2007
Sustainable Development
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DECEMBER 2007
UN LAUNCHES
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SANITATION
International Year of Sanitation, which was launched on 21 November
2007, will seek to accelerate progress for the 2.6 billion people around
the world who do not have access to proper sanitation facilities. At the
launch, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that, "For every dollar
spent on improving sanitation it is estimated that at least nine dollars
are saved in costs related to health, education, and social and economic
development." The International Year will include regional conferences
on sanitation, including one focusing on school sanitation, and will
encourage public and private partnerships.
Link to further information
International Year of Sanitation website
NOVEMBER 2007
BLACK SEA
OIL SPILL CALLED ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER
On 11 November 2007, after a severe storm
hit the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, at least ten ships sank or ran
aground, including one tanker believed to be carrying about 1200 tones
of oil. The resulting oil spill has killed thousands of seabirds and
fish in what officials say could be the worst environmental disaster in
the region in years.
Link to further information
BBC press release, 13 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
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
OCTOBER 2007
BIGGEST US PENSION
FUND CALLS FOR DISCLOSURE OF CLIMATE RISK
The US' biggest pension fund, the California Public Employees'
Retirement System (Calpers), has called for the US Securities and
Exchange Commission to force publicly traded companies to disclose their
climate-related risks. They joined other institutional investors,
environmental groups and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in
asking for four main disclosures to analyze a company's business risk
and opportunities from climate change, including emissions, climate risk
and emissions management, physical risks of climate changes and
regulatory risks.
Link to further information
ENN/Reuters News Release, 31 October 2007
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
BRAZILIAN
PRESIDENT PROPOSES RIO+20 EVENT IN RIO
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has proposed convening
a summit on the environment in Rio. The announcement came on 25
September 2007, during Lula's statement in the UN General Assembly's
annual high-level debate. The proposed 2012 event would take place two
decades after Brazil hosted the UN Conference on Environment and
Development in the same city, and the same year that the current
commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change's
(UNFCCC) Kyoto Protocol are set to expire.
Link to further information
UN News Release, 25 September
2007
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
IMPROVEMENTS KEY TO LOWER ENERGY USE – IEA REPORT
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a report entitled
"Energy Use in the New Millennium: Trends in IEA Countries," which
examines recent trends in energy use and carbon emissions in IEA
countries. The book indicates that, while improvements in energy
efficiency have limited increases in energy use and carbon emissions,
recent gains in energy efficiency are currently only about half the rate
seen in the 1970s and 1980s. The study was undertaken by IEA to support
the G8 Gleneagles "Plan of Action for Climate Change, Clean Energy and
Sustainable Development." Among the study's findings are: appliances and
air conditioning are on track to become the most significant sources of
carbon emissions from households; in many countries, the benefits of
more efficient vehicles have been eroded by increased congestion,
changes in driver behavior and new in-car amenities; and efficiency
improvements are having a substantial impact in manufacturing.
Link to further information
IEA Press Release, 10 September 2007
CHINA ANNOUNCES
RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPORT AND TARGETS
Shang Yong, China's Vice-Minister of science and technology, informed
the International Solar Energy Society's (ISES) Solar World Congress in
Beijing China, on 18 September 2007, that his government will promote
multilateral agreements to encourage governments to support renewable
energy. The proposal reportedly calls for the establishment of
international joint laboratories and research and development centers on
renewable energy along with exchanges between scientists and engineers
in the field.
In related news, China also announced in
September that it will strive to use renewable energy for 10 percent of
its energy in 2010, and 15 percent in 2020.
Links to further information
SciDev.Net News Release, 5 September 2007
SciDev.Net news release, 19 September 2007
AUGUST 2007
CANADA, MEXICO AND
US TO CONDUCT JOINT RESEARCH ON ENERGY
On 23 July 2007, in Victoria, Canada, ministers from Canada, Mexico
and the US signed an agreement to do joint scientific research on
energy-related issues, including renewable energy, energy efficiency,
nuclear energy, fossil fuels and electricity.
Link to
further information
SciDev.Net News Release, 6 August 2007
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
ADB AND UN SECRETARY-GENERAL'S ADVISORY BOARD ON
WATER AND SANITATION AGREE TO COLLABORATE
The UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation is
mandated to promote global action on water and sanitation issues, while
the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development finance
institution. In a joint statement the two bodies agreed to collaborate
on various activities to increase investments and results in water
supply and sanitation, disaster management, and integrated water
resources management in Asia. This collaboration is expected to help
both institutions reach their objective of achieving the Millennium
Development Goals related to water and sanitation in the region.
Link to
further information
ADB Press Release, 1 June 2007
MAY 2007
ASIA-PACIFIC FORUM
ANNOUNCES SHOWCASE PROGRAMME, AWARDS
The Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED)
Secretariat has announced a call for proposals for "showcase projects"
that promote sustainable development in the region. Successful
applications will be awarded grants of up to US$30,000 each. The
deadline is 15 July 2007.
APFED also is inviting applications for the
Ryutaro Hashimoto Awards for organizations that have contributed to the
promotion of sustainable development in the region. The deadline for
applications is 16 June 2007
Links to further information
APFED
Showcase Programme
APFED
Ryutaro Hashimoto Awards
UNEP, UNDP AND WORLD
BANK TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION ON ENERGY ACCESS
At a Ministerial luncheon during the
Commission on Sustainable Development at UN Headquarters, New York, US,
on 10 May 2007, representatives from the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank expressed
their commitment to strengthen their cooperation on energy access, with
a view to supporting poverty reduction and sustainable development. The
cooperation will build on existing partnerships such as the UNEP/UNDP
Poverty Environment Facility and collaboration between UNDP and the
World Bank on strategies for reducing poverty.
Links to further information
UNPD Press release, 10 May 2007
IISD RS coverage of the side event
UN INITIATIVE ON RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT GAINING
MOMENTUM
The Principles of Responsible Investment, an initiative of the UN Global
Compact and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI),
has announced that, on its first anniversary, it has
attained over 180 leading institutional signatories, representing more
than US$ 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
BIOFUEL IN THE NEWS
The issue of biofuels and concerns about impacts related to its
production have appeared in a number of recent news reports. In his
opening statement to the Global Business for Environment Summit (B4E) on
19 April 2007, in Singapore, Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director, highlighted the need for norms and
standards and "perhaps market instruments and certification" to ensure
that biofuels meet sustainability criteria that satisfy the demands of
consumers. He added that UNEP is working through the G8 and other fora
"to try and devise a fair, equitable and sustainable biofuels industry."
On 26 April 2007, the
European Commission said that its members' decision to increase tenfold
its consumption of vehicle biofuel by 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions would increase the pressure on virgin land, especially in
Asia. The Commission has indicated that binding measures to deter the
clearing of forest or peat bogs for fuel crops such as palm oil and
methods that are energy intensive will accompany the biofuel legislation
it expects to adopt in 2008.
On 27 April 2007, a committee in the Netherlands unveiled criteria for
growing biofuels in ways that do not damage the environment or release
more greenhouse gases than they save. The Cramer Commission report
suggests that the Netherlands adopt a system to track products from
plantation to power plant, and proposes that the production of biomass
should not contribute to deforestation, deplete reservoirs of carbon
captured in the earth, compete with food crops, degrade soil or water
supplies, upset biodiversity or displace local populations.
Links to further information
UNEP News Release, 19 April 2007
MSNBC/Financial Times story about European Commission, 26 April 2007
ABC News/Associated Press story about the Netherlands, 26 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
MARCH 2007
3 MILLION EURO AVAILABLE FOR CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Partnership (REEEP), which was established at the Johannesburg World
Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 and includes over 200 partners
including 35 governments, has announced a call for tenders for renewable
energy and energy efficiency projects in developing countries and
emerging market economies. The Partnership also seeks bidders for the
production of a REEEP Report on Energy Efficiency and to commission work
around risk reduction investment in renewable and energy efficiency.
Link to
further information
REEEP Press Release, 1 March 2007
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
FEBRUARY 2007
EU ENERGY MINISTERS DISCUSS BIOFUELS AND RENEWABLES
Energy ministers from the European Union debated the European
Commission's "energy and climate change package" in mid-February and
agreed to raise biofuels use to a minimum of 10% by 2020. They rejected
a proposal to adopt an EU-wide binding target for renewables. The
package is expected to be discussed with a view to adoption at a March
summit.
Link to further information
Euractiv.com News (from WBCSD website), 19 February
GLOBAL ENERGY ASSESSMENT LAUNCHED
The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA),
together with its international partners, launched the Global Energy
Assessment (GEA) on 29-30 January 2007. This initiative will seek to
redefine the global energy policy agenda through multi-year and
multi-stakeholder activities designed to identify integrated solutions
for ameliorating existing and emerging threats associated with global
energy challenges. The GEA Secretariat showcased the initiative during
the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the 15th Session of the UN
Commission on Sustainable Development at its 26-2 March 2007 meeting.
Link to further information
GEA website
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
UNWTO SETS UP INTERNET
PLATFORM FOR TOURISM ETHICS INFORMATION EXCHANGES
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
announced on 1 February 2007 that it will collaborate with WISeKey to
deliver YouTourist, an e-Tourism Social Network to allow tourists to
exchange information based on the UNWTO's Global Code of Ethics for
Tourism. The Code sets out guidelines for safeguarding the resources
that tourism depends on, to ensure that its benefits are equitably
shared in the spirit of the Millennium Development Goals.
Link to further information
UNWTO News Release, 1 February 2007
JANUARY 2007
DESPITE GLOBAL ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN, DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES EXPECTED TO GROW IN 2007 – UN REPORT
Jose Antonio
Ocampo, UN Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, has
highlighted a new UN report's finding that developing countries will
continue to grow despite a slow down in the world economy's growth. He
said the global economic slowdown should not jeopardize the attainment
of the Millennium Development Goals during the 10 January 2007 launch of
the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2007. He added that
the Report emphasizes that, after three consecutive years of high
economic growth, the global economy is expected to unwind due to the
cooling of the housing market in the US. The slow economic growth in the
US, projected to be 2.2 percent in 2007, followed by the protracted
economic recovery of Japan and Europe, will moderate consumer demand.
Nevertheless, the report points out that East Asian economies will
continue to lead economic growth, particularly the Chinese economy. The
report indicates that coordination of economic policies could build
greater confidence in the stability of financial and foreign-exchange
markets and help avoid negative growth effects.
Links to further
information
UN News Centre, 10 January 2007
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2007
UNDESA Press release, 11 January 2007
Launching of the Report –
webcast
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
CSD RELEASES REVISED SET
OF INDICATORS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The UN Division for Sustainable
Development (UNDSD) has announced the release of the third, revised set
of indicators of sustainable development prepared for the UN Commission
on Sustainable Development (CSD). New features of this third revision
include the creation of a new set of 50 core indicators. The revisions
were finalized in 2006 by an expert group of indicator experts from
developing and developed countries and international organizations.
These revised indicators will be incorporated into the 3rd edition of
the "Blue book" on CSD indicators, which is expected to be published in
2007.
Link to further
information
CSD Indicators of Sustainable Development.
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