Ambassador Luisa Fragoso, Chair of the Committee of Permanent Representatives
Excellencies, colleagues
Warm greetings from Nairobi, Kenya.
I am pleased to join you today from the United Nations campus in Gigiri as we gather in a “mini-hybrid” format at the 155th Committee of Permanent Representatives. I am therefore pleased to be joining the ambassadors representing the CPR Bureau and regional chairs, as well as our host country Kenya, in person.
Let me also warmly welcome all the new representatives and deputy representatives who have recently joined us in Nairobi, I look forward to working with you and your peers towards a successful UNEA-5.2 and the special session on UNEP@50.
Today’s meeting comes on the back of the United Nations General Assembly, where as the UN Secretary-General rightly noted, our world has never been more threatened or more divided. On the eve of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General released the Common Agenda – a 360-degree analysis of the state of our world. But also, a blueprint with proposals for the consideration of Member States to strengthen multilateralism, to re-embrace global solidarity and to find new ways to work together for the common good.
As we seek to urgently address the climate crisis, a critical step is for all nations to do all they can to create conditions for success in Glasgow. And as the recently-released UNFCCC synthesis of Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, highlights, while the NDCs show a longer-term trend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over time, we also must observe that the effort is too slow and far from sufficient. All countries must urgently intensify climate efforts. all countries must make efforts starting now. And clearly, the commitment of finance for both mitigation and adaptation must be urgently met. Failing which, we are looking at a world that is 2.7 Celsius warmer by the end of the century.
Importantly, the UNFCCC Report suggests that the global emissions could peak by 2030 if conditional commitments from developing countries are fully implemented. However, as was highlighted during the Climate Week on the margins of the General Assembly, this can only be implemented with access to enhanced financial, technological and other forms of support. So, at the heart of what we must achieve at COP26 is living up to the letter of Paris. More ambition on climate. More ambition on mitigation. More ambition on finance. More ambition on adaptation. And more solidarity. This was also the message emerging from the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) where Ministers committed to step-up the continent’s response to accelerate the green and sustainable recovery programme.
Ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit held last week, a UNEP, FAO and UNDP Report found that 87 per cent of current government support to agricultural producers goes in support of practices that make our food systems unsustainable. This resonated at the Summit, where we heard more than 100 member states, companies and foundations commit to addressing the critical need for a complete overhaul of our food systems. There is now significant political will at the country-level to work on food systems. As Chair of the UN System Task Force, UNEP is well positioned to play an important role in the follow up to the Summit. And it is expected that a UN system-wide effort under the leadership of the Rome-based agencies, UNEP and others will start to take shape between now and the end of the year. Coalitions on food loss and waste, repurposing of agricultural support, deforestation-free commodity supply chains, climate resilience, agroecology and regenerative agriculture, and One Health, including a strong push on antimicrobial resistance, are just a few and potentially game changing coalitions that have emerged from the Summit.
In a few weeks’ time, China will host the first of a two-part UN Biodiversity Conference or COP15. Negotiations over the coming months must fast-track the completion of a post-2020 framework that drives systemic changes in food systems, infrastructure, urban development, public and private finance flows, in how we value nature, and in how we fairly access and share the benefits arising from nature.
As negotiations on the post-2020 framework continue, UNEP is actively supporting the Convention of Biological Diversity by convening platforms for member states to engage with the draft framework and through providing scientific analysis around potential indicators for proposed targets. In addition, UNEP is working closely with the Global Environment Facility and UNDP to support rapid mobilization of financial resources for stock-taking, updates to national biodiversity plans, and improved reporting, so that we can hit the ground running once the Framework is adopted.
Excellencies,
Looking further ahead, we are working hard to ensure that the UN Environment Assembly 5.2 and the UNEA Special Session for the commemoration of UNEP@50 carries forward the momentum we must build, as we do not take lightly the environmental responsibility that rests on us all.
I have high hopes that conditions will allow us to meet in-person in 2022 – with sufficient protective measures in place to ensure the health of all. However, and as we all acknowledge, UNEA-5.2 and the special session of UNEP@50 are unlikely to be as large a physical gathering in Nairobi as we have hosted in the past. In such a scenario, we must continue to operate with a collective, strategic lens, to ensure that we prioritize our efforts towards a limited number of high priority outcomes for consideration. This will help us achieve the ambition, as well as the consensus, that is vital to the Assembly’s success, and indeed for multilateral governance for the environment. And I therefore encourage Member States to approach the preparations over the coming months with such a lens.
Later today, we will collectively consider the road ahead to the global commemoration of UNEP@50. Member States have expressed a strong desire to use this commemoration as both an occasion to reflect on the challenges ahead, and as an opportunity to strengthen the UNEP we all want. My thanks to Member States for the rich contributions shared at the informal consultations with Regional Groups over the past month.
I also welcome the recent agreement in the General Assembly on the modalities for Stockholm+50. Both Stockholm+50 and UNEP@50 should be mutually reinforcing. Both events are crucial moments that will steer action in the next decades towards healthy people and a healthy planet – prerequisites for prosperity for all. And, likewise, both events should ideally be influenced or inspired by the UN Secretary-General’s Common Agenda report.
Excellencies,
A few months ago, the world marked a milestone in the global-phase-out of leaded petrol. Through the public-private partnership for clean fuels and vehicles, led by UNEP, we brought together governments, industry, international organizations, and experts to eliminate the use of leaded fuels in 86 countries that continued to use it. We at UNEP are deeply proud of this result which is a huge milestone for global and environmental health. More on UNEP’s results can be found in the Quarterly Report submitted to the CPR.
Meanwhile, we continue to do to our homework in-house – implementing reforms that will sharpen clarity on organizational roles, responsibilities, and key focus areas, so that we at UNEP are ready to up our game to implement the new Medium-Term Strategy in 2022. Towards this end, in the context of the UN Reform Agenda, I have decided to re-locate the Regional Office for West Asia to Beirut, Lebanon. The Office in Bahrain will maintain a light presence to engage in the sub-region. Once moved, the West Asia Regional Office will be housed within the premises of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, which will, in line with UN reform, significantly enhance the opportunities for UNEP to have greater impact on the sustainable development agenda in the region.
Likewise, we continue to make internal adjustments to enhance our impact, including most recently, the integration of the Sustainable UN team that works on improving the sustainability of the UN system’s facilities and operations, into the New York office.
On funding, I am pleased to report that Member States continue to invest in the global environment by investing in UNEP. As of August, this year, the Environment Fund had received more than USD 75 million which is already more than the total income of 2020. I would like to thank Member States that have contributed, with special thanks to the 50 per cent that contributed their voluntary indicative ..“fair share” and I encourage all Member States to follow suite.
An important part of our focus internally as an organization in the next year will be to continue improving diversity amongst our ranks. Excellencies, as you have heard, we at UNEP remain fully committed to enhancing diversity amongst our staff within the guardrails of the UN Secretariat human resource rules. We have developed a talent acquisition and outreach strategy to strengthen gender and geographical representation in 2022. We are also in the process of recruiting a dedicated Outreach Officer to support the new strategy and to increase regional representation from under- and un-represented Member States. We are also stepping up our internal monitoring systems as an important tool for managers to monitor diversity indicators when screening and recruiting candidates.
Finally, a word on senior appointments – I am pleased to share with you an update on recent leadership appointments. Jacqueline Alvares Mourelle from Uruguay has been appointed Regional Director of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. Patricia Kameri-Mbote of Kenya will join UNEP in a few days as the Director of the Law Division. Tatjana Hema from Albania has been appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Barcelona Convention. Meg Seki of Japan has assumed charge as Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat. And Ermira Fida from Albania has taken charge as the Deputy Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Secretariat. I am also pleased to note that we have appointed coordinators for UNEP@50 and Stockholm+50, namely Juan Bello from Colombia and Haruko Okuko from Japan, respectively.
I look forward to our discussions today and to an intense last quarter of the year as we seek to make real progress on the existential challenges before us. Our work here and in the months ahead – on the triple planetary crisis – on climate change, on biodiversity loss, on pollution – and the bold and urgent steps we must take – will play a critical role in helping achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Climate Agreement and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
And finally – I acknowledge with deep gratitude the leadership of Jorge Laguna, the Secretary of Governing Bodies. As many of you know, Jorge is assuming a new role at UNEP – as Head of the 10YFP Secretariat based out of Paris. For six years Jorge has steered the ship out of Nairobi, and I can say with confidence that the environmental governance mandate we support through the UN Environment Assembly and the Committee of Permanent Representatives has been extremely enriched by Jorge’s contribution. My huge thanks to Jorge. Finally, let me also welcome Ulf Bjornholm, as Secretary ad interim until the recruitment for the new Secretary of Governing Bodies has been finalized. I trust we will all give him the necessary support to ensure a smooth transition period.
With these words, I end my remarks. I thank you for your commitment.
Thank you.
Executive Director
