launched the project "Capacity Building for Clean Development
Mechanism in Uzbekistan," which will help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions and fund sustainable development by tapping the global carbon
finance market. The initiative seeks to develop public and private
sector capacities to access carbon finance by creating the necessary
legal and institutional frameworks, and to build competence for
identifying and implementing GHG reduction projects.
Link
to further information
UNDP press release, 15 January 2007
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