Minute of silence urged to honour the sacrifice of men and women fighting to improve the environment
Nairobi, 21 and 22 May 2016 – Policymakers and key stakeholders meeting on Sunday ahead of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) called for a global ban on the use of lead paint as they discussed a raft of resolutions that seek to transform the state of the world’s environment.
Held at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, key decision-makers met for the Global Major Groups and Stakeholder Forum (GMGSF) on Saturday and Sunday to discuss some of the most urgent environmental issues of the day.
These discussions will inform a raft of resolutions that will be agreed upon at UNEA-2, which began today in Nairobi (Monday), in a bid to tackle issues that range from the illegal trade in wildlife to the growing amount of plastic in our oceans.
“This UNEA is even more exciting because it focuses on the implementation of Agenda 2030. Agenda 2030 is the best chance ever seen to move the world to a place that is sustainable and equitable,” said Susan Brown, the director of global and regional policy at World Wildlife Fund International, referring to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“The GMGSF is valuable in bringing people together from different sectors, such as farmers and indigenous peoples and women groups; it is valuable to hear these other perspectives in framing sustainability, and unpack the resolutions together. It provides an opportunity to work together and form alliances.”
Splitting into five working groups to address each of the five resolution clusters, delegates called for a minute of silence to honour the sacrifice made by men and women fighting to protect the environment around the world, noting that an average of two die every week.
One working group urged government to prioritize chemical safety while calling for a global ban on the use of lead in paint, which can cause severe human health problems. Lead poisoning in children costs an estimated $977 billion per year – equivalent to 1.2 per cent of the world’s GDP – by lowering the IQ of children in low to middle income countries.
Members also called for a legally binding instrument to tackle marine plastic debris, a growing environmental problem that is severely damaging marine ecosystems.
Another working group, discussing the resolution on the sustainable management of natural capital, argued that the concept of “natural patrimony/heritage” should be included in the definition of natural capital, saying that the current definition limits it to an economic and financial valuation, which is inconsistent with sustainable use.
Civil society engagement
The previous day, more than 200 individuals from member states across the world attended the first day of the GMGSF, a strong indication that this year’s second ever UNEA will enjoy high attendance by civil society.
Delegates were updated on the status of the UNEA-2 negotiations from the secretary of governing bodies and the representatives of each of the five resolution clusters. While the drafting of some of the resolutions proved straightforward, the content of many others remains contested and will require further work during the coming week.
In the first discussion, on ‘Means of Implementation and Mobilizing Resources for Sustainable Investments’, speakers underlined the importance of combating illicit financial flows and of developing domestic resources to help fund sustainable development.
During the discussion on ‘Multiple Pathways to Sustainable Development’, parties called for more reference to the role of indigenous peoples in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Isis Alvarez from the Global Forest Coalition said: “Traditional knowledge is key in coping with climate change. Indigenous knowledge systems should have a more prominent role and should be promoted, not eroded.”
The final panel on Health and the Environment triggered lively debate on the issue of health equity and the high cost that degraded environments have on public health.
The first day of the GMGSF ended with an open dialogue between Major Groups and Achim Steiner, who dealt with members’ questions with characteristic wisdom and fortitude. Delegates offered a standing ovation in recognition of his term as UNEP’s executive director.
About UNEA
The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the world’s most powerful decision-making body on the environment—the de-facto “Parliament for the Environment”—and responsible for tackling some of the most critical issues of our time. The assembly holds the power to dramatically change the fate of the planet and improve the lives of everyone, impacting everything from health to national security, from the plastic in our oceans to the trafficking of wildlife. Thanks to UNEA, the environment is now considered one of the world’s most pressing concerns alongside other major global issues such as peace, security, finance and health.
This year, hundreds of key decision makers, businesses and representatives of intergovernmental organizations and civil society will in May gather at UNEA-2, taking place at the United Nations Environment Programme headquarters in Nairobi, for one of the first major meetings since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement. The resolutions passed at UNEA-2 will set the stage for early action on implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and drive the world towards a better future, more-just future. UNEA-2 is also inclusive, with myunea.org allowing citizens to feed their concerns into the meeting and take personal ownership of the collective challenges we face.
