Latin American and Caribbean Group

The interactive session on consideration of best practices in the implementation of the Convention continued on Thursday morning, the third and final day of CRIC 15, with delegates providing input on the Secretariat report on accessibility of information on best practices through the Scientific Knowledge Brokering Portal and the Capacity Building Marketplace. Delegates then met in a contact group throughout the remainder of the day to review the draft report of the session, including the conclusions and recommendations. In the evening the Committee reconvened in plenary for adoption of the report. Following closing statements by spokespersons for each regional group, other delegates and the UNCCD Executive Secretary, Monique Barbut, Chair Raymond Baptiste declared the meeting closed at 7:23 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web updates from UNCCD CRIC 15. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from the meeting which is available in HTML and PDF. Richard Mwendandu, Kenya, on behalf of the African countries and Chair of Regional Implementation Annex I Co-Chairs of the contact group Jones Muleso Kharika (South Africa) and Ludo Rochette (Belgium) Karma Dorji, Bhutan, on behalf of the Asian countries and Chair of Regional Implementation Annex II Haendel Sebastian Rodriguez, Colombia, on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) and Chair of Regional Implementation Annex III Closing plenary of the CRIC

The tenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG10) of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal opened in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, 30 May 2016. In the morning, parties discussed several strategic issues, including work on developing guidelines for environmentally sound management (ESM), and the follow-up to the Cartagena Declaration on the Prevention, Minimization and Recovery of Hazardous Wastes, including a draft guidance to assist parties in developing efficient strategies for achieving the prevention and minimization of the generation of hazardous and other wastes and their disposal. The OEWG established a Strategic Matters Contact Group to develop draft decisions on both. Canada introduced a proposal on the mid-term review of the Strategic Framework. On technical issues, delegates considered technical guidelines on wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with persistent organic pollutants (POPs), focusing their discussion on how best to handle low-POPs wastes. A Technical Matters Contact Group was established to further discuss this issue. In the afternoon, delegates returned to technical issues. They discussed further work on the technical guidelines on electrical and electronic wastes (e-waste), and this referred to the Technical Matters Contact Group. The OEWG also assigned to this same Group an examination of the proposed list of waste streams for which practical guidance on inventory could be developed, and consideration of whether to update existing technical guidelines on incineration on land, on specially engineered landfill and on hazardous waste physico-chemical treatment and biological treatment. On legal matters, delegates discussed the draft glossary on terms and definitions, and the review of Annexes I, III and IV and related aspects of Annex IX to the Basel Convention. A Legal Matters Contact Group was created to discuss these issues further. The OEWG also discussed the progress report since the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP12) in the work of the Partnership for Action on Computing Equipment (PACE). The Strategic Matters Contact Group was mandated to prepare a draft decision on the guidance document and draft concept of a follow-up partnership to PACE. In the evening, the contact groups on technical matters and strategic matters met. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web updates and a summary and analysis report from the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG10). Our summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF L-R: Kei Ohno-Woodall, BRS Secretariat; Co-Chair Santiago Dávila Sena, Spain; and Co-Chair Lloyd Pascal, Dominica Reginald Hernaus, The Netherlands, speaking on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. Kerstin Stendahl, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, delivered an opening statement. Anne Daniel, Canada, intervening regarding the mid-term evaluation of the strategic framework. Agustina Camilli, Uruguay, speaking on behalf of GRULAC. Participants during the first day of OEWG10

The second UN Environment Assembly of the UN Environment Programme (UNEA-2) opened on Monday at UN Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Outgoing UNEA President Oyun Sanjaasuren (Mongolia) opened the conference, inviting delegates to observe a minute’s silence to remember those who have lost their lives in the protection of the environment. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner described UNEA-2 as an expression of hope and “a clarion call” for the world, noting that with well over 2000 participants, 170 nations, and hundreds of stakeholders represented, “we truly have a UN Environment Assembly.” Delegates heard opening messages, and adopted the agenda and organization of work. The plenary elected Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta (Costa Rica) as President of UNEA-2, and also elected Bureau members and a rapporteur. In the afternoon, the Committee of the Whole (COW) met in plenary, where they discussed the organization of drafting groups to finalize the proposed resolutions. A working group met in the evening for a first reading of resolutions. The Sustainable Innovation Expo (SIE), organized by UNEP in parallel with the meeting, also opened today. Three SIE panel discussions took place on: South-South cooperation; big data and innovation; and air quality. In the evening, delegates attended a reception hosted by the Governement of Kenya. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has published a briefing note for the GMGSF 2016 and provided daily web coverage, daily reports from the UNEA-2. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from this meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF format. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. OPENING PLENARY UNEA-2 plenary observed a moment of silence to remember those who have lost their lives in the protection of the environment "Welcome to UNEA" film presentation L-R: Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP; Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP; UNEA President Oyun Sanjaasuren; Judi Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Regional Development Authorities, Kenya; Sahle-Work Zewde, Director-General, UNON; and Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary of the Governing Bodies of UNEP Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP, delivers opening remarks to UNEA-2 delegates UNEA President Oyun Sanjaasuren Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP, speaking on behalf of Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General Judi Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Regional Development Authorities, Kenya Sahle-Work Zewde, Director-General, UNON Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, Costa Rica, incoming UNEA-2 President delivers his opening remarks Jassim Abdulaziz Al-falahy, Iraq Julia Pataki, Romania Frans Makken, the Netherlands, on behalf of the EU Taefu Lemi, Samoa Bibiana Jones, Argentina, on behalf of G-77/China and GRULAC Daniel Reifsnyder, US Abdelmoneim Mohammed Mabrouk, League of Arab States Yugratna Srivastava, on behalf of the Major Groups and Stakeholders Soehardjono Sastromihardjo, Indonesia Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, UNEA-2 President COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE (COW) View of the COW plenary COW Chair Idunn Eidheim, Norway John Matuszak, US Marcela Nicodemos, Brazil Franz Perrez, Switzerland Abdullah Khalid Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Neranda Maurice-George, Saint Lucia Hugo Enrique Cañiza, Paraguay Kerstin Stendahl, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Roy Samson Dinyi Thorofo, South Sudan Cyrie Sendashonga, IUCN Delegates from the Philippines L-R: Mohammed Khashashneh, Jordan; Adalah Atira, Palestine; and Mohamad Afana, Jordan SIDE EVENTS Sustainable Innovation Expo: South-South Cooperation panel discussions L-R: Anote Tong, Former President of Kiribati; Jorge Chediek, UN Envoy on South-South Cooperation; Mesghan Al Awar, United Arab Emirates; Zhang Jieqing, China; and George Mwenda, Geothermal Development, Kenya L-R: Doug Cress, Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), Jaime Webb, UN-REDD; Anyaa Vohiri, Liberia; and Johannes Refisch, GRASP L-R: Isabelle Louis, UNEP; Elizabeth Mrema, UNEP; Hillary Alisson, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC); and Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the launch of the State of the Biodiversity Reports Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD PHOTOS FROM THE RECEPTION HOSTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF KENYA UNEA-2 reception hosted by the Government of Kenya