Group of 77 and China

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to allow parties to consult. 12:31 am Plenary resumes. 12: 35 am G-77/China announces the draft resolution will not be withdrawn. 12:53 am UNEA-2 Chair invites delegates to vote on whether they wish to proceed to a substantive vote on the Gaza resolution.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 Thursday, the Bonn Climate Change Conference concluded. The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) held closing plenaries in the morning and evening. A special joint plenary was held to thank UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres for her service, with all present congratulating her, including in song, for her leadership culminating in the Paris Agreement. In response, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Figueres thanked everyone, saying that she has “had the enormous privilege to be at your side as you made history.” In the afternoon and evening, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) held their closing plenaries. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has providing daily web coverage, daily reports from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - May 2016. In adiition, IISD Reportaing Services has also published a summary and analysis report from this meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF format. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page SBSTA Closing Plenary View of the dais during the SBSTA closing plenary SBSTA Chair Carlos Fuller, Belize Wanna Tanunchaiwatana, SBSTA Coordinator Manasvi Srisodapol, Thailand, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China Aishath Aileen Niyaz, Maldives, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Norbert Bärlocher, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Michel Rentenaar, EU Andrea Faulkner, Australia, speaking on behalf of the Umbrella Group Eddy Pérez, Climate Action Network (CAN) Shalia Shahid, Women and Gender Victor Kabengele wa Kadilu, Democratic Republic of the Congo APA Consultations Delegates during the APA consultations APA Co-Chair Sarah Baashan, Saudi Arabia Zhihua Chen, China Delegates read the revised APA draft conclusions Members of the Secretariat distribute the text Joint Meeting of the SBI, SBSTA and APA: Farewell to Christiana Figueres View of the dais during the joint meeting UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres Incoming UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa Laurence Tubiana, COP 21/CMP 11 Presidency Aziz Mekouar, Incoming COP 22/CMP 12 Presidency Members of civil society sing 'Climate Queen,' a farewell song dedicated to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres APA Co-Chair Jo Tyndall, New Zealand, SBI Chair Tomasz Chruszczow, Poland, and Incoming UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa bid farewell Delegates give UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres a standing ovation in recognition of her important contribution to tackling climate change over the years SBI Closing Plenary View of the dais during the SBI closing plenary Madeleine Diouf Sarr, Senegal SBI Chair Tomasz Chruszczow, Poland Elena Kruspkaia Mejía Villacís, Ecuador Mohamed Khalil, Egypt Erwin Rose, US Ilka Wagner, EU Chebet Maikut, Uganda, speaking on behalf of the African Group Emil Eduardo Calles Lossada, Venezuela Delegates huddle during the final negotiations APA Closing Plenary View of the dais during the APA closing plenary APA Co-Chair Jo Tyndall, New Zealand Bouzekri Razi, COP 22/CMP 12 Presidency Anna Serzysko, APA Rapporteur Alejandro Rivera, Mexico, speaking on behalf of the EIG Frances Veronica Victorio, the Philippines Olfa Jelassi, Women and Gender Marilyn Averill, Research and Independent NGOs (RINGOs) Jaime Hermida Castillo, Nicaragua, speaking on behalf of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) Johnson Hugo Cerda Shiguango, Indigenous Peoples Héloïse Pichot, Youth NGOs (YOUNGOs) Around the Venue Incoming UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres Delegates from Germany Delegates from Ghana Delegates from Thailand and Singapore speak informally Delegates in plenary Incoming UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa sits with members of the UNFCCC Secretariat Headsets available for delegates Marcela Main Sancha, UNFCCC Secretariat, speaks with delegates Wael Hmaidan, CAN, with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres Observers watch proceedings from the balcony Members of the Arab Group meet informally World Conference Center Bonn security staff UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres enters the venue for her final session with the UNFCCC UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa thanks delegates for welcoming her into the UNFCCC process Delegates use a 'poken' to gather materials during the paperless conference An information booth for COP 22/CMP 12 in Marrakech International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering the meeting (L-R): Kiara Worth; Beate Antonich; Virginia Wiseman; Jen Allan; Mari Luomi; Alice Bisiaux; Rishikesh Ram Bhandary; and Nancy Williams

On Tuesday, the Bonn Climate Change Conference continued with the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) meeting in open-ended informal consultations throughout the day. The first ever Technical Expert Meeting (TEM) on adaptation convened in the morning and afternoon, to discuss enhancing the implementation of adaptation action. Informal consultations under the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) met throughout the day. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has providing daily web coverage, daily reports from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - May 2016. In adiition, IISD Reportaing Services has also published a summary and analysis report from this meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF format. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page APA Consultations Delegates attend the APA informal session throughout the day APA Co-Chairs Sarah Baashan, Saudi Arabia, and Jo Tyndall, New Zealand  Atif Al-Jumaili, Kuwait, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China Alaa Aljahdali, Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group Stephen Walter, New Zealand Fatuma Hussein, Kenya, speaking on behalf of the African Group Felipe Ferreira, Brazil Elias Abourizk, Canada Alejandro Rivera Becerra, Mexico Ravi Prasad, India Aya Yoshida, Japan Delegates attending the session Natalie Ross-Lapointe, Australia Aksel Hillestad, Norway Brian Mantlana, South Africa, speaking on behalf of the African Group Nicole Wilke, EU Andrew Rakestraw, US Delegates stand against the wall and sit on the floor to listen to deliberations SBI/SBSTA Technical Expert Meeting on Adaptation: Enhancing the Implementation of Adaptation Action View of the dais during the opening panel SBSTA Chair Carlos Fuller, Belize Farhana Yamin, Track 0 and Chatham House Laurence Tubiana, COP 21/CMP 11 Presidency Don Lemmen, Co-Chair of the Adaptation Committee Minpeng Chen, Co-Chair of the Adaptation Committee Dhrupad Choudhury, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) Vositha Wijenayake, Climate Action Network (CAN) Breakout groups for the Technical Expert Meeting Special Event by the Presidencies: Issues Related to the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage View of the dais Tania Gabriela Osejo Carrillo, World Food Programme (WFP) Aziz Mekouar, Incoming COP 22/CMP 12 Presidency Informal Consultations Throughout the Day SBI/SBSTA informal consultations on impact of the implementation of response measures: improved forum and work programme SBI informal consultations on capacity-building for developing countries SBSTA informal consultations on issues relating to agriculture SBSTA informal consultations on cooperative approaches under the Paris Agreement Around the Venue Carlos Gentile, Argentina, speaks with delegates Artur Runge-Metzger, EU, and Kishan Kumarsingh, Trinidad and Tobago Trigg Talley, US, speaks with delegates Valinavho Khavhagali, South Africa Members of civil society meet throughout the day Delegates between sessions A delegate reads the International Institute for Sustainable Development Reporting Services (IISD RS) website Delegates look at materials on display

The second UN Environment Assembly of the UN Environment Programme (UNEA-2) opened on Monday at UN Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Outgoing UNEA President Oyun Sanjaasuren (Mongolia) opened the conference, inviting delegates to observe a minute’s silence to remember those who have lost their lives in the protection of the environment. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner described UNEA-2 as an expression of hope and “a clarion call” for the world, noting that with well over 2000 participants, 170 nations, and hundreds of stakeholders represented, “we truly have a UN Environment Assembly.” Delegates heard opening messages, and adopted the agenda and organization of work. The plenary elected Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta (Costa Rica) as President of UNEA-2, and also elected Bureau members and a rapporteur. In the afternoon, the Committee of the Whole (COW) met in plenary, where they discussed the organization of drafting groups to finalize the proposed resolutions. A working group met in the evening for a first reading of resolutions. The Sustainable Innovation Expo (SIE), organized by UNEP in parallel with the meeting, also opened today. Three SIE panel discussions took place on: South-South cooperation; big data and innovation; and air quality. In the evening, delegates attended a reception hosted by the Governement of Kenya. 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. OPENING PLENARY UNEA-2 plenary observed a moment of silence to remember those who have lost their lives in the protection of the environment "Welcome to UNEA" film presentation L-R: Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP; Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP; UNEA President Oyun Sanjaasuren; Judi Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Regional Development Authorities, Kenya; Sahle-Work Zewde, Director-General, UNON; and Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of the Governing Bodies of UNEP Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP, delivers opening remarks to UNEA-2 delegates UNEA President Oyun Sanjaasuren Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP, speaking on behalf of Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General Judi Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Regional Development Authorities, Kenya Sahle-Work Zewde, Director-General, UNON Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, Costa Rica, incoming UNEA-2 President delivers his opening remarks Jassim Abdulaziz Al-falahy, Iraq Julia Pataki, Romania Frans Makken, the Netherlands, on behalf of the EU Taefu Lemi, Samoa Bibiana Jones, Argentina, on behalf of G-77/China and GRULAC Daniel Reifsnyder, US Abdelmoneim Mohammed Mabrouk, League of Arab States Yugratna Srivastava, on behalf of the Major Groups and Stakeholders Soehardjono Sastromihardjo, Indonesia Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, UNEA-2 President COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE (COW) View of the COW plenary COW Chair Idunn Eidheim, Norway John Matuszak, US Marcela Nicodemos, Brazil Franz Perrez, Switzerland Abdullah Khalid Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Neranda Maurice-George, Saint Lucia Hugo Enrique Cañiza, Paraguay Kerstin Stendahl, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Roy Samson Dinyi Thorofo, South Sudan Cyrie Sendashonga, IUCN Delegates from the Philippines L-R: Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan; Adalah Atira, Palestine; and Mohamad Afana, Jordan SIDE EVENTS Sustainable Innovation Expo: South-South Cooperation panel discussions L-R: Anote Tong, Former President of Kiribati; Jorge Chediek, UN Envoy on South-South Cooperation; Mesghan Al Awar, United Arab Emirates; Zhang Jieqing, China; and George Mwenda, Geothermal Development, Kenya L-R: Doug Cress, Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), Jaime Webb, UN-REDD; Anyaa Vohiri, Liberia; and Johannes Refisch, GRASP L-R: Isabelle Louis, UNEP; Elizabeth Mrema, UNEP; Hillary Alisson, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC); and Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the launch of the State of the Biodiversity Reports Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD PHOTOS FROM THE RECEPTION HOSTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF KENYA UNEA-2 reception hosted by the Government of Kenya