United Nations Environment Programme

After five years of consultation, the Governing Council of UNEP at its twenty fourth session in February 2007, underlined the vital importance in a globalizing world of enhancing infrastructures and capacities which can sustain cooperation on environmental data and information. It was felt that this can lead to reduced transaction costs for national reporting, natural resource accounting and decision-making. It supported UNEPs ongoing endeavours to enhance information networks at the regional and national levels, and by doing so taking into consideration existing infrastructures, mechanisms and tools in order to avoid duplication of efforts.

The Council also requested the Executive Director to consult Governments, other stakeholders with a view to improving further the proposed Environment Watch strategy: Vision 2020 as an integral part of the wider strategic vision of the United Nations Environment Programme, to report back to the Governing Council at its twenty-fifth session with a revised proposal which should include component cost estimates.

In this regard, Governments and other institutions are kindly requested to provide their comments to the Environment Watch strategy: Vision 2020 as presented to the twenty fourth session of the Governing Council. This is in accordance with paragraph 7 of the GC.24 decision. These comments are requested by 31 of October 2008 in order to facilitate the preparation of a report to the twenty-fifth session.