As
part of UNEP Global South South Development Expo, the Youth Partnership
Forum Y4SSD will give young people who are currently lacking proper
representation to influence South-South Development processes.
Partnership Forum 3- Youth Partnership Forum
Date/ Time: Thursday, 31 October, 2013, 9:00-12:00
Venue: UNON Conference Room 7, Nairobi, Kenya
Brief Description
The
overall objective of the Youth Partnership ForumY4SSD is to complement
the substance and outcomes of the Innovative Solution Exchange in
Inclusive Green Economies in the light of efficient South-South
Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication with a
view to elaborating an Action Plan for replicating and scaling up
respective solutions of young people towards green economies with
particular focus on youth volunteerism.
To
follow this session online, including reading the live transcripts,
posing questions to panellists in real time, and reading session
summaries, click here http://j.mp/GSSDpf4
Expected Outcomes
Provide an Action Plan of the role of the youth in contributing to the SSC processes.
Replicate and scale up the solutions presented by young people at the Expo with a particular focus on youth volunteerism.
Convenor
UNV, UNEP, UN Habitat and Global Peace Foundation
Contact
Dmitry Frischin
Dmitry.frischin@undp.org
Pablo Fuentenebro
Pablo.Fuentenebro@unep.org
Showing posts with label UNEP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UNEP. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
The Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations Ambassadors
Check out Kahkashan Basu, Representative for Children & Youth, UNEP Major Groups Facilitating Committee here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kehkashan-basu/
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
UNEP Children's Painting Competition
Check this out!
UNEP Children's Painting Competition (61 photos)
Winners of the 22nd International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment
Friday, December 28, 2012
UNEP
UNEP is organizing
an online consultation to collect ideas, suggestions, inputs and
best practices on Model and Mechanisms of Civil Society Participation in UNEP
process. This is a
really good opportunity to contribute and bring your added value to UNEP works
after the decision in the Rio+20 Outcome Document.
Please
contribute to the consultation at: http://obsurvey.com/S2.aspx?id=1709BF46-57AF-41C0-A894-5F6DF3EAAFEA
Deadline is December 31st, 2012.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
United Nations Environment Programme Upgraded to Universal Membership Following Rio+20
New York / Nairobi, 21 December 2012 – Another step forward to the ‘Future We
Want’ was put in place today with a decision by the General Assembly of the
United Nations to ‘strengthen and upgrade’ the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
and establish universal membership of its governing body.
The landmark resolution, aimed at increasing the role of UNEP as the leading environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, was adopted 40 years after UNEP was established by the General Assembly, following the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
The General Assembly resolution also provides for UNEP to receive secure, stable and increased financial resources from the regular budget of the UN, and calls for other UNEP donors to increase their voluntary funding.
The decision allows full participation of all 193 UN member states at the UNEP Governing Council in February 2013, and follows commitments by world leaders at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) last June to improve the institutional framework for sustainable development.
The provisions contained in the resolution are among the first practical steps by the UN General Assembly to implement the outcomes of Rio+20.
“The decision by the General Assembly to strengthen and upgrade UNEP is a watershed moment. Universal membership of UNEP’s Governing Council establishes a new, fully-representative platform to strengthen the environmental dimension of sustainable development, and provides all governments with an equal voice on the decisions and actions needed to support the global environment, and ensure a fairer share of the world’s resources for all,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
“The resolution reaffirms UNEP’s role as the UN's authority on the environment, and provides the mandate to enhance our ongoing work on bringing the latest science to policy-makers, directly supporting national and regional environmental efforts, improving access to technology, and other key areas. For UNEP and the environmental community, this is a truly historic day,” added Mr. Steiner.
Improved governance for the global environment
In the forty years since UNEP was established, the environmental challenges facing communities around the world – from diminishing water resources and desertification, to climate change and hazardous chemicals - have increased in number and complexity.
Yet international responses to such challenges are often fragmented and weak.
The latest edition of UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook report, released in June 2012, assessed 90 of the most important environmental goals agreed by the international community, and found that significant progress had only been made in four.
The report warns that if current trends continue, several critical thresholds may be exceeded, beyond which irreversible changes to the life-support functions of the planet could occur.
The General Assembly decision reflects the commitment of member states to improve global cooperation on the environment in order to meet such challenges, and to promote the integration of the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable development, as well as improving coordination within the UN system.
Prior to the new resolution, UNEP’s Governing Council consisted of 58 members only. Previous efforts to ensure wider representation in the running of UNEP resulted in the creation of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF), which brought together the world’s environment ministers for high-level meetings in parallel with the Governing Council.
Member states will have the role of implementing the provisions of the General Assembly resolution – including arrangements for the future of the GMEF – at the first meeting of the newly-enlarged Governing Council at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi on 18-22 February 2013. The meeting will be held under the theme ‘Rio+20: From Outcome to Implementation’.
The General Assembly also stressed the important role of UNEP in providing the international community with comprehensive, science-based, policy-relevant global environmental assessments, such as the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) series, and others.
By endorsing the Rio+20 outcome document ‘The Future We Want’ in July 2012, and adopting the new resolution on UNEP, the General Assembly underlined the need for UNEP to work more closely with non-governmental organizations, youth, women, indigenous peoples, local governments, business, and other interest groups, and to formalize their participation at the UNEP Governing Council and in global environmental decision-making overall.
UNEP is also tasked with further strengthening the vital link between policy-makers and the scientific community.
In a separate resolution relating to another Rio+20 outcome, the General Assembly welcomed the adoption of the ten-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns (10YFP), to which UNEP provides the secretariat.
The 10YFP is a global framework of action to enhance international cooperation on accelerating the shift towards sustainable consumption and production in developed and developing countries. The framework will support capacity building, and provide technical and financial assistance to developing countries.
The General Assembly also tasked UNEP with establishing a trust fund for sustainable consumption and production programmes in order to mobilize voluntary contributions from donors, the private sector, foundations, and other sources.
40 Years of UNEP
The General Assembly resolution marks the first major structural change to UNEP in its four-decade history.
The first UN agency to be headquartered in a developing country, UNEP is the voice of the environment in the UN system. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review, and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.
UNEP also administers many multilateral environmental agreements and conventions, including the Ozone Secretariat and the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and a growing family of chemicals-related agreements, among others.
Major UNEP landmarks and achievements over the past forty years include:
· 1979: Bonn Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) established. The agreement involves 116 member states and has overseen binding agreements and action plans to protect 120 migratory species.
· 1987: Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer established. One of the most successful multilateral agreements in UN history, the protocol has overseen a 98 per cent reduction of controlled ozone depleting substances, and delivered multiple health benefits, including millions of avoided cases of cancer and eye cataracts.
· 1988: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) established by UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization. The panel delivers the world’s most influential, comprehensive and scientifically-reviewed reports on climate change.
· 1995: Basel Ban Amendment barring export of hazardous wastes adopted. Ratified by 70 countries and the EU, the agreement established a regime for minimization of health and environmental impacts of waste.
· 2002: Launch of Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles. Among other activities, the project has assisted countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to successfully phase out or begin the phase-out of leaded fuel. Associated health savings for the continent are estimated at US$92 billion per year.
· 2012: Launch of Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants: Voluntary initiative to reduce emissions of black carbon, methane, low-level ozone, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and other short-lived climate pollutants, to tackle climate change and improve human health. In less than 12 months, some 25 governments and additional partners have joined the coalition.
More UNEP milestones can be viewed at: www.unep.org/40th
The landmark resolution, aimed at increasing the role of UNEP as the leading environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, was adopted 40 years after UNEP was established by the General Assembly, following the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
The General Assembly resolution also provides for UNEP to receive secure, stable and increased financial resources from the regular budget of the UN, and calls for other UNEP donors to increase their voluntary funding.
The decision allows full participation of all 193 UN member states at the UNEP Governing Council in February 2013, and follows commitments by world leaders at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) last June to improve the institutional framework for sustainable development.
The provisions contained in the resolution are among the first practical steps by the UN General Assembly to implement the outcomes of Rio+20.
“The decision by the General Assembly to strengthen and upgrade UNEP is a watershed moment. Universal membership of UNEP’s Governing Council establishes a new, fully-representative platform to strengthen the environmental dimension of sustainable development, and provides all governments with an equal voice on the decisions and actions needed to support the global environment, and ensure a fairer share of the world’s resources for all,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
“The resolution reaffirms UNEP’s role as the UN's authority on the environment, and provides the mandate to enhance our ongoing work on bringing the latest science to policy-makers, directly supporting national and regional environmental efforts, improving access to technology, and other key areas. For UNEP and the environmental community, this is a truly historic day,” added Mr. Steiner.
Improved governance for the global environment
In the forty years since UNEP was established, the environmental challenges facing communities around the world – from diminishing water resources and desertification, to climate change and hazardous chemicals - have increased in number and complexity.
Yet international responses to such challenges are often fragmented and weak.
The latest edition of UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook report, released in June 2012, assessed 90 of the most important environmental goals agreed by the international community, and found that significant progress had only been made in four.
The report warns that if current trends continue, several critical thresholds may be exceeded, beyond which irreversible changes to the life-support functions of the planet could occur.
The General Assembly decision reflects the commitment of member states to improve global cooperation on the environment in order to meet such challenges, and to promote the integration of the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable development, as well as improving coordination within the UN system.
Prior to the new resolution, UNEP’s Governing Council consisted of 58 members only. Previous efforts to ensure wider representation in the running of UNEP resulted in the creation of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF), which brought together the world’s environment ministers for high-level meetings in parallel with the Governing Council.
Member states will have the role of implementing the provisions of the General Assembly resolution – including arrangements for the future of the GMEF – at the first meeting of the newly-enlarged Governing Council at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi on 18-22 February 2013. The meeting will be held under the theme ‘Rio+20: From Outcome to Implementation’.
The General Assembly also stressed the important role of UNEP in providing the international community with comprehensive, science-based, policy-relevant global environmental assessments, such as the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) series, and others.
By endorsing the Rio+20 outcome document ‘The Future We Want’ in July 2012, and adopting the new resolution on UNEP, the General Assembly underlined the need for UNEP to work more closely with non-governmental organizations, youth, women, indigenous peoples, local governments, business, and other interest groups, and to formalize their participation at the UNEP Governing Council and in global environmental decision-making overall.
UNEP is also tasked with further strengthening the vital link between policy-makers and the scientific community.
In a separate resolution relating to another Rio+20 outcome, the General Assembly welcomed the adoption of the ten-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns (10YFP), to which UNEP provides the secretariat.
The 10YFP is a global framework of action to enhance international cooperation on accelerating the shift towards sustainable consumption and production in developed and developing countries. The framework will support capacity building, and provide technical and financial assistance to developing countries.
The General Assembly also tasked UNEP with establishing a trust fund for sustainable consumption and production programmes in order to mobilize voluntary contributions from donors, the private sector, foundations, and other sources.
40 Years of UNEP
The General Assembly resolution marks the first major structural change to UNEP in its four-decade history.
The first UN agency to be headquartered in a developing country, UNEP is the voice of the environment in the UN system. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review, and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.
UNEP also administers many multilateral environmental agreements and conventions, including the Ozone Secretariat and the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and a growing family of chemicals-related agreements, among others.
Major UNEP landmarks and achievements over the past forty years include:
· 1979: Bonn Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) established. The agreement involves 116 member states and has overseen binding agreements and action plans to protect 120 migratory species.
· 1987: Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer established. One of the most successful multilateral agreements in UN history, the protocol has overseen a 98 per cent reduction of controlled ozone depleting substances, and delivered multiple health benefits, including millions of avoided cases of cancer and eye cataracts.
· 1988: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) established by UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization. The panel delivers the world’s most influential, comprehensive and scientifically-reviewed reports on climate change.
· 1995: Basel Ban Amendment barring export of hazardous wastes adopted. Ratified by 70 countries and the EU, the agreement established a regime for minimization of health and environmental impacts of waste.
· 2002: Launch of Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles. Among other activities, the project has assisted countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to successfully phase out or begin the phase-out of leaded fuel. Associated health savings for the continent are estimated at US$92 billion per year.
· 2012: Launch of Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants: Voluntary initiative to reduce emissions of black carbon, methane, low-level ozone, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and other short-lived climate pollutants, to tackle climate change and improve human health. In less than 12 months, some 25 governments and additional partners have joined the coalition.
More UNEP milestones can be viewed at: www.unep.org/40th
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Call for Nominations: Children & Youth in the UNEP Major Groups Facilitating Committee
The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) has a Major Groups Facilitating Committee (MGFC) that composes 18
people, two from each of the nine Major Groups recognized by UNEP. The nine
groups are: Women; Children & Youth; Indigenous Peoples and their
Communities; NGOs; Local Authorities; Workers & Trade Unions; Business
& Industry; Scientific & Technological Community; Farmers.
The mandate for the current MGFC
expires in December 2012, and it is therefore time to select new coordinators
of the UNEP Major Group of Children & Youth. If you want to nominate
someone under 30 to join the MGFC as coordinator for Children & Youth,
please ask the individual to fill in the form below.
The MGFC is not a decision making body,
but is set up to facilitate Major Groups and Stakeholders engagement with UNEP.
The Children & Youth representatives on the MGFC are expected to provide
guidance to UNEP, to collaborate with the other Major Groups, and most
importantly coordinate the broad and active engagement of young people
worldwide in processes related to the UNEP Governing Council / Global
Ministerial Environment Forum.
The Guidelines for Participation of
Major Groups and Stakeholders in Policy Design at UNEP (linked below) state
that the current MGFC representatives will be "responsible for organizing
an internal selection process based on a system appropriate to that Major
Group, in order to nominate two individuals, taking into account geographical
and gender balance. These individuals will then be endorsed by the UNEP
Secretariat".
The current coordinators for the UNEP
Major Group of Children & Youth are: Shaikha Al-alaiwi, Bahrain, Alumni of
the UNEP Tunza Youth Advisory Council (al3laiwi@hotmail.com) Sara
Svensson, Sweden, Alumni of the UNEP Tunza Youth Advisory Council (sajosve@gmail.com).
Deadline to submit nominations via this
form: 30 October 2012. Organizations that are accredited to UNEP and
listed as belonging to the Major Group of Children & Youth will then
receive all nominations and be invited to vote for their preferred candidates.
The new MGFC members will commence their term in December 2012, for an as yet
undetermined period of time (UNEP are reviewing their rules and procedures on
this).
Link to the Guidelines for
participation of Major Groups and Stakeholders in policy design at UNEP: http://www.unep.org/civil-society/Portals/59/Documents/Guidelines-for-CSO-participation-Aug2609.pdf
If you have trouble viewing or
submitting this form, you can fill it out online:
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate and Sustainable Energy Finance
Following the extraordinary success of this year’s Sustainable Energy Finance Summer Academy in
Frankfurt Germany, and due to overwhelming demand, the Frankfurt School - UNEP
Collaborating Centre for Climate and Sustainable Energy Finance (the Centre)
offers a second Summer Academy this year
for the very first time in Nairobi, Kenya. With a special regional focus on
Africa, the course will take place from October 21 to 26 at UNEP’s
Headquarters.
The Summer Academy targets project developers, policy advisors, financiers and consultants. The Academy offers a comprehensive framework for financing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in both emerging and developing markets, including practical, integrated knowledge and tools. There will be a wealth of opportunities to network and solve problems with other relevant stakeholders.
The course will cover the following topics:
Climate change & policy negotiations
Potential for RE/EE projects in Africa
Challenges and opportunities for successful investments in clean energy technologies
Sources of financing: Public, private and carbon markets
RE/EE Microfinance and SME finance
Broad insights in the economics and dynamics of the most significant RE sources, e.g. wind, solar, biomass and hydro
Project analysis from RE/EE: Risk identification & allocation, cash flows, and introduction of financial modelling
Practical examples through case studies from the region
Please note: The selection of applications will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The APPLICATION DEADLINE is August 30, 2012
For more information please visit: http://www.frankfurt-school.de/content/en/consulting/ias/summer_and_winter_academies/sustainable_energy_finance_nairobi.html or www.fs-unep-centre.org
To read about the recent Summer Academy in Frankfurt please visit: http://fs-unep-centre.org/events/sustainable-energy-finance-summer-academy-frankfurt-am-germany
The Summer Academy targets project developers, policy advisors, financiers and consultants. The Academy offers a comprehensive framework for financing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in both emerging and developing markets, including practical, integrated knowledge and tools. There will be a wealth of opportunities to network and solve problems with other relevant stakeholders.
The course will cover the following topics:
Climate change & policy negotiations
Potential for RE/EE projects in Africa
Challenges and opportunities for successful investments in clean energy technologies
Sources of financing: Public, private and carbon markets
RE/EE Microfinance and SME finance
Broad insights in the economics and dynamics of the most significant RE sources, e.g. wind, solar, biomass and hydro
Project analysis from RE/EE: Risk identification & allocation, cash flows, and introduction of financial modelling
Practical examples through case studies from the region
Please note: The selection of applications will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The APPLICATION DEADLINE is August 30, 2012
For more information please visit: http://www.frankfurt-school.de/content/en/consulting/ias/summer_and_winter_academies/sustainable_energy_finance_nairobi.html or www.fs-unep-centre.org
To read about the recent Summer Academy in Frankfurt please visit: http://fs-unep-centre.org/events/sustainable-energy-finance-summer-academy-frankfurt-am-germany
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