Daily Web Coverage/ Reports
IISD Reporting Services (IISD RS) has produced daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis of the meeting. To download our reports, click the HTML or PDF icons below.


	htm	pdf	htm	pdf
Curtain Raiser
18 Feb
19 Feb
20 Feb
21 Feb
22 Feb & Summary


	htm	pdf	htm	pdf
25 Feb

pdf

25 Feb


	htm	pdf
19 February


	htm	pdf
18 February

Twenty-seventh Session of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC27/GMEF)

18-22 February 2013 | UN Office, Nairobi, Kenya

Daily highlights (click on the following links to see our daily web pages)

Introduction - 18 February - 19 February - 20 February - 21 February - 22 February

Summary of the Meeting

Highlights from Friday, 22 February

On Friday, delegates convened in the COW to complete their work and approve outstanding decisions. The closing GC27/GMEF plenary took place in the evening when the President’s Summary on the outcome of ministerial consultations was introduced. Delegates adopted 14 decisions on, inter alia: IPBES; coordination across the UN system, including the EMG; oceans; sustainable consumption and production; green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; advancing justice, governance and law; state of the environment; and chemicals and wastes.

The GC also adopted a decision on institutional arrangements that, inter alia, recommends the UN General Assembly rename the Council "UN Environment Assembly of UNEP," and provides that the UN Environment Assembly "will ensure" the active participation of all relevant stakeholders and explore new mechanisms for promoting the effective engagement of civil society in its work, by developing by 2014 a process for stakeholder accreditation and participation.

GC/GMEF President Hassan Abdel Hilal, Sudan, gaveled the meeting to a close at 21:24.

Web coverage for Friday, 22 February 2013

Closing press conference with announcements on the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and host country of World Environment Day 2013 (l-r): Tulga Buya, Vice-Minister of Environment and Green Development, Mongolia, Hassan Hilal, GC President, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, UNFCCC Executive Director Christiana Figueres, and Nick Nuttall, Director of Communications and Spokesperson, UNEP

A view of the room during the closing plenary

Signing of the agreement between the UNFCCC and UNEP on the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) (l-r): UNEP Deputy Executive Director Amina Mohamed, UNFCCC Executive Director Christiana Figueres, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, and GC President Hassan Hilal

Kehkashan Basu, a Children and Youth representative from the United Arab Emirates, addressed the closing plenary

Luis Campuzano, Mexico, co-chair of the working group on institutional arrangements, in the closing plenary

Hassan Hilal, GC President, giving his closing statement

Dan Reifsnyder, US, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner

Amb. Kamau Macharia, Kenya, intervening in the working group on institutional arrangements

Alf Wills, South Africa, chair of the chemicals contact group, and COW Chair Idunn Eidheim, Norway

Farrukh Khan, co-chair of the working group on institutional arrangements, and Philip Weech, Bahamas

Thursday, 21 February 2013

The COW met throughout the day and into the night to continue its consideration and adoption of draft decisions. The working group on institutional arrangements and rules of procedure met throughout the day. The groups on budget and on chemicals management also convened in the morning, afternoon and into the night.

Web coverage for Thursday, 21 February 2013
Download the daily report for Thursday, 21 February 2013 in English HTML or PDF format
Download the daily report for Thursday, 21 February 2013 in French HTML or PDF format

UNEP Deputy Executive Director Amina Mohamed, GC Secretary Jamil Ahmad, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner

Press conference to launch Africa Environment Outlook 3

Delegates consulting on chemicals

Stephan Contius, Germany (center), speaks with UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, as GC Secretary Jamil Ahmad looks on (left)

Events convened throughout the UNEP meeting in the Green Room, a space for major groups and stakeholders to dialogue, including one on a Pan-African Partnership on E-Waste convened by NEMA Kenya

Donald Kaniaru, former Director, UNEP Division of Environmental Law and Conventions (DELC), Wolfgang Burhenne, Member of the IUCN CEL Steering Commitee, Dan Bondi Ogolla, Chief Legal Advisor, UNFCCC, and Elizabeth Mrema, Deputy Director, UNEP Department of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI)

Frank Turyatunga, Division for Early Warning and Assessment, UNEP, during a press briefing on Africa Outlook 3

Side event: Presentation of a roadmap on establishing an instrument on applying Principle 10 in Latin America and the Caribbean

Reception, hosted by Switzerland, Japan and Uruguay, to celebrate the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the Minamata Convention on Mercury

A toast to a successful conclusion of the mercury negotiations (l-r): Franz Perrez, Swiss Ambassador for Environment, Tim Kasten, Head, UNEP Chemicals Branch, Francisco Beltrame, Uruguay's Housing, Territory and Environment Minister, Ryutaro Yatsu, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, Japan, and Fernando Lugris, Mercury INC Chair, and Special Representative for Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uruguay

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

On Wednesday morning, GC-27/GMEF delegates convened for regional ministerial consultations on environmental challenges and UNEP regional presence and responsiveness. The Executive Director then conducted consultations on aspirations for the GC. In the afternoon, ministerial consultations took place in plenary. The COW and the working group on institutional arrangements and rules of procedure met throughout the day. The contact groups on budget and on chemicals management also convened in the morning and afternoon, respectively.

Web coverage for Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Download the daily report for Wednesday, 20 February 2013 in English HTML or PDF format
Download the daily report for Thursday, 21 February 2013 in French HTML or PDF format

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner and GC/GMEF President Hassan Hilal during the ministerial consultations

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment, Peru, during the ministerial consultations

France intervening in the ministerial consultations

E-consultation booth with interactive participation on "Framing Environmental Sustainability in the Post-2015 Agenda"

André Corrêa do Lago, Brazil, and Stephan Contius, Germany

Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, Ethiopia, intervening in the ministerial consultations

Swaziland speaking during the ministerial consultations

Bård Vegar Solhjell, Norway, during the ministerials

Ryutaro Yatsu, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, Japan, intervening during the ministerial consultations

Side event: Building the ecological foundation of food security: the case for building sustainable and resilient ecological food systems in agriculture dominated landscapes in Africa (l-r): Arvinn Gadgil, Norway's Deputy Minister for International Development, Ibrahim Thiaw, Director, Division for Environmental Policy Implementation, UNEP, Jochen Flasbarth, President of the Federal Environment Agency, Germany, and Ephraim Kamuntu, Minister of Water and Environment, Uganda

A view of the room during the lunch time side event on building the ecological foundation of food security

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

On Tuesday morning, GC-27/GMEF delegates convened in Ministerial consultations, three parallel roundtable Ministerial discussions and the COW. In the afternoon, deliberations continued in the COW and in three parallel Ministerial roundtable discussions. Two working groups, on the budget and on institutional arrangements and rules of procedure, also met throughout the day. A contact group on chemicals management was established and met into the evening.

Web coverage for Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Download the daily report for Tuesday, 19 February 2013 in English HTML or PDF format
Download the daily report for Tuesday, 19 February 2013 in French HTML or PDF format

COW Chair Idunn Eidheim, Norway

Ministerial roundtables were held throughout the day

Sylvie Lemmet, Director, UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), and UNEP Deputy Executive Director Amina Mohamed

Tom Jacobs, Business and Industry, during the COW

Richard Benyon, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment, Water and Rural Affairs, UK, and Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Environment, Sri Lanka, co-chaired one of the ministerial roundtables

Janez Potočnik, EU Commissioner for the Environment, and Sylvester Clauzel, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, Saint Lucia , co-chaired one of the ministerial roundtables

Delegates from Ireland and Eritrea during the ministerial consultations

A view of the dais during the Executive Director's lunch time dialogue on green economy

Reception hosted by the UNEP Executive Director and the GC/GMEF President for UNEP's "Think, Eat, Save" Campaign

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner greets Mariyam Shakeela, Minister of Environment and Energy, Maldives

VIP table at the reception

Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment, Peru

Monday, 18 February 2013

Delegates at the 27th session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-27/GMEF) convened in the morning for the opening ceremony of the first Universal Session of the GC, followed by consideration of organizational matters, and a policy statement by UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. In the afternoon, delegates convened for ministerial consultations on emerging policy issues (implementation of paragraph 88 of the Rio+20 outcome document, entitled the “The Future we Want,” and General Assembly resolution 67/213). The Committee of the Whole (COW) also met in the afternoon.

Web coverage for Monday, 18 February 2013
Download the daily report for Monday, 18 February 2013 in English HTML or PDF format
Download the daily report for Tuesday, 19 February 2013 in French HTML or PDF format

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner presents his annual policy statement to the Governing Council

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki (second from right) enters the UN Office in Nairobi

Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco planting a tree

Federico Ramos de Armas, Spain, outgoing GC President,

greets incoming GC President Hassan Abdel Hilal, Minister of Environment, Forests and Physical Development, Sudan

Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs

Amina J. Mohammed, Special Advisor on Post-2015 Development Planning

Jochen Flasbarth, President of the Federal Environment Agency, Germany

Naoko Ishii, CEO, Global Environment Facility

Amina J. Mohammed, Special Advisor on Post-2015 Development Planning, Terezya Huvisa, President of the Bureau of the African Ministerial Conference on Enviroment (AMCEN), and John Knox, Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment, UN Human Rights Council

A view of the dais during a side event on rapid change in the Arctic

Daily web highlights

Related Links

Meeting resources

Meeting website

Provisional agenda

Provisional timetable

Working documents

Information documents

Programme for ministerial consultations

UN General Assembly Resolution on Strengthening UNEP’s Role in Addressing Global Environmental Challenges

Information for participants

IISD RS resources

IISD RS coverage of the First meeting of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-1), 21-26 January 2013, Bonn, Germany

IISD RS coverage of the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury (INC5), 13-18 January 2013, Geneva, Switzerland

IISD RS coverage of the Third Session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM-3), 17-21 September 2012, Nairobi, Kenya

IISD RS coverage of the Twelfth Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council (GCSS-12)/GMEF, 20-22 February 2012, UNEP headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya

IISD RS summary report of GMGSF-13, 18-19 February 2012, UNEP headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya (HTML - PDF)

IISD RS coverage of GC-26/GMEF, 21-24 February 2011, UNEP headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya

IISD RS coverage of GMGSF-12, 19-20 February 2011, UNEP headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya

IISD RS coverage of the Simultaneous Extraordinary Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (ExCOPs), and GCSS-11/GMEF, 22-26 February 2010, Bali, Indonesia

IISD RS coverage of the Eleventh Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF -11), 21-22 February 2010, Bali, Indonesia

IISD RS coverage of GC-25/GMEF, 16-20 February 2009, UNEP headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya

IISD RS coverage of GCSS-10/GMEF, 20-22 February 2008, Principality of Monaco

IISD RS coverage of GC-24/GMEF, 5-9 February 2007, UNEP headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya

IISD RS coverage of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council meetings

IISD RS archive of intergovernmental organizations meetings

IISD RS archive of sustainable development meetings

IISD RS archive of trade, finance, and investment meetings

SDG - A mailing list for news on sustainable development policy

Sustainable Development Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of International Activities Preparing for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development

Chemicals and Wastes Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of International Activities Adressing Chemicals and Wastes Policy

Land Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of Activities Adressing International Sustainable Land

Forests Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of International Activities Adressing Forests Policy

Biodiversity Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of UN and Intergovernmental Activities Addressing International Biodiversity Policy

SIDS Policy and Practice - A Knowledgebase on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States

Water Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of Activities Addressing Sustainable Water and Sanitation

Sustainable Energy Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of Sustainable Energy Activities

Climate Change Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of UN and Intergovernmental Activities Addressing Global Climate Change Policy

Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news

African Regional Coverage

Latin America and Caribbean Regional Coverage


	Questions about the content of this page? E-mail the Digital Editor


	\| Back to IISD RS "Linkages" \| Visit IISDnet \| Send e-mail to IISD RS \| © 2013, IISD. All rights reserved.