Highlights for Thursday, 14 March 2019
Group photo of the UNEA-4 High-Level Segment
The High-Level Segment of UNEA-4 opened at mid-day. Heads of state and government from France, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda and Sri Lanka addressed delegates. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, stressed the importance of integrating traditional and cultural knowledge in the effort to promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP). Emmanuel Macron, President of France, highlighted the vision behind the 3rd One Planet Summit taking place at the UN in Nairobi, in parallel with the UNEA-4 High-Level Segment. He issued a rousing call for action to limit global warming and stop biodiversity loss, warning that, “We will be held accountable.”Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Kristalina Georgieva, interim President, World Bank, and Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP, also addressed the audience, and environment ministers delivered national statements.In the afternoon, a leadership dialogue took place between UN panelists and environment ministers, which discussed how to support sustainable food systems, promote food security and halt biodiversity loss. A multi-stakeholder dialogue followed with civil society leaders spearheading innovative solutions for sustainable consumption.Key highlights:
A choir performance with songs of welcome and tribute to those who had perished in Sunday’s plane crash;
Attendance by more than 80 environment ministers, who outlined actions for sustainability already underway in their own countries;
Dialogue between UN specialized agencies and ministers, highlighting the need to better value the contribution of ecosystems and natural capital, in economic planning; and
Concrete examples of social innovation in the civil society sphere, demonstrating the possibility of behavior change on issues such as single-use plastics and motor vehicle emissions.
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
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UNEA High-Level Segment Opening Plenary
View of the dais during the High-Level Segment
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP, taking a photo of Édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of Rwanda and Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP, for the #SolveDifferent campaign.
Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka, and Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, taking a selife for the #SolveDifferent campaign.
UNEA-4 President Siim Valmar Kiisler, Estonia
Édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of Rwanda
From L-R: Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka; Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General; and Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya
Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General
Andry Rajoelina, President of Madagascar
The UN Choir
Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP
Kristalina Georgieva, interim President and CEO, World Bank
Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP, with Ulf Björnholm, UNEP
Édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of Rwanda, with Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP
Tim Christophersen and Jamil Ahmad, UNEP
Sergio Costa, Minister of the Environment, Italy, with Simonetta Sommaruga, Head of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, Switzerland
Nathan Ndoboli, Uganda, and Fernando Coimbra, Brazil
Fernando Coimbra, Brazil, and Jamil Ahmad, UNEP
Leadership Dialogue
From L-R: Joshtrom Kureethadam, Holy See; Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction; Moderator Nikhil Seth, UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); Cristiana Pașca Palmer, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); and David Nabarro, Former Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change
Joshtrom Kureethadam, Holy See, and Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
Cristiana Pașca Palmer, Executive Secretary, CBD
Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue
From L-R: Von Hernandez, Break Free From Plastic; Khawla Al-Muhannadi, Environment Friends Society, Bahrain; Leyla Acaroglu, Disrupt Design; Moderator Solitaire Townsend, Futerra; Desta Mebratu, African Transformative Leapfrogging Advisory Services; Lena Pripp-Kovac, IKEA Group; and João Campari, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Solitaire Townsend, Futerra
Khawla Al-Muhannadi, Environment Friends Society, Bahrain
Leyla Acaroglu, Disrupt Design
National Statements in UNEA-4 Plenary
Sergio Costa, Minister of the Environment, Italy
Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Minister of Tourism and the Environment, Congo
Ricardo Salles, Minister of the Environment, Brazil
Ricardo Lozano Picón, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia
Between Sessions
Delegates from Costa Rica. From L-R: Lorena Aguilar, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Anna Villalobos; and Marta Juárez Ruiz, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to Kenya
The Cuban delegation
Delegates from the United Arab Emirates
Around the Venue
From L-R: Marta Juárez Ruiz, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to Kenya; Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica; and Andrea Meza, Costa Rica
