Highlights and images for 18 March 2019

Kenya

Summary

Highlights for Monday, 18 March 2019

Global Pact for the Environment OEWG-2 The second substantive session of the Ad hoc Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) established pursuant to UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 72/277 was opened on Monday morning by Co-Chairs Amal Mudallali, Lebanon, and Francisco António Duarte Lopes, Portugal, who called for a results-oriented discussion on possible options to address possible gaps in international environmental law. Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, United Nations Environment (UNEP), welcomed delegations and invited them to observe a moment of silence for those lost in the Ethopian Airlines disaster and in the Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand. Msuya recalled the OEWG mandate and plans for just one more substantive meeting before the process reports to the UNGA. She called for meaningful and substantive deliberation and a consensus-based recommendation to the UNGA. After a general discussion, delegations broke into an informal session and began to respond to guiding questions posed by the Co-Chairs. The questions focused on options that can be considered to address gaps or challenges related to principles of IEL, and the objectives of such options, and respective methodologies; and issues related to governance, coordination and the risks of incoherence.Delegations discussed, inter alia:

  • The OEWG’s mandate from UNGA;
  • The preparedness of the OEWG to move on from a discussion of gaps to options;
  • The utility and possible design of a binding or non-binding legal instrument;
  • The nature of gaps in IEL and possible responses, including methodologies;
  • Existing, emerging and new principles for consideration with regard to IEL;
  • Approaches to strengthened coordination of and synergies among multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the role of institutions such as UNEP and the UN Environment Assembly; and
  • The importance of an inclusive process that takes into account the principle of participation by indigenous peoples and local communities
  • IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from the 2nd Substantive Session of the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group Towards a Global Pact for the Environment. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.

    Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis

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    A moment of silence in memory of the people lost after the Ethiopian Airlines 302 crash and the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand.
    Fernando Coimbra, Brazil, and Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP
    Fernando Coimbra, Brazil, with Co-Chair Francisco António Duarte Lopes, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Portugal
    Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP
    Dmitry Maksimychev, Russian Federation
    Wael Aboulmagd, Egypt
    Co-Chair Amal Mudallali, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lebanon, and Jamil Ahmad, UNEP
    Elizabeth Mrema, Director of the Law Division, UNEP
    Djerang Saglar, Chad
    Fernando Coimbra, Brazil
    Jin Sun, China
    Vigen Ananyan, Armenia
    From L-R: André Costa Lapeira, Portugal; Peter Pitrez, Portugal; Michał Łyszczarz, Poland; and Marek Rohr-Garztecki, Poland
    Stadler Trengove, UN Legal Officer, with Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP
    Camila Zepeda Lizama, Mexico
    Co-Chair Francisco António Duarte Lopes, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Portugal
    Co-Chair Amal Mudallali, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lebanon
    Madina Ganou Diaby Kassamba, Burkina Faso
    Aldo Claure Banegas, Bolivia
    Abdullah Tawlah, Saudi Arabia
    Delegates conferring during lunch break
    Marcelo José Cousillas, Uruguay
    Co-Chair Amal Mudallali, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lebanon, and Alexis Lamek, France
    Alejandro Montero, Chile
    Raoul Renard, International Chamber of Commerce
    Meles Alem, Ethiopia
    Around the Venue