DECEMBER 2009
UNEP PROVIDES
TRAINING TO YEMENI RESEARCHERS TO COMBAT WATER SCARCITY
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has extended the Online Access
to Research in the Environment (OARE) project to Yemen, with a view to
transferring scientific knowledge that may contribute to fighting
climate change, food crises and water scarcity. UNEP, the World Health
Organization, Yemen's Environmental Protection Authority and the
Ministry of Water and Environment trained 30 Yemeni researchers,
scientists, planners and lecturers in the use of OARE to support the
country as it faces increasing environmental challenges due to climate
change. According to a recent World Bank report, Yemen, whose economy
largely depends on the fishing and oil industries, is facing a steep
decline in fish stock and production.
The OARE project started in 2007, when UNEP,
in partnership with the WHO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization,
Yale and Cornell Universities, international publishers and private
sector groups built one of the largest electronic collections of
scientific knowledge in environmental and related areas.
Link to further information
UN press release, 30 December 2009
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON LEADERS TO ATTEND
THE MDG SUMMIT
On 21 December 2009, following the approval of the
UN General Assembly resolution (A/64/L.36) that calls for a summit on
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) parallel to the Assembly's
annual General Debate, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on world
leaders to attend the summit in order to boost efforts to achieve the
development goals. Ban emphasized that evidence shows that the goals can
be achieved by 2015 if backed by the right set of policies, adequate
resources and political commitment. He noted that in the run-up to 2015,
efforts need to be redoubled given the threat of climate change and the
effects of the economic and financial crisis. He also noted that the
2010 MDG Summit to be held in September, at UN Headquarters, provides
the opportunity
to deliver on
long-standing development promises to the world's poorest and most
vulnerable people, particularly in Africa.
The MDGs include eight time-bound and quantifiable
goals on poverty and hunger eradication; achievement of universal
primary education; gender equality; reduction of child and maternal
mortality; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; environmental
sustainability; and global partnership for development.
Links to
further information
UN News Centre, 21 December 2009
UN Secretary-General's statement,
21 December 2009
UN GA press release,
21 December 2009
UNEP AND ICLEI LAUNCH CARBONN
The United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced a joint initiate with
the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) to create the Bonn
Center for Local Climate Action and Reporting - carbonn.
According to UNEP, carbonn aims to facilitate the access of local
governments to climate benchmarking instruments. carbonn will
assist local governments report and compare their commitments, policies,
programs and performance in greenhouse gas emission reductions. It will
also play a role in developing standards and providing guidance on local
emissions accounting and reporting.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 14 December 2010
SIMULTANEOUS
EXCOP TO THE BASEL, ROTTERDAM AND STOCKHOLM CONVENTIONS, ADVISORY
COMMITTEE REPORT RELEASED
The report of the second meeting of the
Advisory Committee for the Simultaneous Extraordinary Meetings of the
Conferences of the Parties (ExCOP) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm
Conventions has been released. The meeting took place in Bangkok,
Thailand, on 24 October 2009, and discussed the issues to be considered
by the ExCOP, the consultative process on financing options for
chemicals and wastes, and the voluntary trust fund budget. The Advisory
committee concluded that matters related to the consultative process on
financing options for chemicals and wastes would be considered by the UN
Environment Programme Governing Council Special Session, as opposed to
the ExCOP.
Link to further information
ExCOP Advisory Committee report
UNDP, IEA AND WHO REPORT UNDERLINES NEED FOR CLIMATE
CHANGE AGREEMENT TO ADDRESS ENERGY POVERTY
On 23 November 2009, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World
Health Organization (WHO), with the support of the International Energy
Agency (IEA), released a new report titled "The Energy Access Situation
in Developing Countries: A Review Focusing on the Least Developed
Countries and Sub-Saharan Africa." The report indicates that over 1.5
billion people currently lack access to electricity.
At the launch
of the publication at UN Headquarters in New York, US, Olav Kjorven,
Assistant Administrator and Director of Development Policy at UNDP,
highlighted the need to ensure that any new climate agreement adequately
addresses energy poverty. Noting that over three billion people rely on
highly polluting solid fuels for cooking, he stated that "For a climate
deal to work, it also has to be a development deal." IEA Chief Economist
Fatih Birol added that improving energy access for the disenfranchised
would not have a significant impact on the environment, citing a recent
study that found that if everyone in the world got access to
electricity, carbon dioxide emissions would rise by only 0.9%.
Links to further
information
UN News Centre, 23 November 2009
UNDP press release, 23 November 2009
UN press conference transcript
UNFPA REPORT FOCUSES
ON WOMEN, POPULATION GROWTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE
On 18 November 2009, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) launched "The State
of World Population 2009 Report on Facing a Changing World: Women,
Population and Climate Change." At the launch of the report, UNFPA
Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid noted that the report focuses on
the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable, such as the 1.5
billion poor people living under US$1 dollar a day, and on poor women
who are most likely to lose their livelihoods and to die of natural
disasters. The report stresses that policies, programmes and
international agreements should take into account the special and unique
needs and potential of women as agents for change. It makes the case
that access to reproductive health services, including family planning
and lower fertility rates, can contribute to climate mitigation and
reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The report also focuses on investments
that can empower women and girls, such as education and health
interventions, which can reduce poverty and contribute to addressing
climate change.
Links to
further information
UNFPA press release, 18 November 2009
UNFPA state of the world population 2009
NOVEMBER 2009
UNEP LAUNCHES
CONTAMINATED SITES ASSESSMENT IN NIGER DELTA
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
and the Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria, have launched an assessment
of the impacts of oil production in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta.
The assessment, requested by the Government of Nigeria, will take one
year and will focus on environmental contamination from oil field and
installations in Ogoniland. The findings of the environmental assessment
will be used to make recommendations on the appropriate levels of
remediation required to rehabilitate the land to a condition that is
environmentally acceptable. Funding for the assessment is being provided
by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 27 November 2009
UNEP LAUNCHES CLEAN UP
PROGRAM IN SUDAN
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has
launched a £1 million project, funded by the UK's Department for
International Development (DFID), to begin building a sustainable waste
management system for Juba, Sudan. The project was launched with a
clean-up that saw over 16,000 volunteers taking to the streets to tackle
the growing health hazard caused by public dumping of waste in the town.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 23 November 2009
UNEP LAUNCHES
ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME EXHIBITION
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
in collaboration with Bangkok's Emporium Shopping Complex and the Asian
Regional Partners Forum on Combating Environmental Crime (ARPEC),
organized the ARPEC Exhibition from 17-23 November 2009, at the Emporium
Shopping Complex in Bangkok, Thailand. The exhibition aimed to raise
public awareness about environmental crimes that affect people's
livelihoods, the global economy, and the world's ecosystems. The
exhibition included video presentations of five of the most prominent
crimes committed, including: illegal trade in wildlife; illegal trade in
ozone depleting substances; dumping and illegal transport of hazardous
waste; illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing; and illegal logging
and the associated timber trade.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 17 November 2009
UNDP AND SPAIN SIGN NEW PARTNERSHIP TO BOOST EFFORTS
TO ADDRESS POVERTY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
On 10 November 2009, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator
Helen Clark and Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation
Soraya Rodriguez signed a multi-year Strategic Partnership Agreement
primarily supporting UNDP projects targeting poverty and addressing
climate change. The close to 400 million partnership will help finance
projects that aim to reduce poverty and vulnerability by supporting
interventions that improve environmental management and service delivery
at the national and local levels, increase access to new financing
mechanisms and enhance capacity to adapt to climate change.
The earlier
agreement signed between Spain and UNDP dates back to 2006, when the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Achievement Fund was established to
manage 528 million – the largest contribution from a single bilateral
donor into the UN system. Currently, the MDG Achievement Fund has
financed about 130 projects across 50 countries in five regions. The
Fund has six thematic funding windows including gender equality and
women's empowerment; culture and development; economic governance;
youth, employment and migration; conflict prevention and peace building;
and environment and climate change.
Under the
thematic window for environment and climate change, 16 Joint Programmes
have been approved so far, and are being implemented in Afghanistan,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala,
Jordan, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines,
Senegal and Turkey, with an estimated total budget of $90 million.
Links to further information
UNDP press release, 10 November 2009
MDG Achievement Fund
UNEP AND UNCTAD LAUNCH ONLINE COURSE ON ORGANIC
PRODUCTION
The UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) and the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
launched the first online training course on organic production and
export. Operating under the auspices of the UNEP-UNCTAD Capacity
Building Task Force on Trade, Environment and Development (CBTF), the
course has received over 600 applications from 80 countries and
territories, and will run from 2-27 November 2009. The course aims to
build the capacities of participants to understand organic farming and
its benefits, and enable them to overcome production and export
challenges. It will also provide step-by-step guidance for conversion to
organic farming, and monitor benchmarks for quality assurance to meet
the standard and certification requirements for accessing local and
international markets.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 2 November 2009
UNITAR website
OCTOBER 2009
UNIDO LAUNCHES INITIATIVES IN SOUTH AFRICA AND TUNISIA
The United
Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with funding from
the Government of Switzerland, has launched activities to boost energy
efficiency in South African industry and promote
environmentally-friendly production in Tunisia, as part of UNIDO's Green
Industry Initiative. The Initiative aims to create national capacities
in cleaner production, strengthen dialogue between industry and
governments, and promote investments for development and transfer of
cleaner technology. The project in Tunisia is aligned with a new
programme that UNIDO is carrying out in cooperation with the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), and will contribute to UNIDO's Green
Industry initiative.
Link to further
information
UN press release, 15 October 2009
UNEP WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT LAUNCHED IN SOUTHERN SUDAN
The UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), in partnership with the UK Government, has
launched a significant waste management project in southern Sudan. The
project was launched with a clean-up in Juba, which will be replicated
across southern Sudan, coupled with a sustained awareness-raising
campaign to encourage the citizens of Juba to adopt an environmentally
friendly attitude towards the disposal of waste in the city. Under the
project, the UNEP office in Juba will provide technical support to the
Government to manage its forests and other valuable natural resources in
a sustainable manner, and work to build the capacity of Government
ministries to address environmental issues affecting Southern Sudan and
implement the 24 recommendations of UNEP's Post-Conflict Environmental
Assessment.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 15 October 2009
UNWTO ASSEMBLY ENDORSES ROADMAP FOR RECOVERY
The 18th session
of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly convened
in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 5-8 October 2009. The session concluded with
the endorsement of the Roadmap for Recovery in response to the economic
crisis and its effect on the travel and tourism sector, and the election
of a new Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai (Jordan). The Roadmap identifies
the sector's importance in global economic resilience, stimulus and
transformation to a green economy. It calls on world leaders to place
tourism and travel at the core of stimulus packages and the long-term
green economy transformation, and to give special attention and support
for developing states in terms of capacity building, technology transfer
and financing.
Link to further
information
UNWTO press release, 8 October 2009
UNDP's
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT EXAMINES MIGRATION
On 5 October 2009, at a
ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Administrator Helen Clark launched the Human Development Report (HDR)
2009 on "Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development." The 2009
issue of this annual report focuses on migration within and beyond
borders, trends in growth and inequality, and short term and seasonal
migration. UNDP Administrator Clark stressed that the report challenges
many of the stereotypes surrounding the debate on migration. The report
indicates that about 1 billion people are migrants, with the majority –
740 million – moving internally within their own countries. The report
also indicates that less than three out of ten transnational migrants
move from a developing country to a developed one.
The report notes that
although demographic trends will continue to play a significant role in
shaping pressures for migration movements, climate change phenomena will
also come into play. It estimates that about 200 million to 1 billion
people will be forced to migrate as a result of climate change.
Nevertheless, the report cautions that this figure does not take into
account the effect of adaptation measures that individuals, communities
and countries may put into place. The report emphasizes that the effect
of environmental factors on migration patterns are directly related to
livelihood opportunities and public policy responses combined.
The 2009 HDR also calculates
the human development index, which combines measures of life expectancy,
literacy, school enrollment rates and gross domestic product (GDP) per
capita, for 182 countries and territories. Norway, Australia and Iceland
are top ranked this year, with Niger, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone at
the bottom of the ranking.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 5 October 2009
UN News Centre, 5 October 2009
UNDP Human Development report 2009
WORLD
HABITAT DAY FOCUSES ON "PLANNING OUR URBAN FUTURE"
On the occasion of World
Habitat Day, celebrated on 5 October 2009, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
highlighted that the theme for this year, "Planning our Urban Future,"
reflects the urgency of major urban challenges caused by rapid
urbanization, including expansion of the informal sector and the role of
cities in causing or mitigating climate change. He said that governments
at all levels are failing to address these challenges and called for
better and equitable urban planning that can rely on good urban
governance and the involvement of the urban poor on decisions that
affect their lives. He stressed the need to mobilize financing for urban
development and to secure safer and more environmentally friendly public
transport options, housing security, public services.
In her message on World
Habitat Day, UN Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT) Executive
Director Anna Tibaijuka stressed that urbanization and climate change
are inseparable, noting that urban planning offers the best solution to
reduce emissions through economies of scale and large-scale urban
initiatives. Tibaijuka noted that there is a need to integrate the brown
agenda, focused on the built environment, and the green agenda, focused
on the natural environment. She noted also that climate change
mitigation can be accomplished through the selection and improvement of
building materials, development of distributive power and water systems,
sustainable transport, reducing slums and striving for carbon-neutral
cities. As part of the celebration of World Habitat Day, UNHABITAT
released the Global Report on Human Settlements 2009, which focuses on
the new role for urban planning for the future of sustainable cities.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 5 October 2009
UNHABITAT World Habitat Day 2009
UNEP AND FAO LAUNCH WEBSITE FOR BASEL, ROTTERDAM AND
STOCKHOLM SIMULTANEOUS EXCOP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) have launched a dedicated website for the
Simultaneous Extraordinary Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to
the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, scheduled to convene
from 22-26 February 2010, in Bali, Indonesia. The website includes new
information about the Advisory Committee on the ExCOPs and the
Consultative Process on Options for Financing Chemicals and Wastes.
Link to further information
ExCOP website
GEF,
UNEP AND PARTNERS LAUNCH RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT INSURANCE SCHEME
The Global Environment
Facility (GEF) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have backed a
global renewable energy insurance facility, which will offer an
innovative mechanism for insuring renewable energy projects in
developing countries. The facility was launched by Munich, RSA Insurance
Group (RSA), and CarbonRe. It will be operated via an internet website
and will offer standard and customized insurance solutions for renewable
energy projects in developing countries.
Link to further information
The Global Renewable Energy Insurance Facility website
SEPTEMBER 2009
UNEP
ANNOUNCES NEW CLIMATE NEUTRAL NETWORK MEMBERS
The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that sixteen new umbrella
organizations, including cities, cooperatives, railways, postal
services, industry and civil society associations, have joined the
Climate Neutral Network – an initiative to promote global action to
de-carbonize our economies and societies. The announcement came on "Go
Carbon Neutral Day," 23 September, which was held as part of Global
Climate Week, 21-25 September 2009.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 23 September 2009
UNEP CALLS FOR
"CHAMPIONS OF THE EARTH" NOMINATIONS
The United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that nominations are
now open for the sixth cycle of the Champions of the Earth award. There
are four award categories: policy leadership, science and innovation,
entrepreneurial vision, and inspiration and action. In 2010, each
Champion will be receive US$40,000. The award ceremony will be hosted in
Seoul, Republic of Korea, alongside the annual Business for the
Environment conference, on 22 April 2010.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 15 September 2009
CBD SECRETARIAT STRENGTHENS COOPERATION WITH UNEP-WCMC,
UNWTO
The Secretariat of the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Conservation Monitoring
Centre of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC) signed a Memorandum
of Cooperation that sets out a work programme of cooperation between the
CBD and UNEP-WCMC. The multi-year programme of work builds on an
agreement established in March 2006, on the existing collaboration
between UNEP-WCMC and the CBD Secretariat and Parties, in order to bring
the technical and capacity-building expertise within UNEP-WCMC to bear
on the improved implementation of the Convention and enhance the
preparation of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to be
held from 19-29 October 2010, in Nagoya, Japan.
On the margins of the third World Climate Conference, the CBD
Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the United Nations
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), aiming to raise public awareness of
the inter-relationship between biodiversity and tourism. Both parties
will work towards maximizing tourism's positive contribution to
conserving biodiversity and enhancing the quality of life of local
people.
Links to further information
CBD communiqué, 3 September 2009
CBD-UNWTO joint press release, 4 September 2009
TEEB UPDATE HIGHLIGHTS ECOSYSTEM PRESERVATION'S KEY
ROLE IN COUNTERING CLIMATE CHANGE
Investing in the restoration and maintenance of the Earth's
ecosystems can play a key role in countering climate change and
climate-proofing vulnerable economies, says a new climate issues update
by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project, which
was launched by Germany and the European Commission and is hosted by the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The issues update was launched by TEEB study leader Pavan Sukhdev,
with German Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, European
Commission Director-General for Environment Karl Falkenberg, and UNEP
Executive Director Achim Steiner. The update indicates that ecosystems
represent one of the biggest untapped allies against climate change, and
underlines the need for an agreement on funding for forests and for
addressing damage caused by rising temperatures and ocean acidification
to coral reefs.
Investing in ecosystem-based measures such as financing Reduced
Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) could assist
in combating climate change and also be a key anti-poverty and
adaptation measure. Coral reefs, on the other hand, have a key role to
play in coastal defense against a predicted rise in storm surges and
other extreme weather events.
Links
to further information
UNEP press release, 2 September 2009
TEEB website
UNEP LAUNCHES SEAL THE DEAL WEBSITE
The
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a website – Seal the Deal (http://www.sealthedeal2009.org/)
– to support the UN-led Seal the Deal climate change campaign. Users are
encouraged to support the Seal the Deal campaign by signing an online,
global petition that will be presented by civil society to governments
of the world in Copenhagen in December 2009. The website also includes
climate news and a forum for public discussion.
Link to further information
Seal the Deal website
AUGUST 2009
UN GLOBAL COMPACT TO SET UP CLIMATE CHANGE THINK
TANK ON US CONTAMINATED SITE
The UN has
announced that one of the US' most polluted sites will be redeveloped as
a green technology complex. When completed in 2012, the complex will
house a climate change think tank called the UN Global Compact
Sustainability Center, which will work to identify green solutions to
global environmental challenges and provide a conference centre and UN
offices.
The
Hunters Point Shipyard, located on San Francisco Bay, US, was once the
US military's largest facility for applied nuclear research. A
US$500-million clean-up project is headed by the UN Global Compact group
and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The UN Global Compact was
launched in 2000 and is supported by six UN agencies, including the UN
Environment Programme.
Link to further information
UN press release, 11 August 2009
JULY 2009
UNEP AND ICRAF DEVELOPING CARBON MEASURING METHODS
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), a research center of the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), are partnering in
a project to provide the basis for widespread adoption of agroforestry
and other sustainable forms of agriculture. The Carbon Benefits Project,
launched in May 2009, is developing a standard and reliable method for
accurately measuring, monitoring, reporting and projecting how much
carbon each kind of land use is storing. This global project makes use
of the latest remote sensing technology and analysis, soil carbon
modeling, ground-based measurements and statistical analysis.
Link to
further information
UNEP press release
UN EXECUTIVE HEADS CALL FOR COPENHAGEN TO BE TURNING
POINT FOR A GLOBAL GREEN ECONOMY
The United Nations System
Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), which groups the
executive heads of the organizations of the UN
system,
issued a statement saying that the solidarity of the international
community is being tested and economic recovery should be "the turning
point for an ambitious and effective international response to the
multiple crises facing humanity." They further noted "the most
representative testing case is when governments meet to seal the deal on
climate change in Copenhagen in December 2009. Let Copenhagen be the
turning point for ushering in a global green economy." Their joint
statement was issued as an initiative of
CEB's
High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP).
Link to further
information
Joint statement
FAO COUNCIL AGREES TO
HOLD THIRD WORLD FOOD SUMMIT IN NOVEMBER
The Council of the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) agreed at its 15-19 June 2009 meeting in
Rome, Italy, to hold the third World Food Summit in November 2009. The
Summit will seek to strengthen commitment from world leaders to
eradicate hunger by 2025 and to address the root causes of the present
situation through the full implementation of the Human Right to Food.
Links to further information
FAO 136th Council meeting documents
UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service news story, 23 June 2009
JUNE 2009
UNWTO RELEASES STUDY
ON LOW CARBON TRAVEL
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
has released the report 'Towards a Low Carbon Travel and Tourism
Sector,' a study developed as a result of collaboration between the
UNWTO, the World Economic Forum, the International Civil Aviation
Organization, the UN Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Tourism
and Travel business leaders. The study supports global approaches
regarding emission trading for aviation and calls for proceeds to be
used to set up a 'Green Fund for Travel and Tourism' to help finance the
trillion dollar mitigation projects identified within the industry.
Link to further information
UNWTO website
UNEP SIGNS MOU ON GREEN
GAMES WITH RUSSIAN SOCHI OLYMPIC ORGANIZERS
In an effort to green the 2014 Sochi
Olympics, UNEP has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the
Russian Olympic organizers to help and advise them on making the Games
environmentally friendly. Environmental education schemes will also be
organized, and a series of conferences will allow international experts
to monitor and analyze key environmental indicators before and after the
Games.
Link to further information
UNEP press release
UNEP MERCURY
PROGRAMME SUPPORTS COUNTRY EFFORTS
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Mercury Programme has announced
that available funding from the UNEP Mercury Trust Fund will be used to
support partnerships, projects and activities aiming to assist
developing countries and countries with economies in transition in
understanding the nature and magnitude of the mercury problem, and in
developing tools and strategies to mitigate mercury pollution. The
maximum amount per project is US$100,000, however projects under
US$50,000 may be given preference, as may also be the case for projects
with an element of co-funding from other sources and/or substantial
in-kind contributions.
Link to further information
UNEP Mercury Programme website
UNWTO REPORTS DECLINE IN INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
According to the UN World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism demand has
deteriorated further due to the impact of the global economic recession.
International tourist arrivals declined at a rate of 8% between January
and February this year, leaving the overall volume at the same level as
recorded in 2007. At the same time, influenza A(H1N1) is also starting
to impact the sector. The impact is being closely monitored by UNWTO in
collaboration with the World Health Organization.
Link to further
information
UNWTO website
MAY 2009
UNWTO COUNCIL
RECOMMENDS NEW SECRETARY-GENERAL
The
Executive Council of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
recommended Taleb Rifai (Jordan), for the position of Secretary-General,
for the Period 2010-2013, at its meeting in Bamako, Mali, on 7 May 2009.
The recommendation will be presented for ratification by the UNWTO
General Assembly, meeting in October 2009 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Link to further information
UNWTO press release, 7 May 2009
APRIL 2009
UNEP
ORGANIZING ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND DIPLOMACY COURSE
The University of Joensuu,
Finland, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are jointly
organizing a two-week course on international environmental law-making
and diplomacy. The course will seek to transfer past experience in the
field of international environmental law to current and future
negotiators of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). The course
will take place from
28 June-10
July 2009, in Kenya. The application
deadline is 8 May
2009.
Links to further information
University of Joensuu website
UNEP training website
UNEP ANNOUNCES 2009 CHAMPIONS OF THE EARTH
On 22 April 2009, the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) announced seven innovators of positive
environmental change as UN UNEP 2009 Champions of the Earth at a gala
event in Paris, France. This year's winners were: Norwegian Environment
Minister Erik Solheim; tropical forest and climate campaigner Kevin
Conrad; photographic and public awareness pioneer Yann Arthus-Bertrand;
wind power entrepreneur Tulsi Tanti; biomimicry specialist Janine Benyus;
recycling innovator Ron Gonen; and the Ethiopian youth organization Tena
Kebena. This year, the awards moved away from geographical distribution
to recognize achievements in the areas of Policy Leadership, Science and
Innovation, Entrepreneurial Vision, Inspiration and Action, and
Next-Generation Champions.
Link to further
information
UN press release
UN
OBSERVES EARTH HOUR
With the goal of mobilizing
support for a UN agreement to address climate change, the UN observed
Earth Hour on 28 March 2009, by turning off the lights at UN facilities
worldwide. Earth Hour, which first took place two years ago, is an
initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and was observed by more
than 1000 cities and close to a billion people this year.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 20 March 2009
UNEP Earth Hour website
MARCH 2009
PROJECT TO STRENGTHEN WATERBIRD AND WETLAND CONSERVATION IN NORTH
AFRICA
A new three-year project on
"Strengthening waterbird and wetland conservation capacities in North
Africa (WetCap)" is embarking on its first year of implementation.
Within the framework of this project, capacity-building activities will
take place in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Mauritania. The
WetCap project is linked to the ongoing UNEP-GEF African-Eurasian Flyway
Project ("Wings over Wetlands"). It will be implemented under the
umbrella of the UNEP Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian
Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), in cooperation with BirdLife International,
SEO/BirdLife, Wetlands International and the Ramsar Convention.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 23 March 2009
World Water Day Observed
On the occasion of World Water Day, which
was observed on 22 March 2009, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
highlighted the potential benefits of investing in the world's
freshwaters, including the potential benefits to the global economic
recovery and to accelerating a response to climate change. UNEP further
underscored the opportunities for businesses, noting that the market for
supply, sanitation and water efficiency is expected to be nearly US$660
billion by 2020, and that global economic benefits of US$38 billion
annually could be reaped from investing US$15 billion annually in
halving by 2015 the number of people without sustainable access to safe
water and basic sanitation.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 22 March 2009
UNEP's Carbon Finance Initiative Proceeds
Carbon Finance for Agriculture, Silviculture, Conservation and Action
against Deforestation (CASCADe), which is coordinated by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP Risø Centre in partnership
with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International
Development and the French National Forestry Office, recently selected
four projects to move forward, pending formal approval of their Project
Idea Notes. The initiative, which began in December 2007, seeks to
enhance expertise in generating carbon credits, primarily in land use,
land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) and bioenergy, and focuses on the
following countries: Benin, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali and Senegal.
Link to
further information
CASCADe Website
UNEP and
Partners Launch "50 by 50" Global Fuel Economy Initiative
At the Geneva Motor Show, which convened in Geneva, Switzerland, from
5-15 March 2009, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the International
Energy Agency, the International Transport Forum and the FIA Foundation
presented their "50 by 50 Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI)," which
will seek to halve car emissions by 2050. In 2009, the GFEI intends to
undertake regional assessments, programme launches, four national pilot
projects and a fuel economy information sharing campaign.
Links to
further information
50 by 50 Initiative website
IEA Press Release, 4 March 2009
UN Press Release, 4 March 2009
CN Net Press Release, 4 March 2009
CO-CHAIRS ON SYSTEM-WIDE COHERENCE APPOINTED
The Permanent Representatives
of Namibia, Kaire Munionganda Mbuende, and Spain, Juan Antonio
Yáñez-Barnuevo, have been appointed the Co-Chairs to facilitate the
process of consultations on System-wide Coherence, including to further
discussions on the resolution adopted on 15 September 2008 (62/277).
Link to further information
GA president's letter
FEBRUARY 2009
UN PEACEKEEPERS BOOST FOOD
SECURITY WITH 'IDEAL VILLAGE' PROJECT
Peacekeepers in the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
have launched the "Bangla-Bong Ideal Village" project, which aims to use
food security as a strategy for building and strengthening the peace
process. The village comprises 150-acres of agriculture land, with
poultry, a fish pond, school and community-based farms.
Link to further
information
UN News Centre, 26 February 2009
UNEP'S CN NET RECORDS 100th PARTICIPANT
The City of Copenhagen, which
will host the UN Climate Change Conference in December 2009, became the
100th participant in the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net). CN Net is an
initiative of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that promotes
low-carbon economies and involves cities, companies, non-governmental
organizations, countries and UN agencies. Other recent additions to CN
Net include Microsoft, Daejeon, South Korea, the Norwegian County of
Aust-Agder, Deutsche Bank and News Limited.
Links to further
information
UNEP press release,
19 February 2009
UN press release, 19 February 2009
UNite to Combat Climate Change Campaign Organizes
Kilimanjaro Climb
In cooperation with the UN's
UNite to Combat Climate Change campaign and as a part of the Kilimanjaro
Initiative's fourth annual ascent to the "rooftop of Africa," ten
underprivileged youth from urban areas in Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana
summited Mount Kilimanjaro. This year's climb is intended to raise
awareness of climate change.
The Kilimanjaro Initiative,
which has brought close to 100 people to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
since 2006, is supported by the UN Federal Credit Union, the UN
Environment Programme, the UN Human Settlements Programme and the UN
Office on Sport for Development and Peace. The Initiative aims to
encourage young people to have self-belief and to enable youth to take
on a constructive role in their communities.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 5 February 2009
Informal
Consultations on Draft UNGA Resolution on Security and Climate Change
Held
In closed meetings convened by the Permanent Mission of Tonga and the
Pacific Small Island Developing States, informal consultations were held
on 6 February 2009 and 12 February 2009, at UN Headquarters in New York,
US, on the UN General Assembly (UNGA) draft resolution on "Security and
climate change" (A/63/L.8). The threat posed by climate change to
security and prosperity emerged at the Sixth UK-Caribbean Ministerial
Forum in July 2008, and has gained prominence in the UNGA with this
draft resolution, which calls on the UN Security Council to consider and
address the security threat posed by climate.
Links to further information
UN Journal, 6 February 2009
UN Journal, 12 February 2009
Draft Resolution
UNEP's CN Net
Announces New Members: Sporting Events
The UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Climate Neutral Network (CN Net)
has added new participants, including the 2014 Sochi Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games, the FIFA 2010 World Cup, "Rally Norway," the
Norwegian Grand Prix and the Norwegian Golf Federation. These sporting
events and organizations will work to neutralize their carbon footprint
through greening of the events and offsetting of the remaining carbon
emissions, including from travel. CN Net, which now has over 100
participants, was launched in February 2008 during UNEP's Governing
Council in Monaco, and is an online forum set up by UNEP, in cooperation
with the UN Environment Management Group, to tackle the challenge of
increasing greenhouse gases.
Link to further information
UNEP Press Release,
11 February 2009
Marrakech Process: Second Newsletter Released
The second newsletter for the Marrakech Process has been
released. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs are the lead agencies for this global
multi-stakeholder process to promote sustainable consumption and
production (SCP). The newsletter reports on an event held at UNEP's
Governing Council meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 18 February 2009,
titled "Building Resource Efficient Economies and Sustainable
Societies," and contains sections on: the first public draft of the 10
Year Framework of Programmes for sustainable consumption and production;
the second meeting of the Marrakech Process Advisory Committee held in
October 2008, in Paris, France; national and regional activities and
progress on SCP; the December 2008 launch of a UN Inter-Agency Network
to increase awareness of the Marrakech Process and its activities; and
other stakeholder contributions to the Marrakech Process.
Link to
further information
Second Newsletter for the Marrakech Process,
February 2009
CO-CHAIRS OF
UNGA CONSULTATIONS ON IEG REPORT ON STALLED PROCESS
The Co-Chairs of the informal consultations of the UN General Assembly (UNGA)
on the institutional framework for the UN's environment work, Peter
Maurer (Switzerland) and Claude Heller (Mexico), reported on 10 February
2009 at UN Headquarters in New York, US, that they had
"found themselves in a situation, in which the
attempt to move to a decision increased the difficulties in finding
consensus." They reported that, "Given the opposing views on some
fundamental issues, the Co-Chairs [estimated] the chance of reaching a
substantive decision during the 63rd session of the General Assembly to
be very small." They recommended that interested parties use upcoming
intergovernmental meetings to continue discussions, including the 25th
session of the Governing Council of UNEP.
Link to further
information
Co-Chairs' report
UNEP CHEMICALS
ANNOUNCES MERCURY PROJECT
The UNEP Chemicals Mercury Programme has announced a project to reduce
mercury supply and investigate mercury storage solutions in Kyrgyzstan.
The project was developed jointly with UNITAR and UNEP-GRID Arendal, and
is supported by Switzerland and the US. The project was prompted by a
request by Kyrgyzstan for assistance to consider options for phasing-out
mercury mining. A desk study being published by UNEP-GRID Arendal will
be used for information in the international forum and as a starting
point for the development of, and consultation on, the economic growth
plan. The project is expected to shift Kyrgyzstan's economy in the
Ferghana valley region away from primary mercury mining to more
economically and environmentally sound and sustainable productive
activities.
Link to further
information
Project document
JANUARY 2009
UN Secretary-General DISCUSSES CLIMATE in Davos
In two events at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined the threat of
climate change, called on the world's leaders to use the current
economic crisis to launch a new Global Compact entailing a "Green New
Deal," and called for a positive outcome from the Copenhagen Climate
Change Conference. In addition, he called for investment in renewable
energy and technological development as a means of addressing the
economic crisis, and highlighted the need for long-term thinking.
Achim Steiner, UNEP
Executive Director, also participated in sessions in Davos, discussing
the need for countries to agree on reduction targets for carbon dioxide
this fall. In a session on "biofuelling the future," Steiner discussed
the many factors that must be taken into consideration when thinking
about the tradeoffs inherent in a possible transition towards biofuels.
Links to further information
UN Press Release, 29 January 2009
UNEP Press Release, 29 January 2009
UN Secretary-General's Remarks, 29 January 2009
UNEP's CN Net Announces New Members
The Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane, in
addition to Greenfest, an Australian music festival, Clean Up the World,
an Australian community-based environmental campaign, and BalanceCarbon,
an Australian carbon management company, have joined the UN Environment
Programme's (UNEP) Climate Neutral Network (CN Net). Sydney, Australia's
biggest city, became Australia's first carbon neutral local government
in 2007. Brisbane, Australia's third largest city, aims to become carbon
neutral by 2026.
Link to further information
UNEP Press Release, 26 January 2009
Documentary on the UN Calls for Global Efforts to Tackle Climate
Change
A new documentary on the work of the UN, entitled
"Planet UN," had its world premiere at UN Headquarters in New York, US.
The film calls for unprecedented and concerted global efforts to
confront threats such as the food, energy and financial crises, climate
change and nuclear threats. The film features interviews with UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other senior UN officials, and is
directed by French documentary-maker Romuald Sciora.
Link to further
information
UN Press Release, 21 January 2009
IFAD ANNOUNCES FINANCING FOR RURAL,
LAND DEGRADATION PROJECTS
The Executive Board
of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has
approved US$258 million in new funding to reduce rural poverty in 16
developing countries, as noted by IFAD President Lennart Båge. It is
estimated that 75% of the world's poorest people, around 1 billion, live
in rural areas and are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.
IFAD hopes to support economic activities for an estimated 60 million of
people through the projects. IFAD has also announced it will
provide US$16 million, in the form of a US$8 million loan and US$8
million grant, to support the second phase of a rural rehabilitation and
development project in Niger. The project will establish local funds to
finance the collective investments of 56 rural communes and empower them
to decide on their agricultural priorities, in-line with the
Government's push for greater decentralisation. The project also seeks
to reduce or reverse land degradation by promoting sustainable land
management.
Links to further
information
UN News Centre, 15 January 2009
UN News Centre, 19 December 2008
UN
secretary-general: Climate Change is the "One True Existential Threat to
Our Planet"
In his first press conference of the year,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted 2009 as "the year of
climate change." He stressed that the climate change conference in
Copenhagen is only 11 months away, and indicated that he would engage
world leaders, including in the US, on the key issues in the
negotiations, beginning later this month at the World Economic Forum in
Davos and working toward a high-level meeting on the margins of the UN
General Assembly's general debate in September.
Link to
further information
UN Press Release, 12 January 2009
UNEP's Global
Green New Deal Gains Momentum with Investments from Japan and South
Korea
In an effort to spur economic growth, Japan
and the Republic of Korea have both announced plans to invest billions
of dollars in green projects. Japan plans to provide zero-interest loans
to environmentally-friendly companies, and ultimately to create up to
one million jobs. The Republic of Korea plans to invest 38 billion
dollars in 36 projects, which it hopes will create 960,000 jobs.
Speaking about the countries' plans, Achim Steiner, Executive Director
of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), highlighted that the
announcements echoed the UN Secretary-General's call in Poznań, in
December 2008, for a Green New Deal as the best chance for securing a
climate agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Link to
further information
UNEP Press Release, 9 January 2009
UNEP
Champion of the Earth Begins Antarctic Expedition
Prince Albert II of Monaco has begun a
month-long visit to Antarctica to assess the impact, and raise
awareness, of climate change. His trip includes visits to scientific
outposts and with top scientists. Prince Albert received the UN
Environment Programme's (UNEP) Champion of the Earth Award in 2008. He
announced that he will invest in renewable energies to offset the
greenhouse gas emissions from his visit.
Link to
further information
UNEP Press Release, 9 January 2009
GEF DEVELOPS FIVE NEW PROGRAMMATIC APPROACHES
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has
highlighted its shift in the focus of its portfolio to a programme-based
approach, in an effort to secure larger-scale and a more sustained
impact on the global environment. In this regard, five new programme
approaches approved by the GEF Council during its 34th
Council meeting in November 2009 include: a GEF Strategic Programme for
West Africa on Biodiversity, led by the World Bank, to scale-up
biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in the region in support
of poverty alleviation and growth; a GEF Strategic Programme for West
Africa on Energy led by UNIDO, to scale up investments in renewable
energy and energy efficiency in the region; a Framework for Promoting
Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Buildings led by UNDP, aimed at promoting
low-energy and low-emissions buildings, with projects submitted by UNDP
and some by UNEP; a programme to Reduce Industry's Carbon Footprint in
Southeast Asia through Compliance with a Management System for Energy,
led by UNIDO, which aims to promote sustainable energy efficiency
improvement in the industrial sector through training at the level of
systems and facilitating the introduction of energy management
standards, involving five national projects in Indonesia, Philippines,
Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia; and a Strategic Programme for
Sustainable Forest Management in the Congo Basin led by the World Bank,
aimed at strengthening the protection and sustainable management of
forest ecosystems, and also contributing to long-term innovative finance
architecture for sustainable forest management in the region by
supporting payment schemes for ecosystem services, public-private
partnerships and the establishment/strengthening of trust funds.
Links to
further information
GEF Press Release, 9 January 2009
GEF Council documents
FAO SIGNS AGREEMENT TO COLLABORATE IN MEDITERRANEAN REGION
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced
a new partnership with a Mediterranean intergovernmental organization to
promote crops and improve fisheries, among other activities. The
collaboration is with the International Centre for Advanced
Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), which was founded in 1962 and
has 13 Mediterranean member countries: Albania, Algeria, Egypt, Spain,
France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia and
Turkey. Among the activities envisioned for the partnership will be
efforts to: expedite the modernization of irrigation in the region;
prevent forest fires; and control pest entrance and spread in the region
by introducing harmonized protocols of pest monitoring.
Link to further information
UN News Centre, 8 January 2009
UNECE, FAO LAUNCH INDICATORS DATABASE FOR
SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF EUROPEAN FORESTS
The Timber and Forestry programme of the UN Economic Commission for
Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
have released a new web-based resource tool to enable researchers,
policymakers, practitioners and the general public to access data on
Europe's forests. The database includes information on the balance of
carbon in forest ecosystems, forest health condition, status of forest
biodiversity, aspects of production, and protected forest areas, as well
as social and economic aspects of the forestry sector.
The
database is a comprehensive research tool based on the report "State of
Europe's Forests 2007," and includes information collected by hundreds
of individuals and dozens of agencies. It makes information available
for 27 quantitative indicators, structured by six criteria for
sustainable forest management endorsed by the Ministerial Conference on
the Protection of Forests in Europe.
In line
with the structure of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest
management, the data illustrate trends of chosen variables for the years
1990, 2000 and 2005. It is expected that this series will be continued.
The interface enables online review and simple analysis, but also allows
selective extraction of the requested data in different formats.
Links
to further information
Indicators Database
UNECE Press Release
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