UNEP to study Palestinian Territories environment in late June/early July

Nairobi, 4 June 2002 - Mr. Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and Under-Secretary General of the UN, will visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in late June or early July to launch an environmental study of the Palestinian Territories by UNEP experts.

Mr. Töpfer has been invited to meet with Israeli Environment Minister Tzachi Hanegbi and Palestinian Environment Minister Yousef Yousef Abu Safieh. He will also consult with a range of environmental experts. This high-level visit will be prepared by a UNEP technical mission in mid June.

The "desk study" will outline the state of the environment and identify major areas of environmental damage requiring urgent attention. It will be based on interviews with officials and experts and a review of existing data. If necessary, the study will be followed up by field visits aimed at generating proposals on how to improve environmental conditions.

The decision to assess the environmental situation in the Palestinian Territories was taken unanimously in February 2002 by the UNEP Governing Council at its Seventh Special Session/Global Ministerial Environment Forum. UNEP is required to report back to the Governing Council at its next meeting in February 2003.

Note to journalists: The February 2002 UNEP Governing Council decision is attached to this press release. For more information, please contact Nick Nuttall at +254-2-623084, +41-79-446-1324 (cell), or nick.nuttall@unep.org, or Michael Williams at +41-22-917-8242/8196/8244 or michael.williams@unep.ch.

DECISION OF THE UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL AT ITS SEVENTH SPECIAL SESSION/GLOBAL MINISTERIAL ENVIRONMENT FORUM (February 2002)

Environmental Situation in the Occupied Territories

The Governing Council,

Recalling its Decisions 20/2 and 21/16 on the environmental situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories;

Taking note of the report presented by the Executive Director (UNEP/GCSS.VII/4/Add.3);

Conscious of the need to respond to the Decisions of the Governing Council comprehensively;

Gravely concerned over the continuing deterioration and destruction of the environment in the Occupied Palestinian Territories;

Encouraged by the recent invitation extended to the Executive Director by the two concerned parties to visit the region;

1) Requests the Executive Director to visit the area as soon as possible with a view to establish a framework and modalities of the study requested by the Governing Council in Decisions 20/2 and 21/16;

2) Requests the Executive Director to designate a team of UNEP experts to prepare a desk study outlining the state of the environment in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to identify major areas of environmental damage requiring urgent attention;

3) Also requests the Executive Director to undertake field studies, as deemed necessary, with the objective of proposing remedial measures to improve the environmental situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and by implementing existing agreements for improving the environment in the area;

4) Urges the Executive Director to take all necessary steps, on an urgent basis, to:

a) Coordinate the activities of UNEP in the area, including the implementation of this decision;

b) Follow up the findings and recommendations of the UNEP study and assist the Palestinian Ministry of Environmental Affairs in its efforts to address the urgent environmental needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories;

5) Invites all the parties concerned to cooperate with the Executive Director in the implementation of this Decision;

6) Requests the Executive Director to report on the implementation of this decision to the Governing Council at its 22nd Regular Session.

UNEP News Release 2002/44