The first session of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF), held in Malmö (Sweden) in May 2000, was the scene of protracted negotiations on global environmental issues and the need for a reformed structure of international environmental governance. The session adopted, as its main outcome, the ‘Malmö Ministerial Declaration' which is regarded a significant milestone in the evolution of international environmental governance. The Declaration stated that “the 2002 Conference (the World Summit on Sustainable Development) should review the requirements for a greatly strengthened institutional structure for international environmental governance based on an assessment of future needs for an institutional architecture that has the capacity to effectively address wide-ranging environmental threats in a globalising world.” It added that “UNEP's role in this regard should be strengthened and its financial base broadened and made more predictable.” In 2001, UNEP's Governing Council established an Open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Ministers (IGM) to assess existing institutional weaknesses in international environmental governance (IEG), as well as identify future needs and options to strengthen IEG. The outcome of the intergovernmental group was the adoption of a decision on IEG at the Seventh Special Session of the Governing Council/GMEF's in 2002. The decision includes the IGM report containing a range of recommendations, commonly referred to as the Cartagena Package, which prioritise:
- strengthening UNEP's role, authority and financial situation;
- addressing universal membership of the Governing Council;
- strengthening UNEP's science base;
- improving coordination and coherence between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs);
- supporting capacity building, technology transfer and country-level coordination; and
- enhancing coordination across the UN system, as well as the role of UNEP's Environment Management Group.
Since 2003, the Governing Council/GMEF has continued its discussions on environmental governance and has adopted several decisions on the implementation of the Cartagena Package. Regarding the strengthening of UNEP's financial base, the GC/GMEF adopted the pilot phase of the voluntary indicative scale of contributions in 2003. In the first phase, one-hundred-twenty-six countries pledged and paid their contributions, an increase of approximately 70% above the average number of 74 countries contributing annually to the Environment Fund during the previous years. More than 50 countries increased budget allocations for contributions, with 36 of them making their first pledges or resuming payments to the Environment Fund. Since then, the voluntary indicative scale of contributions has been used for the biennium's 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. The GC/GMEF is expected to decide on the further extension of the pilot phase in 2007.
Regarding capacity building and technology support, in February 2005 the Governing Council/GMEF adopted the Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity Building . The Plan aims to strengthen the capacity of developing countries and of countries with economies in transition at all levels by providing systematic, targeted, long and short-term measures for technology support and capacity building. The Plan also aims to enhance delivery by UNEP of technology support and capacity building based on best practices from both within and outside UNEP, and to strengthen cooperation among UNEP, MEAs, and other bodies engaged in environmental capacity building, including the UN Development Programme, Global Environment Facility, and other relevant stakeholders.
On strengthening UNEP' science base, the 22nd session of the Governing Council/GMEF in 2003 adopted decision 22/1/IA establishing a process, referred to as the ‘Science Initiative,' which invited submissions to UNEP's Executive Director focusing on gaps and types of assessments, how UNEP and other organisations are currently meeting their assessment needs, and the options that exist for meeting any unfulfilled needs that fall within UNEP's role and mandate. Following an intergovernmental consultation in January 2004, UNEP proposed that the Governing Council, at its 23rd Session in 2005, adopt the Executive Director's process for the developing a coherent and dynamic framework for keeping the environment under review, called Environment Watch. While the proposal was not approved, the GC/GMEF called on the Executive Director to further develop the Environment Watch proposal. In July 2005, the second global consultation with all stakeholders was held, which resulted in the Environment Watch proposal being revised, updated, and re-structured to consist of five major components: conceptual framework; information network; assessment compact; capacity building programme; and a toolbox. Discussions on Environment Watch during the Ninth Special Session of the GC/GMEF in February 2006 were inconclusive, with many delegations suggesting further clarification on the proposal was still required. Further discussions on the Environment Watch proposal are expected to take place at GC-24/GMEF in February 2007.
ieg-dossier coverage: proposals
The Group of 77 and China
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
Jakarta , November 2005: South-South Cooperation and the Bali Strategic Plan: The High-level consultation to consider the way forward for the South-South Cooperation component of the Bali Strategic Plan on Technology Cooperation and Capacity Building was convened in Jakarta , Indonesia from 23-24 November 2005
European Union
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
Brussels, 10 April 2006: EU Council adopts conclusions on UN Reform, calls for UNEO: The European Union's 2722nd General Affairs Council meeting held in Luxembourg on April 10, 2006 adopted Conclusion on follow-up to the UN World Summit, including humanitarian emergencies, Management Reform, the Mandate Review, the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on System-wide coherence, and transforming the UNEP into a UN Environment Organisation
France
Volume 1 Edition 2 ¦May 2006
Paris, 17 May 2006: France: Girardin on the UN Environment Organisation: According to official press releases, during a meeting between Brigitte Girardin, Minister Delegate for Cooperation, Development and Francophone, and Achim Steiner, Director-General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and future executive director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the minister delegate reaffirmed France's commitment to the proposal to transform UNEP into a United Nations Environment Organisation
Vienna , 12 May 2006: France : Chirac on the UN Environment Organisation: In an address to the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean, French President Jacques Chirac called on “Latin America to join the European Union in promoting the rapid creation of a UN Environment Organisation”
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
New York, February 2006: French Proposal on a UN Environment Organisation submitted to General Assembly: In February 2006, the French Ambassador to UN, Jean-Marc de la Sablière , submitted a progress report on the Group's activities to be circulated as an official document of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, under agenda items 46 (Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields) and 120 (Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit)
United Kingdom
Volume 1 Edition 2 ¦May 2006
US, 26 May 2006: Blair: Calls for UN Reform, including UNEO : In an address to Georgetown University UK Prime Minister Tony Blair outlined several proposals for reforming the United Nations, including the: Security Council; role of the UN Secretary-General; humanitarian and development operations; IMF and World Bank; safe enrichment of nuclear power; the G+5; and a UN Environment Organisation. The address was the third of series of speeches by the Prime Minister on the challenges facing the international community.
Germany
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
Germany , March 2006: Germany: Support for UN Environment Organisation: Following the appointment by the General Assembly of Achim Steiner as the new Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in March 2006, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued a joint statement reiterating Germany 's support for a UN Environment Organisation (UNEO).
Sweden
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
Sweden: Report of the Panel: Issues of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence were also addressed during the High-Level Dialogue between the UN's Economic and Social Council and the Bretton Woods Institutions on 24 April. According to transcripts provided by the UN's Department of Public Information, Ruth Jacoby, Sweden 's Director-General for Development Cooperation, speaking in her capacity as a Panel member, briefed the Dialogue on a recent meeting between the General Assembly and members of the Panel.
Sweden's strategy in the United Nations Environment Programme 2004-2006: Sweden 's strategy for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2004-2006 gives priority to issues of environmental monitoring, chemicals, water, sustainable consumption and production patterns, NGO participation and the implementation of environmental agreements (MEAs).
Sweden: International seminar on the future governance of UNEP: In November 2004, the Swedish government hosted an international seminar on the future governance of UNEP.
UN Environment Management Group
Volume 1 Edition 2 ¦May 2006
Geneva , February 2006: UN Environment Management Group Initiates Review: In response to the World Summit 2005, UNEP Executive Director and EMG Chair Klaus Töpfer initiated the EMG High-level Forum in order to revitalise support arrangements for UN System-wide cooperation. The High-level Forum took place on 24 January 2006.
Non Governmental Organisations
Volume 1 Edition 2¦May 2006
Paris , 2004: IDDRI: Proposals on International Environmental Governance: IDDRI (Institute for sustainable development and international relations) is a policy research institute based in Paris . As part of the debate on international environmental governance, the IDDRI is coordinating a series of studies commissioned to international experts. This series of studies looks at various facets of international environmental governance.
UN Environment Programme: The Cartagena Package on International Environmental Governance
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006 |
Following the UN Conference on the Human Environment held in June 1972, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 2997 establishing the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The General Assembly mandated the UNEP Governing Council to promote international cooperation in the field of the environment and to recommend, as appropriate, policies to this end, and to provide general policy guidance for the direction and coordination of environmental programmes within the UN system. The General Assembly also decided that the UNEP Executive Director would be entrusted with, inter alia , the responsibility to coordinate, under the guidance of the Governing Council, environmental programmes within the UN system, to keep their implementation under review and to assess their effectiveness, and to advise, as appropriate and under the guidance of the UNEP Governing Council, intergovernmental bodies of the UN system on the formulation and implementation of environmental programmes. In 1997, the Governing Council adopted the 'Nairobi Declaration' in which UNEP's role and mandate was redefined and strengthened. The core elements of UNEP's re-focused mandate were to:
- analyse the state of the global environment and assess global and regional environmental trends, provide policy advice, early warning information on environmental threats, and catalyse and promote international cooperation and action, based on the best scientific and technical capabilities available;
- further the development of its international environmental law aiming at sustainable development, including the development of coherent interlinkages among existing international environmental conventions;
- advance the implementation of agreed international norms and policies, monitor and foster compliance with environmental principles and international agreements and stimulate cooperative action to respond to emerging environmental challenges;
- strengthen its role in the coordination of environmental activities in the United Nations system in the field of the environment, as well as its role as an Implementing Agency of the Global Environment Facility, based on its comparative advantage and scientific and technical expertise;
- promote greater awareness and facilitate effective cooperation among all sectors of society and actors involved in the implementation of the international environmental agenda, and serve as an effective link between the scientific community and policy makers at the national and international levels; and
- provide policy and advisory services in key areas of institution-building to Governments and other relevant institutions.
Further changes to UNEP's mandate and its role within the UN system came as a result of the Secretary-General report “Renewing the United Nations: a program for reform,” which was presented to the General Assembly's 51st session in 1997. The report concluded that there was a need for a more integrated systematic approach to policies and programmes throughout the range of UN activities in the economic and social field through mainstreaming the UN's commitment to sustainable development. Following this, the Secretary-General established the Task Force on Environment and Human Settlements under the chairmanship of the Executive Director of UNEP, Klaus Töpfer. The Task Force, composed of 21 eminent persons, was mandated to review the structures and arrangements through which the UN's environmental activities were carried out, evaluate the efficacy of those arrangements, and make recommendations for such changes and improvements required to optimise the work and effectiveness of the UN's environmental work, as well as the work of UNEP as the leading environmental organisation. The Task Force met four times and delivered its report to the Secretary-General on 15 June 1998. The main findings of the report are reflected in 24 recommendations contained in the 7 chapters which span a wide range of issues. The most significant outcomes of this reform process were the establishment of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum and the UN Environment Management Group.
The first session of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF), held in Malmö ( Sweden ) in May 2000, was the scene of protracted negotiations on global environmental issues and the need for a reformed structure of international environmental governance. The session adopted as its main outcome the ‘Malmö Ministerial Declaration' which is regarded a significant milestone in the evolution of international environmental governance. The Declaration stated that “the 2002 Conference (the World Summit on Sustainable Development) should review the requirements for a greatly strengthened institutional structure for international environmental governance based on an assessment of future needs for an institutional architecture that has the capacity to effectively address wide-ranging environmental threats in a globalising world.” It added that “UNEP's role in this regard should be strengthened and its financial base broadened and made more predictable.” In 2001, UNEP's Governing Council established an Open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Ministers (IGM) to assess existing institutional weaknesses in international environmental governance (IEG), as well as identify future needs and options to strengthen IEG. The mandate of the IEG process was limited to examining how to strengthen the environmental pillar of sustainable development as additional measures to strengthen the broader sustainable development governance system. The outcome of the intergovernmental group was the adoption of a decision on IEG at the Seventh Special Session of the Governing Council/GMEF's in 2002. The decision includes the IGM report containing a range of recommendations, commonly referred to as the Cartagena Package, which prioritise:
- strengthening UNEP's role, authority and financial situation;
- addressing universal membership of the Governing Council;
- strengthening UNEP's science base;
- improving coordination and coherence between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs);
- supporting capacity building, technology transfer and country-level coordination; and
- enhancing coordination across the UN system, as well as the role of UNEP's Environment Management Group.
Since 2003, the Governing Council/GMEF has continued its discussions on environmental governance and has adopted several decisions on the implementation of the Cartagena Package. Regarding the strengthening of UNEP's financial base, the GC/GMEF adopted the pilot phase of the voluntary indicative scale of contributions in 2003. In the first phase, one-hundred-twenty-six countries pledged and paid their contributions, an increase of approximately 70% above the average number of 74 countries contributing annually to the Environment Fund during the previous years. More than 50 countries increased budget allocations for contributions, with 36 of them making their first pledges or resuming payments to the Environment Fund. Since then, the voluntary indicative scale of contributions has been used for the biennium's 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. The GC/GMEF is expected to decide on the further extension of the pilot phase in 2007.
Regarding capacity building and technology support, in February 2005 the Governing Council/GMEF adopted the Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity Building . The Plan aims to strengthen the capacity of developing countries and of countries with economies in transition at all levels by providing systematic, targeted, long and short-term measures for technology support and capacity building. The Plan also aims to enhance delivery by UNEP of technology support and capacity building based on best practices from both within and outside UNEP, and to strengthen cooperation among UNEP, MEAs, and other bodies engaged in environmental capacity building, including the UN Development Programme, Global Environment Facility, and other relevant stakeholders.
On strengthening UNEP' science base, the 22nd session of the Governing Council/GMEF in 2003 adopted decision 22/1/IA establishing a process, referred to as the ‘Science Initiative,' which invited submissions to UNEP's Executive Director focusing on gaps and types of assessments, how UNEP and other organisations are currently meeting their assessment needs, and the options that exist for meeting any unfulfilled needs that fall within UNEP's role and mandate. Following an intergovernmental consultation in January 2004, UNEP proposed that the Governing Council, at its 23rd Session in 2005, adopt the Executive Director's process for the developing a coherent and dynamic framework for keeping the environment under review, called Environment Watch. While the proposal was not approved, the GC/GMEF called on the Executive Director to further develop the Environment Watch proposal. In July 2005, the second global consultation with all stakeholders was held, which resulted in the Environment Watch proposal being revised, updated, and re-structured to consist of five major components: conceptual framework; information network; assessment compact; capacity building programme; and a toolbox. Discussions on Environment Watch during the Ninth Special Session of the GC/GMEF in February 2006 were inconclusive, with many delegations suggesting further clarification on the proposal was still required. Further discussions on the Environment Watch proposal are expected to take place at GC-24/GMEF in February 2007.
Source: UNEP, 2006
IEG Background; http://www.unep.org/ieg
Cartagena Package on IEG; http://www.unep.org/gc/GCSS-VII/Reports.htm
Science Initiative; http://science.unep.org/
Environ ment Watch; http://science.unep.org/environmentwatch.asp
Bali Strategic Plan; http://www.unep.org/GC/GC23/documents/GC23-6-add-1.pdf
UNEP Executive Director's Report on IEG, 2006
http://www.unep.org/GC/GCSS-IX/DOCUMENTS/K0584382-GCSS-IX-3.pdf