Wed, Jan 4, 2012
2012 also marks the 40th anniversary of
the environment programme of the UN.
2012 will mark some major milestones in
the race to realize sustainable development
as nations navigate the final laps on the
Road to Rio+20.
2012 will mark some
major milestones in the race to realize
sustainable development as nations navigate
the final laps on the Road to Rio+20.
The UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (UNCSD) as it is
formally known and now scheduled for later
in June will address two over-arching themes-a
Green Economy in the context of sustainable
development and an institutional framework
for sustainable development.
RIO+20, envisaged as
a summit involving heads of state, comes
20 years after the Rio Earth Summit of 1992
that set the course for contemporary sustainable
development and established the climate
change, biodiversity and desertification
treaties as well as a forum on forests.
It also comes four decades
after the Stockholm Conference on the Human
Environment that led to the establishment
of UNEP-thus 2012 also marks the 40th anniversary
of the environment programme of the UN.
2012 has also been designated
as the "International Year for Sustainable
Energy for All" by the UN's General
Assembly. The year is aimed at creating
an enabling environment for the promotion
and use of new and renewable energy technologies,
including measures to improve access to
such technologies.
Highlights of major
activities for the first half of 2012 also
include:
January
Second Session of the
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Assembly to be held in Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates from 14-15 January.
The Fifth World Future
Energy Summit (WFES) will be held from 16-19
January, also in Abu Dhabi. WFES will concentrate
on energy innovation in policy implementation,
technology development, finance and investment
approaches, and existing and upcoming projects.
The Global Conference
on Land-Oceans Connections (GLOC): Towards
Greener Coastal Economies will be held in
Manila, Philippines from 23-24 January.
The conference will seek to ensure that
a contribution from the linked marine and
freshwater communities is fed into the Rio+20
process. A new UNEP report on the "Green
Economy in a Blue World" will be launched
during the conference.
From 25-29 January,
2012, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
will convene in Davos, Switzerland under
the theme "The Great Transformation:
Shaping New Models." At the meeting,
leaders will return to their core purpose
of defining what the future should look
like, aligning stakeholders around that
vision and inspiring their institutions
to realize that vision.
From 30 January to 01
February, the Intergovernmental Meeting
to Negotiate and Endorse UNEP's Global Environment
Outlook-5 Summary for Policy Makers will
be held in Gwanju, Republic of Korea.
February
The 18th Meeting of
the Forum of Ministers of Environment of
Latin America and the Caribbean will be
held from 31 January to 03 February in Quito,
Ecuador.
Here ministers will
review the implementation of the Rio 1992
commitments and agreements, and deliberate
on new, emerging and priority issues for
the region and other issues on the road
to Rio+20.
They are also expected
to discuss cooperation on sustainable consumption
and production, environmental indicators
and the way forward in negotiating a regional
framework agreement on atmospheric pollution
that includes emissions of short-lived climate
forcers (SLCFs) such as methane, black carbon,
ozone precursors and hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs).
The UN General Assembly
will hold a thematic debate on preparations
for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development
(UNCSD) in New York. The exact date of the
debate is to be determined.
UNEP in cooperation
with UN Global Compact and the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
will hold a global summit on Business Perspective
on Sustainable Growth: Preparing for Rio+20
from 14-16 February in New York.
The summit, convened
by KPMG International will seek to craft
a forward-looking agenda to focus on global
green growth. Its outcomes will be shared
at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development
The 12th Special Session
of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial
Environment Forum will be held from 20-22
February. During the meeting, UNEP will
launch the GEO-5 Summary for Policy Makers
as a contribution to Rio+20.
March
Bankers, insurers and
investors in the North America region will
gather for GLOBE 2012 starting 14-16 March
in Vancouver Canada as a contribution to
Rio+20- GLOBE 2012 is hosted by the GLOBE
Foundation in collaboration with the UNEP
Finance Initiative.
World Water Day will
be marked on 22 March 2012 under the theme
'Water and Food Security'.
The UN University (UNU),
in collaboration with the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Australian
Government Department of Climate Change
and Energy Efficiency, the Secretariat of
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
and the UN Development Programme (UNDP)
will organize a meeting on Climate Change
Mitigation with Indigenous Peoples: Practices,
Lessons Learned and Prospects from 26-28
March in Cairns, Australia.
April
The second meeting of
the Intergovernmental Committee for the
Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources
and Equitable Benefit-sharing Arising from
their Utilization (ABS) will be held in
Delhi India from 9-13 April.
UNEP in cooperation
with the UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO),
the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and
other organisations will convene the second
session of the plenary meeting for the Intergovernmental
Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
(IPBES) in Panama from 16-21 April.
May
With the theme of "The
Living Ocean and Coast," the Expo 2012
will run from 12 May to 12 August in Yeosu,
Republic of Korea. The Expo will seek to
provide a learning opportunity to the public
as well as present solutions to environmental
challenges and propose measures for the
sustainable use and development of marine
resources.
The fifth session of
the Meeting of the Parties to African-Eurasian
Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) will be held
from 14-18 May in La Rochelle, France.
Marine Biodiversity
will be the theme for this year's International
Day for Biodiversity to be marked on 22
May.
Co-hosted and convened
by the University of Arizona (US) and the
Programme of Research on Climate Change
Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation (PROVIA)
of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP),
Climate Adaptation Futures: Second International
Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2012
will be held in Tucson USA from 29-31 May.
June
The World Congress on
Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental
Sustainability will be held from 1-3 June
in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in advance of
Rio+20.
The meeting, involving
those engaged in the development, interpretation
and enforcement of law including Chief Justices
and senior judges, Attorneys-General and
Public Prosecutors and Auditor-Generals,
will focus on the law's role in promoting
the goals of sustainable development.
With the theme 'Green
Economy-Does it include you?', World Environment
Day 2012 will be commemorated on 05 June,
in Brazil in advance of Rio+20.
The Third and final
PrepCom for UN Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20) will be held on 13-15
June in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
The Global Ocean Forum
will organize "Oceans Day" during
the thematic days immediately preceding
the UNCSD or Rio+20 now scheduled between
20-22 June in Rio de Janeiro.
