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Highlights for Friday, 8 March 2019 International Women's Day On Friday, delegates at the fourth Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-4) sought to complete negotiations on all draft resolutions and forward clean text for adoption at the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4). At the closing plenary on Friday evening, OECPR-4 Chair Francisca Ashietey-Odunton (Ghana) commended Member States on their hard work and cooperation. UNEA President Siim Kiisler (Estonia) advised delegates that a revised draft of the ministerial declaration was available, noting that sincere efforts had been made to accommodate all concerns, while maintaining the action-oriented nature of the document. The plenary recommended that the OECPR-4 should forward the agreed resolutions and decisions to the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) for adoption. These were on: protection of the marine environment from land-based activities, mangroves, coral reefs, peatland, nitrogen management, and the Fifth Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo V). They also forwarded draft decisions on implementation and follow-up of UNEA resolutions, and management of trust funds. They mandated the five working groups to continue in open-ended discussions over the weekend on the remaining 21 drafts. Negotiations continued over Saturday and Sunday, reaching agreement on: sustainable mobility; the Montevideo V programme; mineral resource governance; and the poverty-environment nexus; the implementation plan “Towards a Pollution-free Planet."Highlights of the final stage of OECPR-4 negotiations included: Finalizing of text on four draft resolutions on biodiversity and ecosystems by Friday evening; Agreement on most provisions of the resolutions on the environmentally sound management of waste and on the sound management of chemicals and waste; Revision of the text of the Ministerial Declaration, incorporating suggestions raised in consultations; Submission of revised text on the governance of geoengineering, for further debate; and Agreement on several draft resolutions on environmental governance by Sunday evening, including on mineral resource governance, and the poverty-environment nexus. For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from OECPR-4 and UNEA-4, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Plenary Session From L-R: UNEA-4 President Siim Valmar Kiisler, Estonia; Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP; Chair Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, Ghana; Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP; Marek Garztecki, Poland; and Ulf Björnholm, UNEP UNEA-4 President Siim Valmar Kiisler, Estonia Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP Chair Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, Ghana Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP, and Sebastian Gil, EU Miriam Ott and Tobias Cabani, Germany Working Group 1 - Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production Secretariat and Working Group 1 co-facilitators during negotiations Abdullah Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Patrick Luna, Brazil Kathryn Bacher, US Anne Martine Norli Solstad, Norway Working Group 2 - Resource Efficiency, Chemicals and Waste Secretariat and Working Group 2 co-facilitators during negotiations Noluzuko Gwayi, South Africa Noorah Algethami, Saudi Arabia Andrew Clark, US Jorge Peydro Aznar, EU Working Group 3 - Ecosystems and Biodiversity Management and Protection Secretariat and Working Group 3 co-facilitators during negotiations Toral Patel-Weynand, US Maria del Rosario Lemos, Colombia Marc Richir, EU Zijun Zhao, China Working Group 4 - Environmental Governance Co-facilitators Agus Justianto, Indonesia, and Sunil de Silva, Sri Lanka Lino Santacruz Moctezuma, Mexico Luca Marmo, EU Martine Rohn, Switzerland Fernando Coimbra, Brazil Working Group 5 - UNEP Programme of Work and Related Issues Secretariat and Working Group 5 co-facilitators during negotiations Zerubabel Getachew, Ethiopia Gustavo Baptista, Brazil, and Sebastian König, Switzerland Erasmo Martínez, Mexico Hai Yu, China Dan Carl, US, and Sebastian Gil, EU International Women's Day Getting ready for UNEA-4

Highlights for Thursday, 7 March 2019 Delegates drafting new text On Thursday, the fourth Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-4) sought to make significant progress toward completing negotiation of draft resolutions, ahead of the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4). Four working groups convened during the day and the fifth, on environmental governance, met in the evening. Delegates also discussed the draft ministerial declaration in the evening, and informal discussions continued throughout the day.Highlights of the day included: Agreement on a draft resolution on sustainable nitrogen management; Progress on marine litter discussions, including consensus that activities relating to scientific and technological knowledge about marine litter, including plastic litter and microplastics, should be strengthened; Introduction of a revised text on deforestation, renamed “Reducing deforestation in supply chains”; Discussion on peatlands, emphasizing the need to increase awareness of the extent of peatlands across the globe; and Affirmation of the importance of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from OECPR-4 and UNEA-4, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Consultation on the Ministerial Declaration Keisuke Takahashi, Japan Gudi Alkemade, EU Wilson Sumner, US Marta Juárez Ruiz, Costa Rica Working Group 1 - Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production Secretariat and Working Group 1 co-facilitators during negotiations Noer Adi Wardojo, Indonesia Elizabeth Nichols, US Hugo Schally, EU Abdullah Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Working Group 2 - Resource Efficiency, Chemicals and Waste Marc Richir and Bénédicte Jenot, EU Belsis Llorente Díaz, Cuba Delegates from Japan Working Group 3 - Ecosystems and Biodiversity Management and Protection Co-facilitator Julia Pataki, Romania Laksmi Dhewanthi and Agus Justianto, Indonesia From L-R: Patrick Luna, Brazil; Co-facilitator Martin Gronda, Argentina; and Francisco López Achával, Argentina Working Group 4 - Environmental Governance Secretariat and Working Group 4 co-facilitators during negotiations Beth Fernald, US Lino Santacruz Moctezuma, Mexico Zerubabel Getachew, Ethiopia Michael Makonombera, Malawi Working Group 5 - UNEP Programme of Work and Related Issues Sebastian König, Switzerland, and Dan Carl, US Fernando Coimbra and Patrick Luna, Brazil Co-facilitators Lori Dando, US, and Lukáš Pokorný, Czech Republic Denise Musat and Sebastian Gil, EU Maria del Rosario Lemos, with Sergio Salazar Alzate, Colombia Between Sessions

Highlights for Wednesday, 6 March 2019 Delegates from Working Group 3 during a break On Wednesday, delegates continued meeting in five working groups to negotiate draft resolutions, ahead of the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) next week in Nairobi, Kenya. Informal consultations took place during the day on marine litter, gender, geoengineering, Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), improvement and the future of Global Environment Outlook reports, and implementation and follow-up of UNEA resolutions. In the evening, UNEA President Siim Kiisler (Estonia) held a second consultation session on the draft ministerial declaration. Many delegates worked in small drafting groups through the day to revise text for discussion in the larger working groups.Highlights of the day included: review of merged texts on food waste and on mangrove ecosystems; discussions over the different meanings of SCP, a life-cycle approach, and a zero-waste society; opening of debate on sustainable nitrogen management; and a second round of open consultations on the draft ministerial declaration. For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from OECPR-4 and UNEA-4, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Consultation on the Ministerial Declaration UNEA-4 President Siim Valmar Kiisler, Estonia, and Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP Fernando Coimbra, Brazil Guri Sandborg, Norway Working Group 1 - Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production Hugo Schally, EU Working Group 2 - Resource Efficiency, Chemicals and Waste Co-facilitators Marcus Davies, Canada, and Elizabeth Taylor, Colombia Stefanie Walter, Germany Ashley Nelsen, US Delegates from India and Japan Sarah Da Silva, Canada Noorah Algethami, Saudi Arabia Working Group 3 - Ecosystems and Biodiversity Management and Protection Co-facilitators Martin Gronda, Argentina, and Julia Pataki, Romania Laksmi Dhewanthi, Indonesia Elle Chang, US Elizabeth McLanahan, US Working Group 4 - Environmental Governance Co-facilitators Sunil de Silva, Sri Lanka, and Agus Justianto, Indonesia Hussein Roshdy, Egypt Pascale Collas, Canada Toral Patel-Weynand, US Working Group 5 - UNEP Programme of Work and Related Issues Wilson Sumner, US Sebastian König, Switzerland Co-facilitators Lori Dando, US, and Lukáš Pokorný, Czech Republic Between Sessions