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Dickson Ho, MGCY Steering Committee
Pic_13Feb21_YEA_Worth-4-chemicals-presentation.jpg
A presentation on the life-cycle of chemicals during a thematic consultation
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On the second day of the Youth Environment Assembly, a thematic discussion was held on science policy, chemicals and wastes, and environmental law.
Report of main proceedings for 5 March 2019
4th Meeting of the OECPR and 4th Session of UNEA
Daily report for 4 March 2019
4th Meeting of the OECPR and 4th Session of UNEA
Report of main proceedings for 5 March 2021
4th Meeting of the OECPR and 4th Session of UNEA
Highlights and images for 8 March 2019
2nd Global Session UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment
Highlights for Friday, 8 March 2019
In the afternoon, Forum participants engaged in an exchange with UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment of Estonia.
On Friday, 8 March, closed consultations took place prior to the official opening of the second global session of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment. The Forum will feed into the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4), which is due to convene from 11-15 March 2019 on the theme, “Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production.”
In the morning, participants took part in closed consultations around three focal areas of the Forum: Big Data and Earth Observations; the Green Startup Initiative; and Citizen Science. Among other things, delegates:
reviewed a draft declaration for the Citizen Science Global Partnership;
outlined challenges and opportunities for Green Startup Initiatives and how the Forum can help enable green innovation; and
provided input for a proposed white paper on building a global digital platform for the environment.
The closed consultations concluded with a dialogue between leaders from the science, policy, civil society and business communities that included an exchange with UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment of Estonia.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary report from the 2nd Global Session of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
Participants arriving at the Forum
Data and Earth Observations
View of the consultations on Data and Earth Observations
Shereen Zorba, Head, Secretariat of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment, and facilitator for the consultations on Data and Earth Observations
Participants at the consultations on Data and Earth Observations
Green Startup Initiative
Consultations on Green Startup Initiative
Citizen Science
Consultations on Citizen Science
High-Level Working Lunch
Forum participants during the High-Level Working Lunch
High-Level Briefing with the UN Environment Assembly Leadership
UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment of Estonia
Shereen Zorba, Head, Secretariat of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment
Yvonne Harz-Pitre, International Fertilizer Association
Wayne Balta, IBM
L-R: Izabella Monica Vieira Teixiera and Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair, International Resource Panel
Steven Kukoda, International Copper Association
Jonathan Everhart, Global ReEnergy Holdings
James Donovan, ADEC Foundation Inc.
Ram Gyan Kej, Grammy Winning Singer/Songwriter
L-R: Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UNEP, and Satya Tripathi, Assistant Secretary General, UNEP
Edie Hedda Threlfall, Youth participant from Francis Holland School
Highlights and images for 9 March 2019
2nd Global Session UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment
Highlights for Saturday, 9 March 2019
HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands with Forum participants
The official opening of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment took place on Saturday, 9 March 2019. The opening ceremony included welcome statements by: Joyce Msuya, UNEP Deputy Executive Director; Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, China; Siim Kiisler, UNEA-4 President; and Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry, Kenya.HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands discussed the launch of a new initiative by the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE) to voluntarily ban the use of rhino-based products across the Society's members.During high-level panel discussions, speakers highlighted diverse issues touching on the themes of: innovation for a low-carbon future and the role of non-state actors; accelerating clean energy for all; innovative finance for a green planet; artificial intelligence for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and green technology startups leading the “fourth industrial revolution”.Throughout the day, more than 20 sessions convened, organized around four parallel thematic streams. Amongst other topics, the sessions explored:
transforming development with planetary data and artificial intelligence;
messages from the Sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) on the environmental and health impacts of energy, waste and food systems;
making trade a positive force in the world;
the contribution of new policies and technologies in combating lead;
putting the world on a safe path to meet the challenge of limiting global warming to 1.5°C";
earth observations and the role of citizen science;
the role of South-South Cooperation in attaining clean and affordable energy in Africa;
innovation in the energy sector and the future of sustainability;
the climate challenge and non-state actors; and
advancing environmental rights in business.
In the evening, HRH Princess Laurentien and the SEE hosted a reception to mark the launch of the SEE initiative.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary report from the 2nd Global Session of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
Opening of the Forum
View of the opening plenary
Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, China
Joyce Msuya, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP
UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment of Estonia
Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry, Kenya
HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands
Rhian-Mari Thomas, Global Head of Green Banking and Chair, Barclays Green Banking Council
Wayne Balta, IBM
Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UNEP
Energy Systems: Environmental and Health Impacts
View of the session on GEO findings
Paolo Soprano, Co-Chair, High-Level Group (HLG)
Huang Yi, Co-Chair, HLG
Joyeeta Gupta, Co-Chair of the GEO assessment
Paul Ekins, Co-Chair of the GEO assessment
Cristina Guerreiro, Norwegian Institute for Air Research
Martin Brocklehurst, Citizen Science Global Partnership
Nijavalli Ravindranath, Indian Institute of Science
Fast Tracking the SDGs Using Frontier Technologies
Jehiel Oliver, Hello Tractor
Bruno da Costa, IBM
Hendrick Hamann, IBM
Ajay Deshpande, IBM
The Climate Challenge and Non-State Actors
Anne Bowser, President, Citizen Science Alliance
L-R: Gayle Schueller, 3M; Rhian-Mari Thomas, Barclays Green Banking Council; and Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UNEP
Towards Global Green Energy Transition: Empowering Policies and Innovative Finance
Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public and Government Affairs, Signify
Marta Juarez Ruiz, Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat, Costa Rica
Big Data, New Frontier
Pascal Peduzzi, Global Resource Information Database
Neil Burgess, Chief Scientist, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)
Maurice Borgeaud, European Space Agency (ESA)
Adam Smith, Descartes Labs
L-R: Andrew Zolli, Planet.com; Cécile Thomas-Courcoux, France; and Jean Dusart, European Commission
Advancing the African Science Enterprise
L-R: Erica Key, Belmont Forum; Phethiwe Matutu, National Research Foundation, South Africa; Makyba Charles-Ayind, American Academy for the Advancement of Science; and Nelson Torto, African Academy of Sciences
Makyba Charles-Ayind, American Academy for the Advancement of Science
Phethiwe Matutu, NRF South Africa
Making Trade a Positive Force in the World
L-R: Tim Christophersen, UNEP; Izabella Monica Vieira Teixiera, International Resource Panel (IRP); Sileshi Getahun Hailu, INBAR Trustee Ethiopia; Hermine Kleymann, WWF International; and Helen Crowley, Kering
Tim Christophersen, UNEP
Izabella Monica Vieira Teixiera, IRP
Innovation in the Energy Sector and the Future of Sustainability
L-R: Harry Verhaar, Phillips Lighting/Signify; UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment of Estonia; Paul De Larminat, Johnson Controls; Kristina Klimovich, PACE Nation Fellow; and Jonathan Everhart, Global ReEnergy Holdings
The Power of Integrated Action on Air Poluttion: Stories from China and Africa - South-South Cooperation
L-R: Jianhua Yu, China; Gyimah Mohammed, Ghana; Bala Abubakar Bappa, CCAC; Ruth Sego, ClimateWorks Foundation; Steven Kukoda, International Copper Association; and Naysán Sahba, UNEP
Accelerating Africa's Shift to Electric Mobility
Dais during the session on electric mobility
Putting the World on a Safe Path to meet the 1.5 °C Challenge
L-R: Naysán Sahba, UNEP, Pavel Kabat, Chief Scientist, World Meteorological Organisation; Helena Molin Valdes, Head, Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat (CCAC); Rodolfo Lacy, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); and Johan Kuylenstierna, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
Combating Lead: From Paint to Batteries
L-R: Tadesse Amera Sahilu, Co-Chair, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN); Jacqueline Alvarez, UNEP; and Brian Wilson, International Lead Association
Attaining Clean Affordable Energy in Africa: Role of South-South Cooperation
L-R: Kitio Vincent, UN-Habitat, and Huang Han, Global Energy Interconnection
Food Systems: Environment and Health Impacts
Dais during the session on food systems
Highlights and images for 10 March 2019
2nd Global Session UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment
Highlights for Sunday, 10 March 2019
Participants were treated to a reception at the close of the Forum
On Sunday, 10 March, discussion sessions took place throughout the day, organized under the six thematic streams of the Forum. Some topics addressed included:
early warning for decision making;
alternatives to plastics – current challenges and future vision;
innovative technologies and approaches in monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
sustainable water and waste management in developing cities;
avoidance of global warming through clean and efficient cooling innovations;
Sustainability Research and Innovation 2020;
new hotspot analysis tools for decision making on sustainable consumption and production;
Third Pole: A call for action to combat climate impacts in fragile ecosystems;
solving the broken nitrogen cycle; and
driving transformative innovation through sustainable chemistry.
During a special session hosted by UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler and dubbed “The GreenTech Startup Marathon,” nine startup companies pitched their ideas on ground-breaking innovations to address global environmental challenges. After three judges - in a “Dragon’s Den” style setting - put questions to all the competitors, they announced that they had all met their criteria, many were outstanding and the top three, in no rank order, were BoxPower, Planet Heroes, and Algramo. The judges also noted that reusable containers are a good idea for reducing ocean pollution and that eco-crowdfunding can potentially be transformative.
The 2nd UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment concluded with an overview of messages and recommendations from thematic discussions over its two days. In closing remarks, Satya Tripathi, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the UNEP New York Office, described the Forum as unique, “because it is focused on making people’s lives better.” He called for drawing inspiration from farmers in India who are taking risks to protect the planet. Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UNEP, reflected that the Forum had transformed from “a platform to an incubator,” noting that the level of ambition to use data for action was high. He reminded participants of the need for collective leadership moving forward.
During the closing session, delegates also observed a minute of silence to honor passengers who lost their lives in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday, 10 March, some of whom were enroute to attend the opening of UNEA-4 in Nairobi.
The event closed with a reception, where delegates watched Chinese artist Jiahuang Chang create a painting dedicated to the work of the Forum.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary report from the 2nd Global Session of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
Green Collar Jobs: A Bright Hope for the Planet?
L-R: Susan Gardner, UNEP; Charlotte Bonner, National Union of Students, UK; Bert de Wel, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); Carlo Papa, Enel Foundation; and Jiang Wu, Tongji University, China
Bert de Wel, ITUC
Jiang Wu, Tongii University, China
Susan Gardner, UNEP
Carlo Papa, Enel Foundation
Development of Sustainable Water Infrastructure
L-R: Geert van Capellen, Secretary General, World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC); Arjan Hijdra, Director, Global Infrastructure Institute; Remment Ter Hofstede, Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors; and Polite Laboyrie, President, Central Dredging Association
Alternatives to Plastics: Current Challenges and Future Vision
L-R: Geoffrey Wahungu, Director General, National Environmental Management Authority, Kenya; Lilian Magak, Kenyan Commercial Forestry Programme; Yoshiki Takeoka, Kaneka Corporation; Shollay Ramlaul, BASF East Africa; and Albert Nyagechi, Kenya Bureau of Standards
Third Pole: A Call for Action to Combat Climate Change Impacts in Fragile Ecosystems
Alejandro Argumedo, Director, Association ANDES
Li Xin, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Foresight: Early Warning for Decision-making
L-R: Charles Sebukeera, UNEP; Maria Andrzejewska, Director, UNEP/Global Resource Information Database (GRID)-Warsaw Centre; Derek Gliddon, Acting Director, Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative; Margaret Nthuli, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), East Africa; and Thea Carroll, CITES Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Secretariat
Thea Carroll, CITES MIKE Secretariat
Margaret Nthuli, ESRI, East Africa
Maria Andrzejewska, GRID, Warsaw
Innovative Technologies and Approaches in Monitoring the SDGs
L-R: Andreas Brink, European Commission; Brian Sullivan, Google Earth; Gilberto Camara, Group on Earth Observations; Jillian Campbell, UNEP; Philip Thigo, Kenya; and Oluf Jessen, DHI
Monitoring Ambient Water and Air Quality: Launch of GEMStat Data Interface
L-R: Hartwig Kremer, UNEP; Dylan Blake, UMVOTO Africa; Philip Saile, GEMS Data Centre, Germany; Steffen Fritz, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA); Stephanie Holzwarth, UN-Habitat; Sean Khan, UNEP; Nathan Pavlovic, Sonoma Technology; and Miguel Escribano, Kunak Technologies
Sustainable Water and Waste Management in Developing Cities
Veerle Vandeweerd, Policy Director, Global Science Technology and Innovation Conference (G-STIC)
L-R: Min Yang, Deputy Director, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES) and Tom Ogada, Executive Director, African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)
L-R: Thierry De Oliveira, UNEP; Nahashon Muguna, Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company, and Maksudur Rahman, Ion Exchange (India) Ltd.
Avoiding Global Warming through Clean and Efficient Cooling Innovations
L-R: Nick Novelli, Yale University; Jonas Loholm Hamann, Danfoss; Edouard Heripret, Schneider Electric; Mohua Mukherjee, International Solar Alliance; Nihar Shah, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and Lily Riahi, UNEP, moderated the session
Race to a Clean Energy Future
L-R: Axel Threlfall, Editor-at-Large, Reuters; Steven Kukoda, International Copper Association; Paolo Falcioni, APPLIA Home Appliance Europe; Carlo Papa, Enel Foundation; Akiko Seyoum Ambaye, CEO, Orchid Business Group; and Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair, International Resource Panel
Towards Integrated Action on Air Pollution and Climate Change
Dechen Tsering, UNEP
Emerging Issues: Solving the Broken Nitrogen Cycle
L-R: Mark Sutton, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; Ramesh Rama Chandaran, India; James Mutegi, International Plant Nutrition Institute; and Christopher Cox, UNEP
Sustainability Research and Innovation 2020
L-R: Makyba Charles-Ayinde, American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Josh Tewksbury, Future Earth; and Erica Key, Executive Director, Belmont Forum
Erica Key, Executive Director, Belmont Forum
Makyba Charles-Ayinde, AAAS
Healthy Food for a Sustainable Planet - Part 2: Diets to Mitigate Climate Change
Philip Lymbery, CEO, Compassion in World Farming
Natascha Kooiman, CEO, Smackmaakers
Linxiu Zhang, International Ecosystem Management Partnership, UNEP
Stineke Oenema, Coordinator, UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition
Driving Transformation Innovation Through Sustainable Chemistry
L-R: Achim Halpaap, Head, Chemicals and Waste Division, UNEP; Ylann Schemm, Director, Elsevier Foundation; Agnes Dittmar, Director Policy & Communication, International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3); Nzambi Matee, Founder, Gjenge Makers; and Sascha Gabizon, Executive Director, Women Engage for Common Future
Citizen Science for Smart Sustainable Cities of the Future
Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network
Timothy Nixon, Managing Editor, Sustainability, Corporate Responsibility & Inclusion, Thomson Reuters
GreenTech Startup Marathon
Panel of Judges L-R: Corli Pretorius, Deputy Director, UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre; Michael Karasick, Vice President, Global Labs, IBM Research; and Cécile Thomas-Courcoux, France
Representatives of startup companies participating in the marathon
Representatives of startup companies participating in the marathon
L-R: Axel Threlfall, Editor-at-Large, Reuters; Louis-Francois Saumon Di Nicea, FAMAE; and Barry Dwolatzky, Wits University, setting the context
Wanjiru Waweru sharing her experience of starting Funkidz, a children's furniture startup
UNEA-4 President Siim Kiisler
L-R: Przemek Pyziel, Founder, Planet Heroes; Jose Manuel Moller, Founder and CEO, Algramo; and Angelo Campus, CEO, BoxPower
Closing of the Forum
Forum participants observing a moment of silence in memory of the lives lost in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that morning
Axel Threlfall, Editor-at-Large, Reuters
Shereen Zorba, Head, Secretariat of the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment
Satya Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General, UNEP
Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UNEP
Mazaruni Khan and Edie Hedda Threlfall, Youth participants
L-R: Bruno da Costa Flach, Edan Dionne, Michael Karasick, Hendrik Hamann, and Wayne Balta, IBM
Satya Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General, UNEP, thanked Chinese artist, Chang Jiahuang for donating his artwork to UNEP