European Union

The Second Meeting of Signatories (MOS2) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (Sharks MOU) began Monday in San José, Costa Rica. Melanie Virtue, CMS Secretariat, welcomed participants, highlighting the growing profile of shark management and indicated that the MOU, signed 12 February 2010, is celebrating its sixth birthday. Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica, offered a keynote, underscoring the critical role of sharks for marine ecosystems and economies, and referenced national and bilateral efforts to protect marine resources. In the morning, the meeting heard two presentations. Kryssia Brade, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of Alice Harding Shackelford, UNDP, advised moving away from unsustainable shark fishing practices. Sarah Fowler, Save Our Seas Foundation, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group, noted that well-managed sharks and rays support, inter alia, fisheries and food security. MOS2 proceeded, discussing: the provisional rules of procedure; election of officers, electing Fernando Mora Rodríguez, Vice Minister of Waters, Oceans, Coasts and Wetlands (Costa Rica) as Chair, and Scott Gallacher (New Zealand) as Vice Chair; adoption of the agenda; credentials; and admission of observers. MOS2 heard reports from the CMS Secretariat, the Advisory Committee (AC), the Intersessional Working Group (IWG) and observer reports. A side event followed, addressing “Global Shark Conservation Strategy and Priorities for CMS Parties,” organized by Shark Advocates International and partners. In the afternoon, MOS2 discussed two proposals to amend the MOU’s text, introduced by the European Union (EU), and draft Rules of Procedure, introduced by IWG Chair Jamie Rendell (UK). In the evening, participants attended a reception, hosted by the Government of Costa Rica, which included a presentation on endangered scalloped hammerhead sharks. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from Sharks MOS2, which is avaiable in HTML and PDF formats. Sarah Fowler, Save our Seas Foundation, and IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group Melanie Virtue, CMS Secretariat Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica Kryssia Brade, UNDP   João Loureiro, Portugal Oliver Schall, Germany Melanie Virtue, CMS Secretariat, and Chair Fernando Mora Rodríguez, Vice Minister of Waters, Oceans, Coasts and Wetlands, Costa Rica   IWG Co-Chair Cheri McCarty (US) Andrea Pauly, CMS Secretariat

The second meeting of the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-2) to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) opened today at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya. Following messages from UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, around 25 Member States and regional groups made statements. Addressing the meeting in a video message, UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft described UNEA-2 as a key intergovernmental checkpoint on the road to 2030, and highlighted its role in integrating the environmental dimension across all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner noted Member States’ support for UNEP's role in the global sustainable development architecture, and emphasized that the organization has demonstrated efficiency and effectiveness. Delegates adopted the agenda and organization of work, and appointed Chairs for the week’s discussion on the five “clusters” of draft resolution text. In the afternoon, delegates considered policy matters contained in a series of 12 reports on the work of UNEP. Among various issues, they addressed: expectations for the sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) report and expert report on marine plastic debris and microplastics; UNEP support for air quality issues in the Asia-Pacific region; the need for a long-term plan for UNEP-Live as a tool for policy makers; and ways to meet the cost of implementing the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They also discussed: the programme performance review; the Medium-Term Strategy, Programme of Work and budget; and changes to the UNEA cycle. A reception took place in the evening, hosted by the Netherlands and Romania. 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. Opening Plenary L-R: Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP; Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP; Julia Pataki, CPR Chair; Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of Governing Bodies, UNEP; and Corinna Enders, Rapporteur Julia Pataki, CPR Chair Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP Bibiana Jones, Argentina, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China Abdelilah Benryane, Morocco, speaking on behalf of the African Group Frans Makken, the Netherlands, speaking on behalf of the EU N.K.G.K. Nemmawatta, Sri Lanka Amina J. Mohammed, Minister of the Environment, Nigeria Tita Korvenoja, Finland Mahmoud Talaat, Egypt Erasmo Martínez, Mexico Tobias Glucksman, US Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland Delegates raise their placards to be added to the speakers list Afternoon Plenary Plenary continues in the afternoon Solveig Crompton, Norway Naohito Watanabe, Japan Norine Kennedy, Business and Industry Major Group Yunus Arikan, Local Authorities Major Group Deepak Dhital, Nepal L-R: Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP; Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP; Julia Pataki, CPR Chair Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, UNEP Evening Reception Delegates enjoy the reception hosted by the Netherlands and Romania Delegates from the African region Delegates from Lebanon and the Netherlands Around the Venue Delegates outside plenary Delegates meet informally before the start of plenary Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of Governing Bodies, UNEP, greets members of the Chinese delegation Delegates from Latin America greet each other Bayani V. Mangibin, the Philippines, speaks with a delegate Members of the US delegation Representatives of Major Groups and Stakeholders Abdullah K. Tawlah, Saudi Arabia, speaks with delegates Around the UNEP grounds Posters from the UNFCCC 'Act Now!' initiative

On Monday, the 66th meeting of the Standing Committee (SC66) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) opened with Chair Øystein Størkersen, Norway, noting a busy agenda and highlighting some of CITES’ successes: stronger alliances with other organizations, the UN General Assembly resolution 69/314 on tackling illicit trafficking in wildlife; and the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development. CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon welcomed participants to SC66 and the European Union (EU) as a new party to the Convention. He highlighted increased international support and financing for CITES, such as the new Global Environment Facility (GEF)-supported Global Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime Prevention for Sustainable Development. He drew attention to various activities done in synergy with other organizations and thanked Israel and Georgia for hosting the Animals and Plants Committee meetings, respectively. Throughout the day SC66 addressed: administrative and financial matters and arrangements for the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17), and Asian Big Cats, among other issues. A lot of time was devoted to the discussion on implementation of the Convention with respect to captive-bred and ranched specimens, as well as implementation and enforcement of the Convention as it relates to the trade in species listed in Appendix I, with the decision taken to establish a working group that would look at the two agenda items together. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web updates and a summary and analysis report from the 66th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Our summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. CITES SC66 Dais Gaël De Rotalier, European Commission, speaking for the first time at SC66 on behalf of the EU as new CITES party. Delegates from Zimbabwe and China consulting. L-R: Shereefa Al Salem and Muna Husain, Kuwait L-R: Simon Nemtzov and Roni Malka, Israel, with Lisa Bradbury, Switzerland