UNFCCC COP-16/CMP-6: Outcomes

Advance unedited versions of the decisions from UNFCCC COP-16/CMP-6 that took place in Cancun (Mexico) from 29 November - 10 December 2010 are online at: http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_16/items/5571.php

Stockholm Convention: 2nd round of National Reports

The Secretariat has released National Reports submitted by 40 of the 172 parties to the Convention. They include information on the progress of implementing the Convention's requirements. Reports

ITTC-46: Outstanding issues concluded

The 46th session of the Interntional Tropical Timber Council convened from 13-18 December, 2010 in Yokohama (Japan) and concluded with compromises on two outstanding issues: the Collaborative Initiative between ITTO and CBD to conserve tropical forest biodiversity, and financial arrangements for hosting Council sessions outside of ITTO HQ in Yokohama. Decisions

It was announced during the closing of the session that additional funding of US$16.8 million had been pledged towards the conservation and sustainable management, use and trade of tropical forest resources, including $4.5 million for the implementation of its pilot thematic programme on Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Environmental Services in Tropical Forests (REDDES) and US$12.3 million for other thematic programmes, new projects and activities.

UNDESA/UNDP: Support for LDCs in Rio+20 process

It has been reported that Least Developed Countries (LDCs) were not among those countries that responded to the UNCSD (Rio+20) Secretariat's solicitiation for technical inputs for the preparation of the Secretary-General’s report to be submitted to the 2nd UNCSD Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom) in March 2011.

In response, a Concept Note has been prepared by UNDESA and UNDP proposing a project that would seek to assist approximately 60 developing countries to "prepare for and contribute effectively to the UNCSD process based on their expression of demand and their particular needs." The inputs into the project would seek to build the capacity of relevant institutions and individuals to engage in the outcomes from UNCSD. The Concept Note indicates that the total resource requirement for the proposed project is US$2,809,820.

UNEP: Policy Series on Ecosystem Management

The second issue of the UNEP Policy Series on Ecosystem Management The role of ecosystems in developing a sustainable 'Green Economy' discusses how investing in ecosystems can deliver benefits to all levels of society in helping communities adapt to climate change.

Forest Forum: UNFF-9

The 9th Session of the UN Forest Forum will take place from 24 January - 4 February, 2011 at UN/HQ under the theme "forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication." UNFF-9  is expected to complete consideration of the means of implementation for sustainable forest management.   UNFF Homepage

CBD: Implementation of Plan of Action

The 1st meeting on the CBD Plan of Action on Sub-National Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity 2011-2020 will take place from 17-19 January in Montpellier (France). the Plan is intended to support parties and local authorities in implementing the CBD Strategic Plan 2011-2020, its targets and relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties (COP).

ITPGR: 2nd Meeting of Compliance Working Group

In preparation for the 4th session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR), to be held in March 2011 in Bali (Indonesia), the Ad Hoc Working Group on Compliance will continue deliberations on procedures and mechanisms to promote compliance and address issues of non-compliance from 17-18 January in Rome (Italy).  

Indigenous People and Forests: Expert Group Meeting

Coinciding with the 2011 International Year of Forests (IYF), this meeting will take place from 12-14 January, 2011. The findings are to be presented to the 10th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) scheduled to take place at UN/HQ from 16-27 May 2011. Documentation

Assessing biodiversity offset and compensatory mitigation programs

"State of Biodiversity Markets" takes stock of the status and trends of biodiveristy offset and compensatory mitigation programs by geographic region. The report summarizes the total active programs and developing activities, and broad metrics such as total known payments and land area protected or restored. Full report

UNEP/GC-26: Green Economy Report

The forthcoming “Green Economy Report”, presenting assessments of green sectors using economic analysis and modelling approaches, is due to be presented to the 26th UNEP Governing Council. Recent products of UNEP's Green Economy Initiative include: "Patents and clean energy: bridging the gap between evidence and policy," and "Fisheries Subsidies, Sustainable Development and the WTO."

Implementation of Nagoya Protocol: Seminar

The Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), in collaboration with the Agence Française de Développement are organizing an international seminar on February 3, 2011 in Paris titled: "Towards the effective implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on ABS".

Participants aim to take stock and assess the implications of the ABS Protocol for the governance of biodiversity as well as its implementation challenges and potential contributions to the global sustainable development agenda. The focus will be on legal, policy and practical implementation challenges with the objective to contribute to the debate on outstanding issues, future research directions and technical assistance and training activities related to the implementation of the ABS Protocol.

More information

Establishment of UN Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD)

An agreement was recently signed between the UN and the Republic of Korea to establish a new research and training facility. UNOSD will serve as a training and resource facility for developing countries on sustainable development, including in the preparations for the forthcoming Rio+20 Conference. It will organize training programmes and expert conferences, collaborate with a network of training institutions in developing countries, and undertake policy research on the progress and gaps in the achievement of sustainable development goals.

UNOSD will be housed in Yonsei University in the City of Inchon.  It will begin operations in April 2011 with a launch conference and expert meeting on the “Drivers, Risks, and Challenges in the Transition to a Green Economy”.

UNCSD (Rio+20): Ocean Briefing

The Pew Environment Group has issued a briefing and recommendations to the First Intersessional Meeting titled “Bringing the Ocean Back into the Earth Summit”.

Africa: Rabat Declaration on Solid Waste Management

As part of preparations for CSD-19, the Intersessional Meeting on Solid Waste Management in Africa took place on 25-26 November 2010, in Rabat (Morocco). The Chair’s summary of the meeting including the annexed Rabat Declaration has been released as an advance, unedited report.

Oceans in UNCSD (Rio+20)

The Pew Environment Group presented its briefing and recommendations titled: “Bringing the Ocean Back into the Earth Summit” to the 1^st Intersessional Meeting of UNCSD (Rio+20), which took place from 10-11 January at UN/HQ. Citing laggard international governance on behalf of the marine environment, a solution is proposed for UNCSD to initiate a negotiating process towards a comprehensive and legally binding implementing agreement under UNCLOS. Report

Environmental Policy and Law: The journal for decision-makers: December 2010

EPL , Volume 40, Number 6 includes the following contents:

Contents

Editorial                                                                      

UNITED  NATIONS  ACTIVITIES

FAO

–    Preventing, Deterring and Eliminating IUU Fishing      

      – Port State Measures –

      (Blaise Kuemlangan, Michael Press)

UN/GA / MDG Summit

–    Environmental Dimension of the MDGs                      

      – Progress Made? –

      (Elisa Morgera)

–    Sustainable Development and Biodiversity                  

      (Constanza Martinez)

High-level Event on Biodiversity

–    Selected Statements by Representatives of the          

      Member States

CBD / COP-10

–    Post-2010 Implementation                                        

      (Elisa Morgera)

–    Access and Benefit Sharing                                       

      – The Nagoya Protocol –

      (Elsa Tsioumani)

–    Liability and Redress

      – Supplement to the Cartagena Protocol –                  

     

OTHER  INTERNATIONAL  DEVELOPMENTS

State Responsibility / Liability                                      

      – Erga Omnes Obligations and Judicial Control –

      (Alfred Rest)

Elizabeth Haub Prize                                                                

–    2009 Prize for Environmental Law                              

Is Capacity Building Presently of Age?                        

      (Donald Kaniaru)

ICAO

–    Environmental Prospects for the Air Transport             

      Industry

      (Ruwantissa Abeyratne)

G-20

–    The Seoul Summit                                                    

      (Soledad Aguilar)                                                                 

REGIONAL  AFFAIRS

South Asia

–    Transboundary Waters on the Subcontinent                         

(Armin Rosencranz, Abhimanyu G. Jain, Raeesa Vakil)

Africa and Southeast Asia

–    Gorillas and Their Habitats – A Legal Review –            

      (Balraj Sidhu)

Pacific Island Countries

–    Regional Meeting for CBD COP-10                              

      (Ian Fry)

Alpine Region

–     Helicopters in the Alps                                              

      – International Legal Aspects –

      (Jennifer Heuck)

Alpine Convention

–    Switzerland: Not Ratifying the Protocols                      

      (Thomas Egger)

–    44^th Meeting of the Standing Committee                      

Arctic Council

–    Senior Arctic Officials Meeting                                    

OSPAR

–    The First High Seas MPA Network                              

      (Graeme Kelleher)

NATIONAL  AFFAIRS

Jordan

–    Dead Sea/Red Sea Canal Project                                

      (Hamaideh Arwa, Mohamed Abd El Jaleel Awabdeh)

USA

–    California and Climate Change                                     

      (Anna Frostic, Stephen C. McCaffrey)

Australia

–    Climate Change Policy Evaluation                                

      – Method and Criteria –

      (Evgeny Guglyuvatyy)

REFERENCES  TO  OTHER  TOPICS                              

SELECTED  DOCUMENTS

CBD / COP-10

–    Implementation of the Convention and Strategic Plan     

To order the issue or become a subscriber, please contact IOS Press (Netherlands) at: http://www.iospress.nl/.

UN/GA President: UN Role in Global Governance

In a statement to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences delivered in Beijing (China), on 11 January 2011, UN/GA President Joseph Deiss addressed the transition towards a green economy and the role of the UN in global governance.

Mauritius v. UK: Dispute related to 'Marine Protected Area' and Chagos Archipelago

Under Article 287 and Annex VII, Article 1 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Mauritius has served  a notification and statement of claim to the United Kingdom regarding the legality of the declared Marine Protected Area (MPA) around the Chagos Archipelago.

In seeking relief, "Mauritius requests the Annex VII arbitral tribunal of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to declare, in accordance with the provisions of UNCLOS and the applicable rules of international law not incompatible with the Convention that, in respect of the Chagos Archipelago:

(1) the ‘MPA’ is not compatible with the 1982 Convention, and is without legal effect; and/or

(2) the United Kingdom is not a ‘coastal state’ within the meaning of the 1982 Convention and is not competent to establish the ‘MPA’; and/or

(3) only Mauritius is entitled to declare an exclusive zone under Part V of the 1982 Convention within which a marine protected area might be declared."

The notification and statement of claim are available through the website of the American Society of International Law at: http://www.asil.org/interest-groups-public-files.cfm.

Satellite view of Diego Garcia Atoll, Chagos Archipelago



APEC: Focus on Green Growth in 2011

As host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2011, the United States has announced that green growth will be among its priorities.

Press Release: http://www.apec.org/en/Press/News-Releases/2010/1213_isom.aspx

UNEP: Report on the Role of Ecosystems in Developing a Sustainable Economy

UNEP has released the second issue of its Policy Series on Ecosystem Management. The newest issue, titled "The role of ecosystems in developing a sustainable ‘Green Economy,’" discusses how investments in ecosystems can result in benefits at the local and global levels, while at the same time enhancing people's livelihoods.

Go to: http://intranet.unep.org/depi/noticeboard/Uploads/policy%20series%202%20-%20small.pdf

ECLAC: Pre-Rio+20 Expert Meeting

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) held a meeting of government-designated experts of Latin America and the Caribbean, preparatory to the UNCSD (Rio+20). The event convened under the title: "A green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and the institutional framework for sustainable development."

Meeting Agenda and Presentations: http://www.cepal.org/cgi-bin/getProd.asp?xml=/dmaah/noticias/noticias/4/41684/P41684.xml&xsl=/dmaah/tpl/p1f.xsl&base=/dmaah/tpl/top-bottom.xsl

OAS: 2nd High-level Meeting on Sustainable Development

The 2nd Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities on Sustainable Development in the framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) was held in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) on 17-19 November 2010. The Meeting adopted a Declaration recognizing that human beings are at the center of concerns for sustainable development and that poverty eradication is an integral part of sustainable development.

Declaration of Santo Domingo: http://www.oas.org/DSD/MinisterialMeeting/Documents/Declaracion_Santo_Domingo_eng.pdf

UNCSD (Rio+20): Advance Synthesis Report Released for First Intersessional

An advance, unedited copy of a synthesis report  (A/CONF.216/PC) has been released by the UNCSD Secretariat, in preparation for the First Intersessional Meeting on 10-11 January 2011.

The Report is online at: http://www.uncsd2012.org/files/intersessional/Synthesis-Report-Final.pdf

The Synthesis Report was prepared on the basis of responses to a questionnaire from Member States, Major Groups and United Nations System Organizations, IFIs and Other Stakeholders.

UNCSD (Rio+20): UN Secretary-General's report on objectives and themes

An advance, unedited copy of a Report of the Secretary-General, on the Objective and Themes of the UNCSD (A/CONF.216/7), has been issued ahead of the second session of the Preparatory Committee to be held from 7-8 March 2011.

Report: http://www.uncsd2012.org/files/prepcom/SG-report-on-objective-and-themes-of-the-UNCSD.pdf

CSD-19 Briefing

In preparation for the 28 February-4 March 2011 IPM and the 2-13 May 2011 CSD-19 sessions, an informal briefing was organized at UN Headquarters on 16 December 2010. The organization of work and preparations for each of these meetings was reviewed, including the intersessional meetings contributing to these sessions. It was noted that, on the final day of the IPM, a multistakeholder dialogues will discuss "advancing the implementation of sustainable development" and "expectations from CSD-19 within the context of Rio+20, given the apparent linkages between the themes of current cycle and green economy."

Summary of Briefing: http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/csd/csd_pdfs/csd-19/Summary-of-CSD-and-IPM-briefing.pdf

CSD-19 Preparations

Advance, unedited drafts of the Secretary-General's Background Reports for the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting (IPM) and CSD-19 have recently been released, and a briefing on preparations for these events was recently held at UN Headquarters.

CSD-19 will take place at UN Headquarters from 2-13 May, 2011

Documents: http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/resources/res_docucsd_19.shtml

UNEP RONA: Webpage on Sustainable Consumption and Production in North America

This new webpage focuses on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in the North American Region by highlighting success stories and providing information on key SCP activities, consultations and meetings in the region. 

Go to: http://www.rona.unep.org/about_unep_rona/scp/index.html.

UNEP: 26th Governing Council

The 26th session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (CSD/GMEF) will take place from 21-24 February in Nairobi (Kenya).

Ministerial consultations  will focus on emerging policy issues under the overall theme of contribution of UNEP to the preparatory process for (Rio + 20). Specific themes to be taken up at the session are “Green economy” and “International environmental governance”.

Documentats are available at: http://www.unep.org/gc/gc26/

EU and Cape Verde: Fisheries Protocol

On 22 December, the European Commission  initialled a new three-year protocol under the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Cape Verde setting fishing possibilities for EU vessels in Cape Verde's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), along with other conditions. The new protocol foresees a total EU financial contribution of EUR 435,000, and will come into force when the present protocol expires, on 1 September. Press Release

IFRI: New Environment Report

Institut Français des Relations Internationales's (Ifri) new publication “Global Governance of Biodiversity: New Perspectives on a Shared Challenge” aims to provide a first mapping of the global governance of biodiversity, through an investigation of the interactions between various actors, institutions, norms, tools and processes that structure it. Full text

UNCSD (Rio+20): Information material

The UNCSD Secretariat has launched a biweekly newsletter titled "Rio20: Making it Happen". It lists the recent and upcoming intergovernmental meetings related to UNCSD preparations, as well as recently published documents.

LRTAP: 28th Executive Body Meeting

The scope of LRTAP was expanded during the last meeting of the Executive Body from 13-17 December, 2010 where the Parties adopted a Long Term Strategy for implementation and its  work plan for the next 10 years and beyond. They also decided to include specific provisions for the revision of the Gothenburg Protocol, which will include black carbon as a component of particular matter. This will make the Convention the first international agreement to tackle a short lived climate forcer in the context of air pollution on a policy level. Decisions

Aral Sea: 3rd basin programme for 2011-2015

The Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea reviewed the draft 3rd Aral Sea basin programme for 2011-2015 during a meeting on 15 December, 2010. UNECE Press Release

Nagoya Protocol

The text of the Nagoya Protocol has been posted online in three languages (English, French, Spanish) by ECOLEX: the gateway to environmental law.

ICCAT: Catch Measures adopted

The 17th Extraordinary Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) took place from 17-27 November in Paris, France, bringing together over 500 delegates from 35 contracting parties. The Commission reviewed the status of tuna stocks and by caught species, including sharks and turtles, in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The contracting parties adopted: new management measures for bigeye and bluefin tunas and North Atlantic swordfish, as well as for the conservation of sharks and sea turtles that are taken as by catch and improved measures for monitoring, surveillance and control. Recommendations

FAO: Policy for engaging with Indigenous Communities

FAO has developed a guidance document titled "FAO Policy on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples," aimed to guide systematic and responsible engagement with indigenous peoples and their organizations. Priority areas of work identified as the basis for greater collaboration include:
- Natural resources, environment and genetic resources;
- Climate change and bioenergy;
- Land and territories;
- Food security, nutrition and the right to food;
- Communication and knowledge systems;
- Cultural and biological diversity; and
- Economic opportunity for sustainable livelihoods.

Go to: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/newsroom/docs/FAO_policy.pdf

CMS: Future Shape

The three-phase process to lay out a future strategy of the CMS Family continues. The 37^th Standing Committee reviewed the work undertaken during the 2^nd phase and provided inputs to the Working Group as it seeks to develop three scenarios for a future strategy to be considered by COP-10. See: http://www.cms.int/bodies/future_shape/future_shape_mainpage.htm

IUCN: Global Ocean Protection

This new publication by IUCN seeks to assist in the collective effort to find new and better solutions to address the various threats to the marine biological diversity and productivity. It provides evidence-based recommendations on improving and accelerating actions on delivering ocean protection and management through marine protected areas and facilitates the sharing of experiences and lessons learned. Go to: http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2010-053.pdf

Norway: Nature Diversity Act

After coming into force on 1 July, 2009, the Norwegian government has produced an English translation of its "Nature Diversity Act" The purpose of the Act is “...to protect biological, geological and landscape diversity and ecological processes through conservation and sustainable use,...”.Available at: www.regjeringen.no/en/doc/laws/Acts/nature-diversity-at.html?id=570549.

INTERPOL: Environmental Crime Resolution

Police agencies of the world have supported INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Programme with delegates attending INTERPOL’s General Assembly in Doha, Qatar voting unanimously in favour of a resolution encouraging greater global policing efforts.The resolution calls upon national law enforcement authorities to recognize that “environmental crime is not restricted by borders and involves organized crime networks which engage in other crime types including murder, corruption, fraud and theft”. It notes that there is a vital need for a global response and that INTERPOL should play a leading role in supporting national and international enforcement. ‘Environmental crime’ encompasses activities ranging from illegal trade in wildlife, timber and marine species, to transborder movements of hazardous waste, and the illicit exploitation of natural resources. Resolution

UNEP: Free publications online

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has made 380 of its publications freely available online through the Biodiversity Heritage Library, a non-profit consortium. UNEP-WCMC publications

EU: Commission Guidelines on Wind Energy in Protected Areas

The European Commission has produced new guidelines aimed at avoiding conflict between wind energy development and biodiversity conservation in Natura 2000 protected areas. They highlight the importance of strategic planning and the need for good quality appropriate assessment of new developments. The guidelines contain examples of best practice, and show how wind energy developments can avoid damage to nature sensitive areas. Wind energy developments and Natura 2000

InforMEA

InforMea is an online collection of the 12 Global Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) designed to facilitate continued exchange of knowledge management activities of the MEA’s for the benefit the Parties and the environmental community as a whole. Overseen by UNEP, InforMEA was the first project established by this initiative. It establishes agreed to information exchange standards and aggregates data and information harvested from participating MEAs, including: COP/MOP Decisions, Resolutions and Recommendations, News and Events, Calendars, contact details of National Focal Points and Official Documents.

ICJ: Australia v. Japan

The International Court of Justice has fixed time-limits or the filing of the initial pleadings in the case concerning Whaling in the Arctic (Australia v. Japan). Australia has until 9 May 2011 to file a Memorial and Japan will have until 9 March 2012 to file a Counter-Memorial. The history of the proceedings can be found in Press Release No. 2010/16 of 1 June 2010 at www.icj-cij.org.