Review and Consultations for the Future of the Global Environment Outlook

The upcoming review and consultations for the Future of the Global Environment Outlook, will take place online 9 September – 9 October 2020. During this consultation, Member States are invited to provide their inputs regarding the future of UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook (GEO), in accordance with paragraph 6 of UNEA resolution 23, which reads (excerpt):

“Requests the Executive Director […] to prioritize […] the preparation of an options document for the future of the GEO process in broad consultation with Member States, stakeholders and other global environmental assessment processes, focusing on the scope and objectives of the GEO process. The options document process and consultation will be overseen and managed by a Steering Committee to be established under the auspices of the UN Environment Assembly […].”

To ensure broad consultations on the building blocks for the options with Member States, stakeholders and other assessment experts, inclusivity and ownership of the process by interested governments, regional groups and other stakeholders, and a continued strong science-policy interface, member States are invited to take an active part in this consultative process, which will include;

• Completing a survey questionnaire designed to gather your views on the future form, function and governance of GEO;
• A review of a background paper on GEO prepared by an independent consultant;
• A review of a co-chairs discussion document developed from the deliberations of the Steering Committee members nominated by Member States which oversees this process; and
• Six live online webinars to be conducted during this consultative period to enable interested participants to better understand the content and process and solicit inputs (click HERE to register).

To facilitate inputs during this consultation, a secure password protected website has been provided and can be accessed at:

Link: https://wesr.unep.org/futureofgeo/login

Username: futuregeo

Password: geo1234

The online questionnaire is available in all six UN languages. Answers to the questionnaire will remain anonymous and will not be used in any way apart from the intended purpose of developing options for the future of GEO.

The website also contains a draft background paper and the co-chairs discussion document for review. These, together with the planned webinars, will better equip participants in providing inputs. To provide review comments on the background paper and discussion document, a reviewer's grid and the reviewer's guidelines are available on the website.

The six online webinars mentioned above may serve to clarify possible questions related to the content of the shared material or to the process of developing options for the future of GEO. To enable proper planning of these live sessions, interested participants are invited to register through the link provided above.

For additional information and to submit reviewer’s grids, contact pierre.boileau@un.org with copy to franklin.odhiambo@un.org.

Inputs to the questionnaire as well as any review comments on the above-mentioned documents should be submitted by 9 October 2020 (Midnight EAT) at the latest.