Environmental Governance
UNEP has a rich history assisting governments in obtaining environmental information for decision-making, enhancing global and regional environmental cooperation, developing and applying national and international environmental law, advancing national and regional implementation of environmental objectives, and bridging major groups and governments in policy development and implementation processes.
International Environmental Governance Reform
UNEP is currently undertaking a consultative process on the reform of International Environmental Governance, as one of the pillars of sustainable development to identify pathways for improving the complex and fragmented system of MEAs and environmental financing to better support the overall process of sustainable development. The Work of the IEG is based on Governing Council Decision 25/4 on IEG of February 2009 and Governing Council Decision SSXI/1 on IEG of February 2010
For all relevant background information as well as the relevant process, please visit the very comprehensive website: http://www.unep.org/environmentalgovernance/
Major Groups and Stakeholders Advisory Group on IEG
Out of 90 nominations received who responded to the call for applications, fifteen core members - all with significant expertise in international/ global environmental governance have been selected to comprise the Advisory Group representing all major groups and stakeholders as well as the 6 UNEP regions. Members of the Advisory Group include nationals of 21 countries, and, among others, a former Minister for Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, a Champion of the Earth Laureate, a retired US Ambassador and former Deputy Director General of the ILO, former UN officials, professors, students and many with outstanding experience of grassroots campaigning and successful practical achievements on the ground.
Consultative Meeting for Major Groups and Stakeholders on IEG Held on 25 Oct, 2010, Geneva
In cooperation with the relevant UNEP Divisions (DELC and DTIE), UNEP’s Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch (MGSB) hosted two thematic consultations with major groups and stakeholders (MGS) in Geneva on two important areas of UNEP’s work: international environmental governance (IEG) and the Green Economy (GE). The IEG consultation took place on 25 October, 2010. The objectives of the IEG consultation were to update MGS on the work of the High-level Ministerial Consultative Group and the outcomes of its first Consultative Group meeting held in July 2010 in Nairobi; to provide an opportunity for MGS to assess the IEG options currently under discussion, to examine alternative options, and to identify implementation and communication outreach strategies as well as to examine how to enhance overall MGS contribution to the 2nd Consultative Group meeting on 21-23 November 2010 in Helsinki.
Second meeting of the Consultative Group of ministers or high-level representatives on IEG, 21-23 November, Helsinki, Finland
As per paragraph 19 of the co-Chairs’ summary of the first meeting of the Consultative Group, the co-Chairs with the advice of the Executive Director of UNEP elaborated the descriptions of the nine options entailed in the Executive Director’s paper, ‘Ideas for broader reform of international environmental governance’, which the Consultative Group had reduced from the original 24 options during their first meeting. Based on paragraph 18 of the co-Chairs’ summary, the UNEP Secretariat also prepared a document to help format a comparative analysis of options for broader IEG reform.
Documents for the meeting have undergone an extensive consultation process with governments, the UN system through the Environment Management Group and UNEP's Major Groups and Stakeholders. Below the documents for the meeting can be found, including comments received on them from governments, the UN system and Major Groups and Stakeholders.
Outcome
The Nairobi-Helsinki process deliberated a future international structure for decision-making on environmental issues. More than 130 delegates from 44 countries including 8 Ministers and Assistant Ministers as well as representatives from the UN family and GEF participated. The President of Finland opened the high-level segment of the consultation. The Co-chairs Kenya and Finland also engaged with representatives of Major Groups representing civil society and business through a global teleconference and committed to engage major groups more effectively in future IEG negotiations. The outcome of this process will be presented by Kenya and Finland at the next Governing Council in February 2011.
IEG at UNEP’s Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum at its 26th session and at the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum at its 12th session.
The Twelfth Session of the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF) will be held from 19-20 February 2011, prior to the 26th Session of the UNEP Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC26/GMEF) which will take place from 21-24 February 2011, in Nairobi, Kenya. The objective of the GMGSF is to provide a platform for exchange and consultation on key environmental issues to be addressed by the Member States during the GC26/GMEF, and to facilitate Major Groups contribution to the GC/GMEF and other international environmental fora.
The twenty-sixth session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum will focus on emerging policy issues under the overall theme of contribution of UNEP to the preparatory process for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (also known as “Rio + 20”). Specific themes to be taken up at the session are “Green Economy” and “International Environmental Governance”. For all relevant information such as agenda and working and information documents please follow the link. http://www.unep.org/gc/gc26/
For Additional information please contact: civil.society@unep.org