Fri, Dec 21, 2012
UN General Assembly Strengthens UNEP Role
in Addressing Global Environmental Challenges
- Renewed Focus on Improving Access to Technology
and Capacity Building
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.
Further Resources
Resolutions of the 67th Session of the UN
General AssemblyVideo: Adoption of the UNGA
resolution on UNEP universal membershipRio+20
outcome document The Future We Want10 Year
Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption
and Production40 Years of UNEPThe 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 action 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
and other sources, including foundations.
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,
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
(SCLPs), to tackle climate change and improve
human health. In less than 12 months, some
25 governments and additional partners have
joined the coalition.
