Children and Youth

The second UN Environment Assembly of the UN Environment Programme (UNEA-2) continued into the early hours of Saturday, 28 May 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya, after a full day of negotiations and other events on Friday. A ministerial policy review session took place in the morning, in which ministers were presented with the findings of the “Healthy Environment, Healthy People” report, a joint effort of several organizations, including the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat. Ministers and other high-level delegates proceeded to discuss the topic in two parallel roundtables before lunchtime. Drafting groups worked through the day to finalize the text of all resolutions. In the COW closing plenary, delegates accepted the package of resolutions, including resolutions on the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy, Programme of Work and budget. They agreed to change the UNEA cycle so that future meetings will take place in odd, not even, years, with the next meeting to take place in late 2017. Delegates forwarded the package to the UNEA-2 plenary for adoption. In a late-night session, UNEA-2 accepted a package of 24 resolutions and 2 decisions. Delegates debated whether to put a G-77/China-sponsored resolution on “Field-based environment assessment of the Gaza strip” (UNEP/EA.2/CRP.6) to a vote. 11:20 pm Israel calls for a vote. 11:30 pm Syria calls for a motion of “no action.” 11:57 pm Plenary suspended to allow parties to consult. 12:31 am Plenary resumes. 12: 35 am G-77/China announces the draft resolution will not be withdrawn. 12:53 am UNEA-2 Chair invites delegates to vote on whether they wish to proceed to a substantive vote on the Gaza resolution. Brazil and Syria raise points of order. 12:57 am Delegates vote by holding up pink cards. Many abstain. 1:00 am Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, announces results of the procedural vote: 36 in favour, 4 against, and 35 abstentions. He explains that UNEA requires a quorum of 97 for the result to be valid, and the quorum has not been reached in this case. 1:20 am Egypt questions interpretation of quorum rule. Secretariat apologizes for misinterpretation and says there are sufficient numbers to proceed. US disagrees, moves to suspend the session in the absence of a quorum. 1:45 am Plenary comes to a halt as delegates discuss the status of the meeting on the sidelines. 1:59 am UNEA-2 President calls for a Bureau meeting, asks delegates to remain in the room meanwhile. 2:27 am #UNEA2 Bureau returns to the room. Secretariat to conduct a roll call to check if there is a quorum present. 2:55 am Roll call shows 78 members present. One-third needed to have a legal session. But majority must be here to proceed to a vote. #UNEA2 2:59 am #UNEA2 President calls to adjourn the session, suggest to reconvene 11 am Saturday 28 May. 3:11 am Delegates consider proposal to reconvene. Egypt and Pakistan, question legal status of meeting. Colombia, EU, Ukraine and others express appreciation to all for the hard work done this week, and the agreement on 25 resolutions at UNEA-2. 3:49 am UNEA-2 President notes overwhelming support to close the session rather than reconvening. Many delegates welcome the 24 resolutions previously adopted. Rapporteur presents report of the meeting. 3:56 am #UNEA2 adopts meeting report, President gavels the meeting to a close. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has published a briefing note for the GMGSF 2016 and provided daily web coverage, daily reports from the UNEA-2. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from this meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF format. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. MINISTERIAL POLICY REVIEW SESSION “HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, HEALTHY PEOPLE” L-R: Andy Haines, Professor of Public Health and Primary Care, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and President of the Mary Robinson Foundation; Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director; Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, President of UNEA-2 and Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of the Governing Bodies, UNEP Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and President of the Mary Robinson Foundation Video message by Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO) Andy Haines, Professor of Public Health and Primary Care, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK L-R: Barbara Pompili, Minister of State for Biodiversity, France, and Jean-Patrick Le Duc, France MINISTERIAL ROUNDTABLE 1 View of the room of the Ministerial Roundtable 1 Co-Chairs of Roundtable 1, Daniel Ortega Pacheco, Minister of Environment, Ecuador, and Masoumeh Ebtekar, Vice President of Iran and Head of the Environmental Protection Organization Leonardo Trasande, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, US Omar Abdi, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Secretary, UNICEF Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Christine Dawson and Daniel Reifsnyder, US Mustafa Satilmiş, Turkey Cristina Tirado - von der Pahlen, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Aminiasi Qareqare, Fiji L-R: Cristina Romanelli and Amy Fraenkel, CBD MINISTERIAL ROUNDTABLE 2 L-R: Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany; Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa; and Jamil Ahmad, Deputy Director, UNEP Office in New York Jane Nishida, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, US, and Chair of the Advisory Group of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint Yannick Glemarec, UN Women Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat Delegates from Senegal Chencho Norbu, Bhutan Johanita Ndahimananjara, Minister of Environment, Ecology and Forests, Madagascar Rachid Firadi, Morocco Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Energy and Environment, Maldives Eleanor Parkes, Aotearoa Youth Leadership Institute, speaking on behalf of Children and Youth Major Group Mariano Castro, Vice-Mnister for Environmental Management, Ministry of Environment, Peru Delegates from China MULTI-STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE View of the multi-stakeholder dialogue on "Restoring and sustaining healthy ecosystems for people and planet: partnerships to jointly deliver on the environmental dimension of Agenda 2030" L-R: Dialogue moderators, Andrew Steer, CEO, World Resources Institute (WRI), and Sharon Sharon Dijksma, State Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Netherlands Mark Halle, Director of Trade and Investment, International Institute for Sustainable Development Joan Carling, Secretary-General, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Antonio Herman Benjamin, Justice of the National High Court, Brazil Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Stakeholder Forum O. C. Z. Muchinguri, Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Zimbabwe John Scanlon, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Participants from Major Groups and Stakeholders L-R: Andrea Reimer, Councilor, City of Vancouver, Canada, and Yunus Arikan, ICLEI COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE (COW) L-R: Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP; COW Chair Idunn Eidheim, Norway; Tim Kasten, UNEP; and Masa Nagai, UNEP COW Chair Idunn Eidheim, Norway Hushan Al-Fityan, Rapporteur Yahel Vilan, Israel Drafting Group 1 Co-Chair Tita Korvenoja, Finland Drafting Group 2 Co-Chair Pedro Escosteguy Cardoso, Brazil Drafting Group 3 Co-Chair Corinna Enders, Germany UNEA-2 PLENARY L-R: Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director; Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, President of UNEA-2 and Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of the Governing Bodies, UNEP Delegates from Arab States in informal consultations Masoumeh Ebtekar, Vice President of Iran and Head of the Environmental Protection Organization Voting flags being distributed in plenary Masa Nagai, Senior Legal Advisor, UNEP, confers with UNEA-2 Secretariat on Rules of Procedure.

On Monday, 25 April 2016, the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meeting commenced at UN Headquarters in New York. The opening session included remarks by the Habitat III Secretary-General Joan Clos, who stressed the importance of multi-stakeholder input into the zero draft of Habitat III. This was followed by a synopsis of the key recommendations and information on the development of the zero draft and a general exchange of views. Panelists outlined expert input from the thematic and regional processes, stressing that these need to be translated into an actionable New Urban Agenda. During discussions, parties and observer organizations addressed: the relationship between the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); and the role of governance in addressing challenges, such as responding to climate change and achieving sustainable urban environments. In the afternoon, the meeting considered regional presentations on recommendations, expectations and potentials from the Habitat III regional meetings. Reports were heard from the regional preparatory meetings, including: Asia-Pacific, in October 2015, in Jakarta, Indonesia; Africa, in February 2016, in Abuja, Nigeria; Europe, in March 2016, in Prague, Czech Republic; and Latin America and the Caribbean, in April 2016, in Toluca, Mexico. Discussions addressed, inter alia: the roles of local authorities in urban sustainability; the need for a strong follow-up and review mechanism for the New Urban Agenda; that all regions emphasized the need for an action-oriented agenda; the need for integrated, participatory and people-oriented approaches; and including issues of the informal sector and the challenges posed by mass migration. During the day, many welcomed the open and participatory nature of the regional processes. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, is providing web coverage from the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meetings. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary report from the meetings, which is availabe in HTML and PDF format. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Plenary L-R: Kumaresh Misra, UN HABITAT; Joan Clos, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN HABITAT; Deputy Permanent Representative Helena Yáñez, Ecuador; Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France; Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III Joan Clos, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN HABITAT Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France Deputy Permanent Representative Helena Yáñez, Ecuador View of the plenary Abdel Walendom, Secretary General, Ministry of Land Management, Urbanism and Habitat, Chad Francesco Bandarin, Assistant Director-General for Culture, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Nelson Junior Sale, Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Brazil Rüdiger Ahrend, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Le-Yin Zhang, University College London, UK Thanavon Pamaranon, Thailand, on behalf of G-77/China Mandiaye Ndiaye, Senegal Lucianara Andrade Fonseca, Brazil Chandana Das, Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action, on behalf of Children and Youth Masaaki Nakagawa, Japan Nancy Stetson, US Marit Viktoria Pettersen, Norway Tobias Ogweno, Kenya Danielle Larrabee, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) L-R: Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France, consulting with Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III Karla Šlechtová, Minister of Regional Development, Czech Republic Anthony Bosah, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN Lana Winayanti, Senior Expert to the Minister, Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Indonesia Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor, State of Mexico, Mexico Shipra Narang Suri, ISOCARP, on behalf of the General Assembly of Partners (GAP) Relinda Melania Sosa Pérez, Huairou Commission, on behalf of Women and Gender Martha Mutizhe Kangwa, Zambia Hirotaka Koike, UN Major Group for Children and Youth Isabel Cavelier Adarve, Colombia Li Zhe, China Abdullah Abu Shawesh, State of Palestine Isabelle Delattre, EU William Jiyana, South Africa Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor, State of Mexico, Mexico, delivering his closing remarks L-R: Deputy Permanent Representative Helena Yáñez, Ecuador; Joan Clos, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN HABITAT; and Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor, State of Mexico, Mexico

Delegates at the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-2) discussed the proposed outcome of the ministerial High-Level Segment of the Second UN Environment Assembly of the UN Environment Programme (UNEA-2) in the morning, while Cluster 2 discussed a resolution on sustainable consumption and production (SCP). In the afternoon, Cluster 3 discussed resolutions on marine plastic debris and microplastics, and on the International Environment Forum for Basin Organizations. Cluster 5 addressed the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy (MTS), Programme of Work (PoW) and budget. In the evening, Cluster 1 discussed promoting the effective implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, and the roles of UNEP and UNEA in delivering on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while Cluster 4 conducted a second reading of resolutions dealing with natural capital and conflict-affected areas. Negotiations continued late into the night. A side event on “Guidelines for Integrated Waste Management Framework Legislation” took place at lunchtime, convened by UNEP. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from OECPR-2. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis from OECPR-2 in HTML and PDF formats. Available in ENB Mobile at: http://enb.iisd.mobi/unep-oecpr2016/. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Discussion of UNEA-2 High-Level Segment Outcome L-R: Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of Governing Bodies, UNEP; Julia Pataki, CPR Chair; and Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP Julia Pataki, CPR Chair Herman Sips, EU Joel Hansen, US Raúl Rodríguez Ramos, Cuba Sherif Dawoud, Egypt Clara Cerqueira, Brazil Yingxian Xia, China Kennedy Samaneka, Zimbabwe, speaking on behalf of the African Group Miak Aw Hui Min, Singapore Eduardo Sánchez, Mexico Cluster 1 Delegates gather to discuss matters related to Cluster 1 Cluster 1 Chair Pedro Escosteguy Cardoso, Brazil Majid Shafie-Pour, Iran Bibiana Jones, Argentina, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China Cluster 2 Delegates gather to discuss matters related to Cluster 2 Cluster 2 Chair John Moreti, Botswana Ayelén María Ghersi, Argentina Timothy Epp, US Hussein Roshdy, Egypt Iván Mendoza Benítez, Colombia Cluster 3 Delegates gather to discuss matters related to Cluster 3 Cluster 3 Chair Corinna Enders, Germany Ingeborg Mork-Knutsen, Norway Sylvie Côté, Canada Cluster 4 Delegates gather to discuss matters related to Cluster 4 Ntesang Molemele, Botswana Mphatso Kamanga, Malawi Nathan Ndoboli, Uganda Cluster 5 Amendments are made to the negotiating text in Cluster 5 Cluster 5 Chair Raza Bashir Tarar, Pakistan Wilson Sumner, US Ruth Kitonyi, Kenya Abdullah K. Tawlah, Saudi Arabia UNEP Side Event: Guidelines for Integrated Waste Management Framework Legislation Panel speakers for the event (L-R): Marcello Cousillas, Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, Uruguay; Christine Akello, National Environment Management Authority, Uganda; Oyun Sanjaasuren, UNEA President; Naohito Watanabe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan; and Sumitra Amatya, National Planning Commission, Nepal Oyun Sanjaasuren, UNEA President Naohito Watanabe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan Moderator Mahesh Pradhan, UNEP Masa Nagai, UNEP Surendra Shrestha, UNEP Around the Venue Major Groups and Stakeholders strategy meeting Delegates between sessions Delegates from Nigeria Delegates from the Children and Youth Major Group Cluster 1 Chair Pedro Escosteguy Cardoso and Marcela Nicodemos, Brazil, speak with delegates Delegates from the Asia region meet informally Masa Nagai and Surendra Shrestha, UNEP Fiona Fraser and Alex Surace, Australia Delegates from the EU Oyun Sanjaasuren, UNEA President, with Naohito Watanabe, Japan The UNEP grounds at night

In preparation for the second meeting of the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-2), Major Groups and Stakeholders (MGS) met on Sunday, 14 February 2016, at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), Kenya. They discussed, inter alia: the need for input from UNEA-2 to the Third UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III); the environmental impact of the refugee crisis; and the role of the MGS in the OECPR and UNEA processes. The MGS also engaged in joint and working group talks on the OECPR agenda, with a view to presenting concrete messages to Member States on the draft resolutions to be negotiated and forwarded to UNEA-2. They considered topics including: the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda; the Paris Climate Agreement; mobilizing finances for investment in sustainable development; the Global Thematic Report on the theme of “Healthy Environment – Healthy People”; and the sixth Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-6) process. Julia Pataki, CPR Chair, expressed appreciation for the contribution of MGS to CPR meetings, assuring them that the CPR “is determined to continue on a path of openness and transparency.” Ibrahim Thiaw, UNEP Deputy Executive Director, noted that as implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) begins, the world’s attention has been taken up by humanitarian crises. He drew attention to the need for tackling the root causes of displacement and conflict, and urged MGS to highlight critical challenges such as integrating the climate and biodiversity agendas, “decarbonizing and detoxifying” economic growth, and moving beyond “private sector philanthropy” towards new sustainable business models. In the afternoon, MGS held an interactive dialogue with representatives of Member States and Jorge Laguna Celis, UNEP Secretariat of Governing Bodies. They discussed issues including improving opportunities for stakeholder engagement through creative and less costly means of interaction, and implementing a genuinely inclusive green economy agenda. Member States endorsed the role of stakeholders in the preparations toward UNEA-2. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from OECPR-2. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis from OECPR-2 in HTML and PDF formats. Available in ENB Mobile at: http://enb.iisd.mobi/unep-oecpr2016/. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. View of the dais at the start of the Major Groups and Stakeholders Preparatory Meeting Julia Pataki, CPR Chair Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP Yunus Arikan, Local Authorities Major Group Tareq Hassan, Arab Youth Climate Movement (AYCM) Peter Denson, Regional Representative for North America Members of civil society raise their hands during the meeting Norine Kennedy, Business and Industry Major Group Leida Rijnhout, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Major Group Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of Governing Bodies, UNEP Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Stakeholder Forum Major Groups and Stakeholders discussions continue throughout the day Fazal Issa, Regional Representative for Africa Dalia Marquez, Children and Youth Major Group Brian Aberi, International Youth Council