The 7th GCSF was held in Dubai, 5-6 February 2006, prior to the 9th Special Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (Session/Forum), 7-9 February 2006. Chemicals management, tourism and energy were key policy issues considered during Ministerial consultations of the Session/Forum and were, therefore, central subjects for the 7th GCSF and its associated preparatory regional meetings. About 120 participants from around 48 countries attended the 7th GCSF. This included more than 30 civil society organizations from the West Asian region.
The Regional Preparatory Meetings
The regional meetings were the first step leading to the 7th GCSF. In the meetings, regional CSOs elaborated on their views and agree on regional statements around the three issues considers by the ministers, namely chemical management, tourism and energy. These regional statements will be incorporated as information documentation of the Session/Forum. The global statement will be translated into the six UN languages and distributed by UNEP to Governments.
General information:
- Report of the Global Civil Society Forum on the work of its seventh session
- Agenda and Presentations made at the 7th Global Civil Society Forum
Statements from the Civil Society Forum at the Ninth special session of the Governing Council of UNEP and the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF)
Global Civil Society Statement
The Global Civil Society Statement is first most tangible input from the civil society to the Session/ Forum. The statement has been developed during the Global Drafting Meeting on 21 November in Dubai. Two representatives from each of the six regional meetings gathered the views included in the regional statements. The Global Civil Society Statement has been translated in the six official UN languages and distributed by UNEP to Governments.
Background Papers
At the 7 th GCSF, civil society will have access to all the UNEP information and working documents that will be under negotiations by Governments. These documents are available on the UNEP official web site for delegates to the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environmental Forum. Of particular interest is the “Background papers for the ministerial-level consultations on energy and environment for development, chemicals management as well as tourism and the environment ”.
At the regional meetings, these documents were not yet available. Therefore, the Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch commissioned five background papers on the policy issues of the agenda of the Session/Forum (energy, tourism and chemicals management) for use by CSOs. For each of the three issues there are two papers, one with the perspective of the North and one of the South . The authors of the background papers are responsible for their specific content.
These background papers are information papers aiming at facilitating the debate of participating CSOs during the regional preparatory meetings leading to the 7th GCSF. The background papers are not position papers or draft regional statements. The regional statements were drafted and decided upon by participating CSOs during the regional meetings.
- Paper on Energy, Southern perceptive
- Paper on Energy, Northern perspective
- Paper on Chemicals, Southern perceptive
- Paper on Chemicals, Northern perspective
- Paper on Tourism, Northern perspective
Please note that the process lead by UNEP on chemicals management is known as the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). It will culminate in the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) 4-6 February 2006.
Other contributions by civil society organizations
The UNEP background and information documents and civil society background papers should not be seen as the sole contribution for the debate. Other initiatives by civil society such as the production of position papers are important and welcomed. UNEP will help circulate these documents to the list of accredited CSOs.
