NGOs

Highlights for Monday, 4 March 2019 On Monday, the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR) began discussions in Nairobi, Kenya, in preparation for the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) the following week. OECPR Chair Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, Ghana, welcomed delegates, who then adopted the agenda and organization of work.In the morning, delegates considered a series of reports from the UNEP Secretariat, and discussed UNEP’s budget and programme performance, including implementation of previous UNEA resolutions. In the afternoon, plenary consultations took place on the ministerial declaration to be adopted at UNEA-4.Throughout the day, delegates convened in five working groups to begin negotiations on the proposed resolutions to be put forward at UNEA-4.Highlights of the day included deliberations and debates in plenary and in working groups on: possible action on marine litter and microplastics, drawing on programme reports from UNEP; the nature of links between deforestation and agricultural supply chains; the potential for global governance of geoengineering technologies; the scope for “clean mobility” in transport systems; and actions to promote sustainable coral reefs management. 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, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from OECPR-4 and UNEA-4, which is 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. Plenary Session Chair Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, Ghana Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Julia Pataki, Romania Zerubabel Getachew, Ethiopia, and Rajesh Swami, India Ulf Björnholm, UNEP, and Marek Rohr-Garztecki, Poland Fernando Coimbra, Brazil, with Martin Gómez Bustillo, Argentina Ghita Luminita and Dorin-Octavian Corcheş, Romania Martin Gómez Bustillo, Argentina Zerubabel Getachew, Ethiopia Abdullah Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Claire Blanchard, NGOs Major Group Milorad Šćepanović, Montenegro, with Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP Georgina Catacora-Vargas, Plurinational State of Bolivia Aire Rihe, Estonia Delegates conferring during lunch break Working Group 1 - Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production Working Group 2 - Resource Efficiency, Chemicals and Waste Working Group 3 - Ecosystems and Biodiversity Management and Protection Working Group 4 - Environmental Governance Co-facilitator Agus Justianto, Indonesia Adam Maïga Zakariaou, Niger Working Group 5 - UNEP Programme of Work and Related Issues Co-facilitators Miriam Ott, Germany, and Marta Juárez Ruiz, Costa Rica Ulf Björnholm, UNEP, and Fernando Coimbra, Brazil Around the Venue

GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs The GEF Council Consultation with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) meeting took place on 17 December 2018, at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC, US. Participants discussed the implications of the seventh replenishment of the GEF (GEF-7) and gender policies, among other agenda items. Victor Kawanga, GEF-CSO Network Chair, opened the GEF Council Consultation with CSOs, and introduced Nguavese Tracy Ogbonna, GEF-CSO Network Vice-Chair. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage from the 55th Meeting of the GEF Council. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report of the meeting in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Leila Mead For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page CSO Dialogue with GEF CEO Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, reflected on scientific reports released since the June 2018 GEF Assembly, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC (SR15) and a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report released in October showing that the world has lost 60% of its biodiversity since 1970. She stressed that “all the signals are that we are not winning the battle against climate change and environmental degradation; the sense of urgency is becoming really strong.” She said GEF-7 offers “a very powerful instrument” to arrest the underlying causes of these trends, to catalyze transformational change through tackling food systems, sustainable forestry management, the energy transition, and making cities sustainable. She also stressed the importance of the CSO role in getting societies to change. Responding to questions posed by CSOs, Ishii: agreed that the private sector needs to be involved in projects from the design stage onwards; and stressed that the GEF is small compared to the size of the economic system that must be changed, so “all parties must be realistic in looking for ways the GEF can best play a catalytic role.” A view of the room during the opening session Victor Kawanga, Chair of GEF-CSO Network, and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson Benke Dule, Sociedade Rural Brasileira, Brazil Lucy Mulenkei, Indigenous Information Network, Kenya Edna Kaptoyo, International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, Kenya, and Fiu Mataese Elisara, Ole Siosioaga Society Incorporated, Samoa Civil Society Participation in GEF-7 Two panels convened to discuss issues related to CSO participation in GEF-7. The first discussed the implementation of the updated vision to enhance civil society engagement with the GEF. The second considered the evolving role of CSOs in GEF-7. On the updated vision to enhance civil society engagement, a panel, moderated by Nana Janashia, Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), and Patricia Turpin, Environment Tobago, discussed the Updated Vision after one year of implementation. Pilar Barrera Rey, GEF Secretariat, outlined areas for enhanced engagement identified in the Updated Vision, and panelists provided their comments. Fiu Mataese Elisara, Regional Focal Point for the Pacific, highlighted civil society as a “collective voice” and key GEF partner. He called for a mechanism to enable countries and implementing agencies to support CSOs at the national and regional levels and for commensurate resources to improve CSO engagement with the GEF. Edna Kaptoyo, Small Grants Program (SGP) Indigenous Fellow and Indigenous Focal Point for Africa, called for better funding opportunities for indigenous peoples’ participation in GEF policies and processes, and cautioned that selection of indigenous participants by the GEF Secretariat goes against the principle of self-determination. During the discussion, participants considered possibilities for virtual participation and circulating CSO statements ahead of GEF Council meetings. On the evolving role of CSOs in GEF-7, Sarah Wyatt, GEF Secretariat, highlighted that two CSOs would be included in upcoming Expanded Constituency Workshops, and noted that, when CSOs can demonstrate a track record of results, they will get attention. Sydah Naigaga, CSO Network, highlighted the value of directing funding to the GEF NGO voluntary fund to ensure that national-level NGOs are involved in GEF-7. Yoko Watanabe, SGP, discussed the GEF-7 SGP, which she said will emphasize: strategic partnerships/platforms for community-based actions; incubation of innovative solutions and risk taking; a focus on critical landscapes and seascapes for larger impacts; and a focus on social inclusion in maximizing global environmental benefits. Giovanni Reyes, National Coalition of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines, discussed a project through which indigenous peoples in the Philippines are mapping the remaining areas with pristine biodiversity levels. During the discussion, speakers highlighted the need for easy access to updated information about GEF projects in order to provide appropriate input. L-R: Fiu Mataese Elisara, CSO Network, Samoa; Patricia Turpin, Environment Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago; Nana Janashia, CENN, Georgia; Pilar Barrera-Rey, GEF Secretariat; and Edna Kaptoyo, International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forest Nana Janashia, CENN, Georgia GEF Council member Marita Olson, Sweden A view of the room during the presentation by Sarah Wyatt, GEF Secretariat Yoko Watanabe, Small Grants Programme Sarah Wyatt, GEF Secretariat Sydah Naigaga, Environmental Management for Livelihood Improvement Bwaise Facility, Uganda A participant asks a question of the panellists Connecting Environmental Impact and Gender Equality The panel discussion was moderated by Anar Mamdani, Alternate GEF Council member, Canada, and Gabriella Richardson-Temm, GEF Secretariat. Mamdani introduced the panel, and underscored the importance to Canada of actions to promote gender equality in GEF-7. Richardson-Temm introduced the evolution of GEF’s work on gender issues since 2012. A panel of CSO representatives discussed issues including: the different knowledge women can bring to the table; incentivizing and empowering women’s entrepreneurship; tapping the energy, skills and abilities of youth to become change agents in environmental policy; and the need to address women’s access to land, land rights and control of natural resources. They also considered the different vision and spirituality indigenous women can bring to addressing environmental problems; the important role women play in transmitting knowledge from one generation to another; and how a gender lens can make climate action more effective, more equitable and more sustainable. Participants also discussed: the need to involve religious and community leaders in raising awareness about gender in environmental policies; involving various stakeholders alongside women in environmental protection; addressing gender perceptions at the ground level; and the role of gender and climate justice tribunals. Participants highlighted challenges including: introducing clean cookstoves and involving women in chemicals and waste management in African countries; securing free prior informed consent from indigenous communities, particularly women; and building women’s capacity to participate in environmental work and sustainable development. Speakers also highlighted interlinkages among environmental, gender and health issues, and the role of partnerships with central and local governments. At the conclusion, panelists offered recommendations, including: GEF should make a conscious effort to develop a youth constituency and incentivize youth involvement; governments and donors should consider ways to encourage and inspire young women to engage in environmental issues higher than the local level; consider women as partners or allies, not objects or victims; find ways to translate science into local traditional knowledge; and encourage project boards to have gender balance. Moderator Mamdani summarized the session, noting, inter alia gender equity interacts with many issues, which should not be considered in silos, and the importance of taking onboard the perspectives offered by traditional knowledge and of creating platforms for women and girls to gain access to leadership. Françoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat, and Steve Gold, UN Development Programme (UNDP), discussed the launch of the publication ‘Women as Environmental Stewards: The Experience of the Small Grants Programme.’ L-R: Mgiavese Tracu Ogbonna, Women Environmental Programme, Nigeria; Muqdad Amee, Together to Protect Human and Environment Association; Platform on Disaster Displacement; Chibeze Ezekiel, Ghana; Viviana Elsa Figueroa, Indigenous Women's Biodiversity Network, Argentina; Ana Francisca Perez Conguache, Socia de la Red de Mujeres Indigenas y Punto Focal en Guatemala; Caroline Usikpedo-Omoniye, Niger Delta Women's Movement for Peace and Development; Anooradah Pooran, Mauritius; and Kame Westerman, Conservation International Launch of the report ‘Women As Environmental Stewards: The Experience of the Small Grants Programme’ Closing GEF-CSO Network Vice-Chair Ogbonna offered closing remarks, stressing the importance of learning and continuous capacity building for everyone, and political will, partnerships and women’s ownership of land among issues emphasized by participants. She closed the consultation at 4:31 pm. Lucy Mulenkei, Indigenous Information Network, Kenya, closed the session.