Election of the MGFC

The MGFC is composed of 30 elected representatives from Major Groups and Stakeholders accredited to UNEP.

Each of the nine Major Groups elects two representatives for a two-year period to serve as the co-facilitators of the Major Group and the Major Group’s representative in the MGFC. The elections are either being facilitated by UNEP or the Major Group themselves and is a transparent and open process.

The MGFC also elects up to three co-chairs to coordinate the overall engagement of the committee. 

In addition to the 18 representatives from the nine Major Groups, the MGFC is supported by two Regional Facilitators from each of the six UNEP regions. Just as the major group representatives, the regional facilitators are elected for a two-year term. 

Process

The election of new representatives to the MGFC usually follows the below steps to ensure transparent and fair elections. 

1.    Call for nominations
When the term of serving facilitators is coming to an end, or a facilitator has chosen to resign from the role, UNEP, the Major Group or the UNEP Regional Office will open a call for nominations to all organizations in the given constituency (Major Group or Region). All UNEP accredited organizations belonging to that constituency may nominate one candidate for the vacant role. Please note that the nominated candidate must come from the given constituency and not have served more than two terms in another facilitating role associated with UNEP’s Major Groups and Stakeholders. Self-nomination is not accepted, but an organization may nominate a candidate from their organization as long as the nomination letter is not signed or submitted by the candidate themselves.

2.    Announcement of nominations
After the nomination period ends, the entity coordinating the elections will release the list of valid nominations to the constituency. Organizations will have a designated period to raise any objections or concerns regarding the nominations. If no objections are received, the process will proceed to the next phase

3.    Voting Period
The next phase of the election process is  voting . Similar to the nomination phase , all organizations within the constituency are eligible to  participate. Each organization is allowed to cast one or two votes, depending on whether one or two representatives are being elected.

4.    Announcement of Results 
Once the voting period concludes, the entity overseeing the elections will review and analyze the results. The candidate(s) with the highest number of votes will be declared the winner(s). A detailed breakdown of the election results will be shared with all organizations within the constituency, allowing time for any complaints to be submitted before the results are finalized and announced. 
 

Recent and upcoming elections: 

More information on the election process can be found in the UNEP’s Stakeholder Engagement Handbook