Once a year, the Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch in conjunction with the Regional Offices convenes Regional Consultative Meetings(RCM) with Major Groups and Stakeholders in all six UNEP regions. These consultations taking place in 2015 will be in preparation of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEA) which will convene for the second time from 23-27 May 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya. The UNEA represents the highest level of governance of international environmental affairs in the UN system. The Rio+20 conference agreed in June 2012 to strengthen and upgrade UNEP through measures including universal membership of its Governing Council and ensuring the active participation of all relevant stakeholders. In March 2013, the 67th session of the UN General Assembly changed the designation of the Governing Council of UNEP to become UNEA, reflecting the intention to elevate its status.
The Regional Consultative Meetings will provide an opportunity for Major Groups and Stakeholders to prepare their inputs into the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF) which will precede the UNEA. Furthermore, the RCMs serve as capacity building and networking exercises for Major Groups and Stakeholders in the regions and constitute platforms for Regional Offices to engage with their civil society partners.
One of the main outcomes of the Regional Consultative meetings resulted in a compilation of statements and recommendations by major groups and stakeholders for consideration by the United Nations Environment Assembly at its second session. The outcome of the regional consultation meetings usually takes the form of a statement or key messages and recommendations to the governing body of UNEP. The regional consultation meetings held in 2015 and early 2016 served as a platform for engaging major groups and stakeholders from the regions in addressing the main areas and topics for discussion by the United Nations Environment Assembly at its second session, to be held in Nairobi from 23 to 27 May 2016.
Multi-stakeholders meeting on the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and UNEP Regional Consultation for Europe, November 12 - 13, 2015, Brussels, Belgium
The UNEP Regional Office for Europe - in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Environmental Bureau - is organising a multi-stakeholders meeting on the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, combined with the yearly UNEP Regional Consulation Meeting for Major Groups and Stakeholders on 12-13 November 2015 in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting will focus on Europe's responsibility and contribution to the implementation of the new agenda. It is intended to provide a forum for a discussion between political decision-makers and major groups and stakeholders (MGS) about governance mechanisms required for successful and transformative action in the EU as well as in the wider European region while giving MGS a strong role in monitoring implementation of the SDGs.
The event also serves as the 2015 UNEP Regional Consultation for Europe with MGS from the region in preparation for the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, UNEA-2. The Brussels meeting will provide a platform for MGS to discuss their role and contribution on delivering on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
