Latin American and Caribbean Group

Highlights for Wednesday, 20 March 2019 Fernando Coimbra, Brazil The second Substantive Session of the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group was drawn to a close Wednesday with the adoption of a provisional agenda and dates for the third session, which will convene for three days from 20 to 22 May 2019. The three-day arrangement was agreed as part of a compromise after a series of exchanges on scheduling, taking into account the need to allow for adequate time for the OEWG to meet the demands of its mandate from the UN General Assembly (UNGA resolution 72/277). The Co-Chairs will also make themselves available for informal consultations on the preceding weekend.Co-Chairs Francisco Duarte Lopes, Portugal, and Amal Mudallali, Lebanon, will circulate elements of draft recommendations during the intersessional period, as delegations prepare to move to negotiations on a series of emergent recommendations to the UN General Assembly, possibly including a legal instrument, high level declaration, and other possible responses to gaps or challenges in international environmental law (IEL) and related instruments.In a non-exhaustive oral summary of points addressed during the second session, the Co-Chairs noted discussion on: A broad approach to gaps, understood as lacunae, deficiencies or challenges in IEL or related instruments; The interpretation, unequal application and lack of consistency in approaches to IEL principles; Different views on the nature of a new instrument, including the possibility of a legally or non-legally binding instrument; a high-level declaration; and/or a document from the UN General Assembly; Agreement on strengthening international environmental governance, following observations on a lack of system coherence, implementation challenges, and a failure to adequately reflect the interdependent nature of the earth’s ecosystems; and The need to address and strengthen the roles of UNEP and UNEA in line with paragraphs 88 and 89 of the Rio+20 outcomes document, in the context of strengthening international environmental governance and IEL on a system-wide basis across the UN system. Delegations were invited to submit further recommendations to the Co-Chairs by 12 April.The day began with a moment of silence to mark the passing of Ambassador Brenda Muntemba of Zambia, who died in a road traffic accident, and a tribute to three UN interpreters who lost their lives in the Ethiopian Airlines crash in the run-up to the meeting.Mudallali then thanked the OEWG for their hard work before Duarte gavelled the close of the meeting at 16.04. For more details, read our summary and analysis of the second Substantive Session of the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from the 2nd Substantive Session of the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group Towards a Global Pact for the Environment. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Tumasie Blair, Antigua and Barbuda Co-Chair Francisco António Duarte Lopes, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Portugal Co-Chair Amal Mudallali, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lebanon Jamil Ahmad, UNEP Maribe Mujinga Nsompo, Democratic Republic of the Congo Alejandro Garofali and Marcelo Cousillas, Uruguay Jamil Ahmad, UNEP, with Peter Doran, IISD Reporting Services (IISD-RS) Patrick Luna, Brazil, and Co-Chair Francisco António Duarte Lopes, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Portugal From L-R: Co-Chair Francisco António Duarte Lopes, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Portugal; Co-Chair Amal Mudallali, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lebanon; Jamil Ahmad, UNEP; and Fernando Coimbra, Brazil From L-R: Nathan Glassey, New Zealand; Trevor Analo, Australia; and Vigen Ananyan, Armenia Helge Elisabeth Zeitler and Sebastian Gil, European Union Alexandros Kolliopoulos, Greece, with Thomas Liébault, France Jamil Ahmad, UNEP, with Co-Chair Francisco António Duarte Lopes, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Portugal Abdullah Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Songelael Shilla, Tanzania View of the dais during the session Suzan Moh'd Al Ajjawi, Bahrain Shannon-Marie Soni, Canada Jin Sun, China Meriem El Hilali, Morocco Camila Zepeda Lizama, Mexico Jacqueline Ruesga, Canada Carmen Marques Ruiz, European Commission Participants conferring before the session Aldo Claure Banegas, Bolivia Esther Nkomo, Zambia Camila Zepeda Lizama and Erasmo Martínez, Mexico Alphonce Muia, Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA), with Isis Gondola, Panama Nassira Rheyati, Morocco, and Mariline Diara, Senegal Natalie Jones, IISD-RS, with Jacqueline Ruesga, Canada The Mexican delegation. From L-R: Lino Santacruz Moctezuma, Azucena Sahagun, Camila Zepeda Lizama, and Erasmo Martínez Wael Aboulmagd, Egypt, and Andrés Cordova, Ecuador Delegates conferring during the session Delegates conferring a break Laura Bullon-Cassis and Natalie Jones, IISD-RS, with Marco Crugnola, Switzerland Marta Juárez Ruiz, Costa Rica Delegates from the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) Around the Venue

Highlights for Thursday, 28 February 2019 The Council during Thursday’s proceedings On Thursday, the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) focused on issues related to the Enterprise, an organ foreseen in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as ISA’s own mining arm. Delegates discussed the operationalization of the Enterprise, a joint venture proposal with the Government of Poland, and a draft decision on the terms of reference for the Special Representative for the Enterprise.Highlights of the day include: exchange of ideas on operationalizing the Enterprise, which many delegates see as an important manifestation of the common heritage principle; an initial discussion on a draft proposal for a joint venture between the ISA and Poland, with a view to have on the agenda a full proposal for consideration at the next Council session, in July 2019; deliberations on developing a set of rules and regulations that will govern future joint ventures; insights from Eden Charles (Trinidad and Tobago), Special Representative for the Enterprise; and extensive negotiations on the terms of reference for the renewal of the term of the Special Representative. For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-25. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis report of the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General, and Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, consult during plenary Eden Charles, Trinidad and Tobago, Special Representative for the Enterprise Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil, on behalf of GRULAC Tomasz Grysa, Holy See Victoria García Ojeda, Spain Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, Poland Tommo Monthe, Cameroon Lumka Yengeni, South Africa, Council President for the 25th Session Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Guy Sevrin and Patrik Schotte, Belgium Tevita Suka Mangisi, Tonga Didier Ortolland, France Russell Howorth and Malakai Finau, Fiji Graham Leung, Nauru Duncan Currie, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) Discussions among German delegates Major Tano Koffi Bertin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Tommo Monthe, Cameroon Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, confers with Michelle Walker, Jamaica Lowri Mai Griffiths, UK; Rena Lee, Singapore; and Kenneth Wong, Canada L-R: Gwénaëlle Le Gurun, ISA Secretariat; Thembile Joyini, South Africa; Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General; and Eden Charles, Trinidad and Tobago, Special Representative for the Enterprise Delegates discuss the draft decision on the Special Representative for the Enterprise Tomasz Grysa, Holy See, and Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General Esther Salamanca Aguado and Victoria García Ojeda, Spain, and Aline Jaeckel, Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) Delegates during an informal meeting Laurens J. de Jonge, Wini Broadbelt, and Tom Diederen, the Netherlands Maruthadu Sudhakar and G. Ananda Ramadass, India Tevita Suka Mangisi, Rose Lesley Kautoke, Yumi Nafe, and Siosiua ‘Utoikamanu, Tonga ISA Secretariat staff celebrates the International Women’s Day Around the Venue A view from the venue as the sun goes down The ENB team at the 1st Part of ISA-25 (L-R) Asterios Tsioumanis, Greece; Nancy Williams, US; Priscila Pereira de Andrade, Brazil; Teya Penniman, US; Diego Noguera, Colombia; and Nicole de Paula, Brazil