Local Authorities

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

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