Archives
Africa-Arab Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
Two declarations were adopted on Saturday, 13 October: the Fourth Arab Conference on DRR Tunis Declaration on DRR; and the Tunis Declaration on Accelerating the Implementation of the Sendai Framework and the Africa Regional Strategy for DRR. The Platform provided an opportunity for governments and stakeholders to assess progress and reaffirm commitments towards the implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 in the two regions.
International Expert Workshop on Blue Natural Capital
The two-day conference explored how to mainstream BNC in economic science, corporate accounting, ecosystem management, and policy and international processes; and highlighted case studies on valuing BNC and its use in conservation strategies, revenue models and business cases for a sustainable ocean economy.
48th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-48)
On Saturday, 6 October, the Panel adopted the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) and approved the Technical Summary and the underlying assessment report. Throughout the week and through the last night, the first Joint Session of Working Groups (WGs) I, II and III discussed the SPM line-by-line in order to reach agreement.
70th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
The seventieth meeting of the Standing Committee (SC70) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) convened from 1-5 October 2018 in Sochi, Russian Federation. Over 700 participants from national governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting
14th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-14) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
POPRC-14 considered the draft risk profile on perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts, and related compounds; a recommendation to the Conference of the Parties (COP) on pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and related compounds; and the process for the evaluation of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts, and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF)
14th Meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC-14) of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
CRC-14 considered the draft decision guidance documents (DGDs) for acetochlor, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and phorate, agreeing to recommend listing these chemicals in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention (Chemicals subject to the PIC procedure). The Committee also discussed the updated version of the Handbook of Working Procedures and Policy Guidance for the Chemical Review Committee (CRC Handbook).
67th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC67)
The presence of aboriginal whale hunters at the meeting provided moving and compelling statements. Adoption of the amendment, which required a three-fourths majority, was viewed by many delegates as an example of the IWC’s ability to find a balance between the pro-whaling forces and those strongly opposed. Other IWC-67 decisions fell squarely along traditional divides.
High-Level Scientific Conference “From COP21 towards the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)”
The two-day conference synthesized recent scientific progress on ocean and climate interplays; evaluated the latest ocean-climate trends within the context of increased ocean action; and reflected on ways to move “from science to action” during the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
Coverage of Side Events at BBNJ
This side event showcased a policy brief on capacity development by a multi-author, multi-stakeholder group led by the Global Environment Facility / Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN / Global Ocean Forum (GEF/FAO/GOF) Project on ‘Strengthening Global Capacity to Effectively Manage Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.’ Panelists discussed finance and clearinghouse mechanisms as well as modalities to link global, regional, and national actions.