Stakeholder Forum hosted the last meeting of the Fourth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-4) Outreach Working Group in San Sebastian from 4 to 6 October.

The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is the flagship of UNEP's integrated environmental assessment and reporting. GEO is both a process and series of reports, analysing environmental change, causes and impacts and policy response, and providing information for decision making, supporting early warning and building capacity at global and sub-global levels. GEO also communicates, raises awareness, and provides option for action. The report series aims to keep under review the state of the world-s environment, identify emerging issues that require international attention an d provide guidance for policy making, action planning and resource allocation. The objective of GEO is to make up-to-date environmental information on the state and trends of the environment and emerging issues accessible to decision makers and to contribute to the strengthening of policy processes.

The Division of Early Warning and Assessment, together with regional offices and partners, is developing GEO-4. The GEO-4 process has identified “environment for development” as the theme of the report.
The assessment looks at valuation of environmental goods and services, and the role of the environment to enhance human well-being, minimize human vulnerability to environmental change and support development.

The baseline for GEO-4 is 1987, the year when the Brundtland Commission published its seminal report Our Common Future. The GEO-4 report will be launched in October 2007, 20 years after the publication of the report of the Brundtland Commission.

From left to right
Dr. Quamrul Chowdhury (Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalist), Ms. Nancy MacPherson (IUCN – The World Conservation Union), Ms. Jacquie Chenje (UNEP DEWA), Mr. Nicholas Lucas (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment), Dr. Randa Fouad (Arab Media Forum for Environment and Development), Ms. Angele Luh (UNEP), Dr. Nancy Colleton (Institute for Global Environment Strategies), Dr. Felix Dodds (Stakeholder Forum), Ms. Heather Creech (International Institute for Sustainable Development), Ms. Esther Larrañaga (Minister of Environment of the Basque Region, Spain), Mr. Richard Black (BBC), Mr. David Simpson (Division of Communications and Public Information UNEP), Ms. Marion Cheatle (UNEP DEWA), Mr. Nick Rance (TVE), Mr. Ibon Galarraga (Deputy Minister of Environment of the Basque Region, Spain), Mr. Eric Quincieu (Eco 4 the World), Ms. Katrin Hallman (Swedish Environmental Protection) and Mr. Valentin Yemelin (UNEP/GRID-Arendal).

Members of the GEO-4 Outreach working group and basque stakeholders during the reception offered by the Minister of Environment of the Basque Region

Dowload here the speech given by Ms. Esther Larrañaga, the Minister of Environment of the Basque Region (Spain)

Official Opening of the meeting by Ms. Marion Cheatle, Senior Environmental Affairs Officer/Head of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Section at the Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA), and Mr. Ibon Galarraga, Deputy Minister of Environment of the Basque Region , Spain.