UN/GA: Global Governance Debate

UN/GA President Joseph Deiss convened an informal thematic debate on global governance on 28 June at UN/HQ where high-level speakers considered the role of the ECOSOC, its needed reforms and how UNCSD (Rio+20) could advance global governance goals.

The outcomes are aimed at: contributing to discussions on ways to strengthen the multilateral institutional and intergovernmental framework on global governance, particularly global economic governance; and to provide inputs to the report on global governance being prepared by the UN/S-G to be presented at the 66th session of the General Assembly.

Summary of Discussions
Concept Note for Debate
Statement of General Assembly President
Statement of Secretary-General
Website of Debate
Webcast of Opening Remarks and Panel Discussion I
Webcast of Panel Discussion II

UNCTAD: Policy Brief

Summarizing the challenges and opportunities of a "development-led green economy," the brief states that, in order to be inclusive, the transition to a green economy must be supported by development-led policies and concerted actions, noting that greater efforts are needed to address the challenges faced by developing countries and enable them to seize opportunities offered by a green economy.

OECD: Green Growth and Agriculture

A preliminary report outlines a strategy for green growth in the agricultural sector and identifies three priority areas for policy making:

1) increasing productivity in a sustainable manner, in particular by prioritizing research, development, innovation, education, extension services and information;
2) ensuring that markets provide the right signals, and in particular that prices reflect the scarcity value of natural resources as well as the positive and negative environmental impacts of their use; and
3) establishing and enforcing well defined property rights, so as to ensure sustainable resource use.

OECD Preliminary Report on A Green Growth Strategy for Food and Agriculture

New Article: Directing Economic Development for Sustainability

A new article titled: “Creating the Law of Environmentally Sustainable Economic Development" argues that a key to sustainability is redirecting the law of economic development and that a great many recently enacted laws that move the United States toward sustainability can be understood as economic development laws.

These laws:

- require an increase in more sustainable activity,

- create a legal structure in which more sustainable activity can flourish,

- remove legal impediments to sustainability,

- apply traditional economic development laws to more sustainable activities,

- overcome market barriers to more sustainable activities,

- foster economic development in ways that also have job creation and environmental benefits, and

- support the development of green infrastructure. 

Available at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1791680.  Click on “Download” and follow the simple instructions.

OECD: “Taxation, Innovation and the Environment”

This new briefing note illustrates how carbon and other pollution taxes, as well as similar instruments, positively affect innovation. It is based on the premise that innovation is critical to achieving environmental outcomes at a reasonable cost and looks at different options to incentivize innovation away from dirty technologies.

IMO: New Secretary-General

The 106th session Council of the International Maritime Organization has elected Koji Sekimizu (Japan)  as its new Secretary-General effective 1 January 2012 and for an initial term of four years. The decision will now be submitted to the IMO Assembly for approval when it meets for its 27th session from 21-30 November.

IMO Press Release

USA: Inquiry into Natural Gas Industry

As reported by The New York Times on June 28, "Federal lawmakers called Tuesday on several agencies, including the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the Energy Information Administration and the Government Accountability Office, to investigate whether the natural gas industry has provided an accurate picture to investors of the long-term profitability of their wells and the amount of gas these wells can produce." 

These calls come amid growing questions about the environmental and financial risks surrounding natural gas drilling and especially the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, used to release gas trapped underground in shale formations.

Members of the House Committee on Natural Resources say they hope to hold a hearing in the next several weeks to discuss natural gas drilling. 

Read the article          

Nagoya Protocol: Corrections to French

The CBD Secretariat has circulated a notification received from the UN/S-G, acting as depository of the Convention, regarding a list of corrections to the French version of the original text of the Nagoya Protocol. The S-G issued the notification on 16 June 2011, which was the deadline for submission of objections to proposed corrections. No objections were received, and the French version of the original text of the  Protocol has been amended accordingly.

CBD Notification, including List of Corrections

Seychelles: New PAs

The Government has announced the designation of new protected areas that will result in in protecting 50.59 percent of Seychelles' land by law.

CBD Press Release
Seychelles Press Release

Serengeti Road Cancelled

Further to earlier reporting, the Government of Tanzania has halted plans to build the road from Dar-es Salaam to Musoma through Serengeti National Park. In a statement, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism said, "The State Party confirms that the proposed road will not dissect the Serengeti National Park and therefore will not affect the migration and conservation values of the Property."

The road had been projected to accomodate over 800 vehicles passing through the park per day by 2015 with an expected rise of up to 3,000 vehicles by 2035. In the end, Tanzania yielded to pressure from a number of western governments — including Germany and the US — that voiced concerns about the road. The World Bank had also offered to support Tanzania in building an alternative road. 

The African Indaba e-Newsletter Volume 9, Number 4 then reported further on:

1) A letter dated 22 June to the Directors of the World Heritage Center from the Tanzanian Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, HE Ezekiel Maige stating:
The eastern stretch of 214 km from Mto wa Mbu to Loliondo; the western stretch of 117km from Makutano-Natta-Mugumu. The stretch of 12km from Mugumu to Serengeti NP western border will not be tarmac. The 53 km section traversing Serengeti NP will remain gravel road and continue to be managed by TANAPA mainly for tourism and administrative purposes as it is currently." The letter continues that "this decision has been reached in order to address the increasing socio-economic needs of the rural communities in Northern Tanzania while safeguarding the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of Serengeti NP. The Government of United Republic of Tanzania is also seriously considering the construction of a road from Mugumu to Arusha running south of Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park.

2) The International Herald Tribune's Editorial on 27 June with the opinion that:
Unfortunately, the letter announcing the change in plans is too ambiguous to celebrate, and it leaves the ultimate fate of Serengeti unresolved. Tanzania now proposes to build roads right up to the edge of Serengeti. The letter … announces that the controversial route across the park "will remain gravel road" …. But such a gravel road does not now exist, since much of this section of the park is maintained as wilderness. By conceding its hopes for an asphalt road across Serengeti, Tanzania gets a gravel road by sleight of hand. In fact, it was a plan for a gravel road across the park that caused worldwide protest last year. Serengeti lies directly on a route from Uganda to a Tanzanian port called Tanga, on the Indian Ocean. The pressure to develop this route is intense, thanks largely to mining and other extractive industries in Uganda. Tanzania has a right, of course, to pursue its economic future. A major part of its economic present is revenue from tourism, mostly related to Serengeti. It is time for the Tanzanian government to do the right thing, economically and environmentally, and declare its unequivocal commitment to protect Serengeti’s integrity.

CACFAC: 4th Intergovernmental Meeting

The 4th Intergovernmental Meeting on the Establishment of the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFAC) convened from 22-24 June in Cholpon Ata (Kyrgyzstan). Delegates noted the entry into force of the Agreement on 3 December 2010, and, as the 2nd Session of the Preparatory Meeting, finalized and made progress on the most required documentation for the Inaugural Meeting of the Commission.

Turkey will host the Inaugural Meeting of the Commission from 19-21 December in Istanbul (Turkey).

Meeting Documents

UNESCO: Biosphere Reserves and Climate

UNESCO has released "For life, for the future - Biosphere reserves and climate change, a collection of good practice case studies" demonstrating, through a selection of 28 case studies from around the world, that UNESCO biosphere reserves are ideal places to test, evaluate and implement comprehensive climate change policies.

Environmental Compliance and Enforcement: 9th Conference

Under the theme: "Enforcement Cooperation: Strengthening Environmental Governance," 150 compliance and enforcement experts from over 50 countries identified new actions to promote enforcement cooperation and closed with recommendations in preparation for UNCSD (Rio+20).

Background papers

Energy and Green Industry Ministerial Meeting

The Ministerial Meeting on Energy and Green Industry, convened from 21-22 June in Vienna (Austria) sought to contribute to the preparations for UNCSD (Rio+20) and addressed global objectives for access to clean energy, energy and resource efficiency, and promoting green industry as an integral component of the green economy.

The meeting considered a set of three proposed goals, referred to as the “30-30-30” goals:
(1) achieving universal energy access by 2030;
(2) increasing energy efficiency by 40% by 2030; and
(3) achieving 30% renewable energy by 2030.

IISD RS coverage of the Ministerial Meeting and Vienna Energy Forum 2011]

UNCLOS/ICP-12

The 12th meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process (ICP) on Oceans and the Law of the Sea completed its meeting on 24 June concenring the theme “contributing to the assessment, in the context of the [UNCSD (Rio+20)] of progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges”
The Co-Chairs’ Summary of Discussions will be sent to the UN/GA for consideration at its 66th session under the agenda item, “Oceans and the law of the sea.” Furthermore, the Chairs will request that the President of the Assembly also submit the report to the UNCSD Bureau for incorporation in the compilation document, on which the “zero draft” of the UNCSD outcome will be based.

IISD RS Coverage of ICP 12

EC: GMOs and Animal Feed

The European Commission has adopted a regulation to harmonize implementation of the zero tolerance policy on non-authorized genetically modified (GM) material in feed with a "technical zero" at the level of 0.1 percent. The regulation is limited to GM feed material for which an authorization procedure is pending in the EU, or for which an authorization has expired. In addition, this material has to fulfill a set of criteria, which is also outlined in the regulation.

Press Release

Questions and Answers offered by the Commission

G20 Agriculture Ministers: 1st Meeting

G20 Agriculture Ministers concluded their first meeting with the adoption of an Agriculture Ministerial Declaration and Action Plan on Food Price Volatility and Agriculture

CBD: Biosafety COP/MOP-6

COP/MOP-6 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety will be held from 1-5 October 2012, in Hyderabad (India)

The provisional agenda includes the following items:
- report of the compliance committee;
- operation and activities of the Biosafety Clearing-House;
- matters related to the financial mechanism and resources;
- cooperation with other organizations, conventions and initiatives;
- and report of the Executive Secretary.

CBD Notification and Agenda

USA: National Ocean Council

As a first step in addressing the objectives of the National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes; the US National Ocean Council (NOC) recently released nine strategic action plan outlines for public review. The outlines address the following:

1. Ecosystem-Based Management

2. Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning

3. Inform Decisions and Improve Understanding

4. Coordinate and Support

5. Resiliency and Adaptation to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification

6. Regional Ecosystem Protection and Restoration

7. Water Quality and Sustainable Practices on Land

8. Changing Conditions in the Arctic

9. Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Observations, Mapping, and Infrastructure

Interdisciplinary Report on State of the Oceans

A high-level international workshop convened by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) and cosponsored by IUCN was the first such meeting of marine scientists of its kind designed to consider the cumulative impact of multiple stressors on the ocean, including warming, acidification, and overfishing. The 27 participants from 18 organisations in 6 countries produced an assessment of current threats — and a stark conclusion about future risks to marine and human life if the current trajectory of damage continues: that the world's ocean is at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history.

The report summary* outlines the main findings and recommendations including the "Urgent introduction by the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly of effective governance of the High Seas.

The full report will be released at a later date.


*Rogers, A.D. & Laffoley, D.d'A. 2011. International Earth system expert workshop on ocean stresses and impacts. Summary report. IPSO Oxford, 18 pp.

UN/S-G: Business and UNCSD (Rio+20)

At the Board meeting of the UN Global Compact, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for more businesses around the world to accept the principles of the Global Compact and for corporate sustainability to feature prominently at UNCSD (Rio+20)

Statement of Secretary-General at Board Meeting
Message from Secretary-General for Board Lunch

UN Push to Meeting Sanitation Goals

In response to the UN/GA's adoption of resolution A/RES/65/153 calling upon UN member States to support the global effort to realize "Sustainable sanitation:: the five-year drive to 2015" by "redoubling efforts to close the sanitation gap through scaled-up ground-level action, supported by strong political will, increased community participation and improved hygiene;" UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and others have launched the “Sustainable Sanitation: Five-Year Drive to 2015,” an initiative aimed to speed up progress on the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to basic sanitation.

Sustainable Sanitation: Five-Year Drive to 2015

UN/GA New President

The Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser has been elected President of the 66th session of the General Assembly. Following election, he was presented with the “PGA Handbook: A practical guide to the United Nations General Assembly”, which was prepared by the office of outgoing President Joseph Deiss (Switzerland) and the Swiss Mission in New York.

The Guide

UN/GA President-elect Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser

UNCLOS: MSP-21 Outcomes

The 21st meeting of States parties to UNCLOS focused on administrative and budgetary questions relating to ITLOS, information reported by the Secretary-General of the ISA and the Chairman of CLCS, and the election of seven Tribunal members.

On the opening day, parties elected several Bureau members and the provisional agenda for their week-long session. They also elected by acclamation Camillo Gonsalves (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) as President of the meeting, who underscored the importance of the Convention for the sustainable use of ocean resources, navigation and protection of the marine environment.

On issues relating to CLCS, meeting participants asked the Commission to consider meeting in New York, simultaneously with its subcommissions, for up to six months annually over the next five years, and recommended that any request for Secretariat resources to facilitate more working weeks be presented to the UN/GA during its 66th session.

UNCLOS parties also adopted by consensus a draft decision that recalls the obligation of States with experts serving on the Commission to defray all their related expenses, and urged those States to ensure their experts’ full participation in the Commission’s work. The draft further urged those States parties in a position to do so to make contributions to the Voluntary Trust Fund.

Meeting Website

EU: Council on Biodiversity

The 3103rd Environment Council meeting adopted conclusions on the “EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020” on 21 June.

Full text

European Council: Protection of water resources

The Council adopted its conclusions on 21 June related to: “Protections of water resources and integrated sustainable water management in the [EU] and beyond."

Full text

Freshwater and International Law Conference

The conference titled: "Freshwater and International Law: The Multiple Challenges" will examine the interaction between law, science and policy with respect to managing international freshwater resources.

An opening on July 7 at 15:00 will discuss contemporary issues of transboundary water law. The official program continues on July 8/9 with four high-level panels on the topics of water as a vital resource for States and individuals; the promotion of water cooperation; water as a natural resource; and prevention and settlement of water related disputes.

For more details, see the conference program.

Register by sending an e-mail to christina.leb@unige.ch by June 25, 2011.

UNCSD (Rio+20): Subregional Preparation

The Subregional Preparatory Meeting for the Caribbean convened at Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Headquarters in Georgetown (Guyana) to discuss creating a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, the need for a blue economy addressing oceans and related issues, the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD), and emerging issues and partnerships.

Participants noted that more work needs to be done and very little time remains before Rio+20. They heard presentations on and discussed a SIDS-focused paper on the “Green Economy in SIDS,” a proposed framework for a paper on IFSD, and a paper on existing coordinating mechanisms in the Caribbean.

In closing, suggestions were made to use the format of regional task force mechanisms to analyze documents and guide national preparations for Rio+20. One participant noted the importance of gathering tools for achieving sustainability and increasing resilience, with others stressing the need for greater engagement in more strategic discussions and greater coordination.

IISD RS Coverage of the Meeting

Major Groups: Preparation for Rio+20

The following new initiatives and publications have been announced in preparation for UNCSD (Rio+20):

- The NGO Major Group has created an interactive website to share news, start discussions, upload videos or post events. The Group has also created a wikispace to prepare statements and joint documents for the Conference. NGO Major Group Website and NGO Major Group Wikispace

-The Farmers Major Group has issued a notice to solicit submissions on the green economy, institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD) governance, and emerging issues and objectives of the Conference. Farmers Notice

-Local Authorities published a Briefing Sheet explaining the role of subnational governments in the green economy, and announced a forthcoming study titled "Local Sustainability 2012."  Local Sustainability 2012 News

The Group also announced a paper on the role of local governments suggesting that local governments do not appear in the current environmental governance regime, and notes that their representation at UN bodies is defined as "non-governmental."   

EC: Communication on UNCSD (Rio+20)

The European Commission has adopted a Communication titled: “Rio+20: Towards the Green Economy and Better Governance,” which prepares the ground for the EU's position by facilitating dialogue between institutions, civil society, businesses and countries in the lead up to Rio+20.

UN/S-G Reappointed

On recommendation of the Security Council, the UN/GA has unanimously appointed Ban Ki-moon for a second five-year term as Secretary-General beginning 1 January 2012.

Ban's Statement
UNGA Press Release

DPI/NGO: 64th Annual Conference

“Sustainable Societies; Responsive Citizens” will take place in Bonn (Germany) from 3-5 September with the objective of showcasing the impact volunteers make on sustainable livelihoods and providing NGOs the opportunity to contribute to the two-day special session of the UN/GA on the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers in December 2011 and to begin preparations for input into UNCSD (Rio+20).

Provisional Schedule
Conference Website

UNEP: Consultations with Major Groups and Stakeholders

On September 1 and 2, UNEP will organize two consultations in Bonn (Germany):

1.      UNEP Global consultation on Rio+20 on the theme “Engaging with Major Groups and Stakeholders on Rio+20: the Role of Civil Society in Shaping the Sustainable Development Agenda for the 21st century!”, September 1, 2011

2.      UNEP Regional Consultation for Europe (RCM) in preparation for UNEP’s 12th Special Sesssion of the Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum on September 2, 2011

The consutlations  will contribute to the preparations of UNEP’s Global Major Groups and Stakeholder Forum and the 12th Special Sesssion of the Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum to be held from 20-22 February 2012, as well as to the Rio+20 Conference.

All interested Major Groups and Stakeholders are invited to participate!

Registration will be open soon at: www.unep.org/civil-society.

3rd Worldwide Conference of Environmental Law

The "3rd Worldwide Conference of Environmental Law NGOs and Lawyers - RIO+20: WHAT AMBITION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?" will be held September 29-October 1 in Limoges (France). Eminent environmental law experts will convene with the objective of elaborating legal recommendations for environmental conservation and to thus have them taken into account by UNCSD (Rio+20)

Programme and Registration

John Bellinger on UNCLOS and Arctic

Thanks to LOS News we are happy to transmit the following article by former State Department Legal Adviser John Bellinger that appeared on the Foreign Policy magazine website:

Arctic treasure

Posted By John B. Bellinger III   Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 11:24 AM

The following is a guest post by John B. Bellinger III, a partner at Arnold & Porter LLP and an adjunct senior fellow in international and national security law at the Council on Foreign Relations. John served as legal advisor for the Department of State from 2005 to 2009 and legal advisor to the National Security Council from 2001 to 2005. --Peter Feaver

Last Saturday, with U.S. gas prices at record highs, President Obama announced the administration's plans to boost domestic oil and gas production by expanding drilling and exploration in U.S. coastal waters, including in the Gulf of Mexico and off of Alaska. But the president missed an important opportunity to endorse an international agreement that would codify U.S. sovereign rights to vast additional oil and gas deposits under the Arctic Ocean off of Alaska: the Law of the Sea Convention. The omission was especially puzzling after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while participating in a summit of the eight Arctic Council countries held two days previously in Nuuk, Greenland, declared U.S. ratification of the treaty "way overdue." The president should capitalize on calls by congressional Republicans and the oil and gas industry to increase domestic oil and gas production by urging the Senate to ratify the convention this year.

The Law of the Sea Convention was negotiated in 1982 to provide a comprehensive legal framework to govern international activities in, over, and under the world's oceans. Today, 160countries are parties. The treaty guarantees all countries the right to freedom of navigation through and over the territorial seas of coastal states. With the largest fleet in the world, the U.S. Navy -- together with our Air Force, Army, Marines, and Coast Guard -- have long urged the Senate to approve the convention in order to codify their critical navigational rights, which are often challenged by other countries.

The treaty also gives coastal states sovereign rights to the fish and living marine resources in the ocean and oil, gas, and minerals under the seas within 200 miles of their coasts. And it gives coastal states additional rights to the oil, gas, and minerals on their continental shelves, but only if they prove to an international commission established by the convention that these geologic shelves extend more than 200 miles from their coasts.

The "extended continental shelf" of the United States extends more than 600 miles into the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Alaska, covering an area twice the size of California. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that this area contains nearly a hundred billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, as well as extensive deposits of valuable minerals.

The four other countries bordering the Arctic Ocean -- Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark -- have already enriched themselves and their people by tapping into their coastal oil and gas deposits and are staking claims to vast additional resources on their extended continental shelves in the Arctic. Norway's oil fund -- derived from revenues from oil and gas production in the North Sea -- is already worth $500 billion.

While these countries laugh all the way to the oil and gas bank, the U.S. sits on the sidelines unable to claim the resources on its extended continental shelf in the Arctic because it is not a party to the Law of the Sea treaty. U.S. oil and gas companies simply will not invest in these areas unless the U.S. has clear legal title. Unfortunately, a handful of Republican senators have blocked U.S. ratification of the treaty based on myths and misperceptions about the treaty. Even where their concerns may have some merit, they are heavily outweighed by the substantial national security and economic benefits to the American people of joining the treaty and the high costs of not joining.

Although the Law of the Sea treaty is complex, many Republicans who have considered the treaty carefully have endorsed it. The Bush administration -- which was rarely accused of overabundant enthusiasm about international law and institutions -- concluded after a lengthy internal review that the treaty is vital to U.S. economic and national security and urged the Senate to approve it. Even Sarah Palin, when she was governor of Alaska, strongly supported Senate approval, arguing that although "ratification of the convention has been thwarted by a small group of senators who are concerned about the perceived loss of U.S. sovereignty … I believe quite the contrary is true."

President Obama's apparent reluctance to push for Senate approval of the convention is understandable in light of competing legislative priorities and the uphill battle his administration experienced securing Senate approval of the New START treaty last December. But the president should seize the opportunity presented by Republican support for increased domestic oil and gas production to urge the Senate to approve the treaty.

Republican senators, industry groups, and corporations who quietly support the convention also need to play a more active role in championing it. They should rebut the myths and vigorously explain the substantial benefits of the treaty to undecided or skeptical senators, rather than leaving the work solely to the executive branch. And they should let the White House know they are prepared to support it.

Of all the treaties currently pending before the Senate, the Law of the Sea Convention offers the most extensive economic and national security advantages to the American people. There is still time on the Senate calendar this year to consider and approve it. President Obama should make it his administration's top treaty priority, and Senate Republicans should support its passage.

Report: A Business Case for Green Economy

UNEP, the UN Global Compact, Oxfam and WRI have released a study titled “Adapting for a Green Economy: Companies, Communities and Climate Change.” The report makes the business case for private sector adaptation to climate change, including through building the resilience of vulnerable communities in developing countries

CBD/SBSTTA-15: Requesting Comments on Draft Documents

The CBD Secretariat is requesting comments to a number of draft documents available through a a new webpage created to facilitate their peer review in preparation for consideration by the 15th meeting Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice scheduled to be held from 7-11 November in Montreal (Canada).

A list of the documents and the respective deadlines for submission can be viewed here: CBD Notification

UN/S-G: Visit to Brazil

During an official visit to Brazil, UN/S-G Ban Ki-moon said he is counting on Brazil's leadership on sustainable development and at UNCSD (Rio+20).

Ban's Statement

Hydropower and Sustainability

The International Hydropower Association (IHA), during its biennial World Congress on Advancing Sustainable Hydropower from 14-17 June, in Foz de Iguaçu (Brazil) adopted a Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol .

The Congress also reflected on the latest IPCC assessment on renewable energy, the sustainability challenges to hydropower development, opportunities arising from the growing interest in green growth strategies within the international community, as well as from the growth of carbon market finance opportunities.

It established the need to diversify power sources and consider renewables as 'complementary' rather than alternative sources of energy. Special discussions were also held on the social and environmental impacts of the Belo Monte hydropower project recently approved in Brazil's Amazon basin.

IISD RS Coverage

 

CBD: Impacts of Biofuels

In accordance with Decision X/37, the CBD Secretariat has invited submissions on experiences and results from assessments of the impacts of biofuel production and use on biodiversity, and impacts on biodiversity that affect related socioeconomic conditions.

CBD Notification

Rio+20: "Making it Happen": Volume 2, Issue 11

The latest issue of the newsletter from the Secretariat of UNCSD (Rio+20), highlights ceremonies to mark the beginning of the one-year countdown until UNCSD takes place and also announces an upcoming high-level dialogue on the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD) organized by the Government of Indonesia and UN/DESA to take place from 19-21 July.

The newsletter also calls attention to Preparatory Meetings at the sub-regional level for SIDS, and notes that the three sub-regional preparatory meetings will be followed by a SIDS inter-regional preparatory meeting in September 2011.  

Rio+20: Making It Happen, Volume 2, Issue 11

CMS: Roadmap on Climate Change and Migratory Species

A CMS Technical Workshop has agreed on policy recommendations regarding how the international community can assist migratory species in the context of climate change including: appropriate monitoring, identification of most vulnerable species, spatial planning, the role of local people and legal matters. The recommendations will become the basis of a resolution on climate change at COp-10 in Bergen (Norway) in November 2011.

Workshop Agenda

Protection of Forests in Europe: Ministerial Conference

During the FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference, held in Oslo (Norway), ministers adopted the Oslo Ministerial Decision: European Forests 2020 and the Oslo Ministerial Mandate for Negotiating a Legally Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe. Ministers also adopted a decision outlining a shared vision, goals and targets for 2020 for European forests.

Serengeti Road: Kenyan Engagement

As reported in Kenya's Daily Nation on 16 June, President Kibaki has been asked to engage his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete to stop plans to build a planned road from Dar-es Salaam to Musoma through Serengeti National Park.Tourism stakeholders say the road would affect the annual migration of wildebeests from Serengeti to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and fuel poaching. The US government is reportedly lobbying for Tanzanian authorities to drop the plan for the sake of tourism.

Legal action has been filed in the East African Court of Justice seeking to permanently restrain the government of Tanzania from the following:

• “constructing, creating, commissioning or maintaining a trunk road or highway across any part of the Serengeti National Park.”
• “degazetting (removing) any part of the Serengeti National Park for the purpose of upgrading, tarmacking, paving, realigning, constructing, creating or commissioning” the highway.
• removing itself from UNESCO obligations with respect to the Serengeti National Park.

See the news article:  Activists file suit against Serengeti Highway move

"Serengeti Watch" is one organization that continues to track developments on this issue.

UNCSD (Rio+20): 16th Bureau Meeting

Participants at the 16th meeting of the Bureau on 14 June discussed inter alia the organization of work for PrepCom III and the Conference, and received an update on an ongoing study on the institutional framework for sustainable development, among other items.

The next two meetings of the UNCSD Bureau will take place on 7 July in Geneva (Switzerland) and 12 September New York (USA).

Minutes of 16th Meeting

CBD: Urbanization and Biodiversity

The CBD Secretariat has initiated preparation of an assessment of the links and opportunities between urbanization and biodiversity for COP-11, by inviting parties to encourage sub-national governments, cities and local authorities to send information on the application of the Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity (currently being tested by over 85 cities, and supported by the Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity 2011-2020, adopted by Decision X/22). 

CBD Notification
Singapore Index on Cities’ Biodiversity

WHO: Health and Green Economy Series

The World Health Organization has launched a report on health co-benefits of climate change mitigation in the housing sector, the first of a new series of reports on health in the green economy, which undertakes a systematic analysis of climate change mitigation and green growth strategies in five economic sectors: housing, transport, health care facilities, household energy in developing countries and agriculture.

WHO Health in the Green Economy Website

UN Regional Commissions: Decent Work and Sustainable Development

Senior officials of the five UN regional commissions met on 14 June to analyze the importance of decent work in the context of greener and more sustainable globalization, as part of the 100th Session of the International Labour Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

In his presentation, Antonio Prado, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) underlined the importance of reaching agreement so that developed countries may meet their financial and technology transfer commitments, with the aim of encouraging sustainable development and achieving a new low-carbon world economy, in accordance with Principle 9 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.

ECLAC Press Release

CBD and Invasive Alien Species

The CBD Secretariat, in accordance with COP Decisions IX/4 and X/38 has invited reports on parties’ progress in raising issues to address gaps and inconsistencies in the international regulatory framework on invasive alien species (IAS) to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Submission of reports on these issues is invited by 25 July 2011.

CBD Notification

InforMEA Launched

In follow-up to an earlier post, UNEP has collaborated with 17 MEAs to launch the webportal "InforMEA" drawing information from the MEAs’ individual websites to permit a user to search for information related to decisions and resolutions, news and events, meeting calendars, and national focal points across all of the participating MEAs.

UNEP-FI Global Roundtable: Biodiversity and Water

UNEP's Financial Initiative 2011 Global Roundtable will take place from 19-20 October in Washington, DC (USA) and is an opportunity to cast a spotlight on what the sustainable development agenda means for the world’s finance, investment and insurance sectors.

The potential impact of financial sector on biodiversity and water resources will be discussed at the first four parallel sessions, designed to invoke themes relevant to the each sector of the financial industry: banking, industry, and insurance. An overarching session on REDD+ potential and competitiveness for the financial industry will provide a roadmap for the next steps ahead in REDD+ implementation.

For more information on the Global Roundtable and its comprehensive agenda,

visit: www.unepfi.org/washington

CBD: Technical Series addresses REDD+

The CBD Secretariat has launched a new guide on REDD-plus and Biodiversity.

Volume no. 59 in the CBD Technical Series aims to inform CBD National Focal Points and other biodiversity experts how to support REDD-plus design and implementation efforts.

The document is available for download at www.cbd.int/ts. Hard copies are available and can be requested free of charge at publications@cbd.int.

IPBES: Expert Meeting

A meeting on 10 June, organized by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and hosted by UNESCO, on the future of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) provided the basis for a workshop with UNESCO’s technical support, to further articulate the knowledge generation function of the Platform. The meeting's outcomes  will be available on UNESCO's website at the end of June 2011.

UNESCO Press Release

ICNP-1: Recommendations adopted

As preparation for COP/MOP-1 of the Nagoya Protocol, the Intergovernmental Committee at its meeting from 5-10 June in Montreal (Canada), adopted four recommendations, including on compliance with the Protocol, which emerged as the dominant discussion topic and are expected to take a significant role at the next meeting of the Committee, scheduled for April 2012.

Draft Report
IISD RS Coverage of the Meeting
Meeting Documents

Agriculture in Climate Change Negotiations

This "Scoping Paper" from the Meridian Institute, in partnership with an international team of independent expert authors, seeks to present an objective assessment outlining key issues and policy options at the nexus of agriculture and climate change – in particular, issues that could be addressed in international discussions such as UNFCCC. 

The text provides context and analysis for addressing agriculture in international climate negotiations, with the aim of helping to inform climate negotiators and other stakeholders by identifying options and unpacking issues of interest by focusing on agricultural production and food security; early action opportunities; trade; finance; technology transfer and capacity building; and performance and benefits measurement.

Faith and Climate Change: Declaration to UNFCCC/COP-17

More than 130 faith leaders, including traditional leaders, mainly from Africa but also from Northern Europe and Asia gathered in Nairobi (Kenya) on 7-8 June with the objective to prepare African religious leaders for the upcoming UNFCCC/COP-17 in December in Durban (South Africa), and to do the following:

• Develop a common framework for African Ecumenical action on climate justice and sustainable peace in Africa;
• Mobilize faith based organizations to understand and respond to climate justice and sustainable peace in Africa;
• Strengthen faith leaders’ competences in climate justice and sustainable peace;
• Explore synergy with state and non-state actors in joint advocacy efforts on climate justice and sustainable peace in Africa;
• Present to the climate change negotiators the essential moral principles required to reach a fair and just climate agreement.

The final result was a communique from the faith-based organizations to the COP.

Background and Communique

Bushmeat meeting concludes

Approximately 55 experts from 43 Governments and UN agencies, international and national organziations and indigenous and local community organizations (Joint meeting of CBD Bushmeat Liaison Group and CITES Central Africa Bushmeat Working Group) met from 7-10 June in Nairobi (Kenya) and adopted a set of recommendations seeking to reverse the growing trend of illegal trade in the meat and other parts of wild mammals, birds and reptiles ("bushmeat").

In addition to recognizing the need to clarify and define land tenure and access rights, improve monitoring of bushmeat-harvesting and trade, and enhance bushmeat-related law enforcement; key recommendations to stakeholders include:

- Implement community wildlife management, and other improved wildlife management approaches, such as game ranching, and hunting tourism;

- Increase the raising of "mini-livestock" (wild animals such as cane rats raised in small farms);

- Support the sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products, such as bee-keeping.

More information