On Tue, Feb 21, 2023, the Heads and Coordinators of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans had the privilege to meet with UNEP Executive Director, Ms Inger Anderson. UNEP ED set up the tradition of meeting with the entire team of the Regional Seas Programmes back in 2019 during an annual meeting of the Regional Seas Programmes. Such meetings are vital to ensure effective feedback from the regional intergovernmental mechanisms coordinated by UNEP, as well as the strategic guidance to them by the senior management of UNEP.
This meeting was one of the most important for setting the scene for UNEP's presence. Strategic support to the Member States was meant to be ensured through the Secretariats of the Regional Seas Programmes. Specific attention was paid to the positioning of UNEP to effectively implement the key strategic developments within the global environmental agenda.
First, within the International Negotiating Committee (INC) process, UNEP has been set up to develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, approved by UNEA 5.2 in March 2023. Specifically, several key aspects were highlighted by UNEP ED at the meeting to focus on UNEA Resolution 5/14, which could be used as the starting point. However, the entirety of the machinery to run the process is still to be further designed and operationalised, such as a bureau and the rules of procedure. To effectively deliver that, various stakeholder groups must be closely engaged and coordinated to ensure the international community hears their voices. Further, the direction of the future instrument, including its scope, structure, and objectives will be clarified. Although the process will be mainly ensured through the INC process, the role of the Regional Seas Programmes as regional intergovernmental instruments was also stressed.
The second important strategic document, approved in Dec 2022 by the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Canada, is the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF is forming new boundaries by declaring four goals and setting twenty-three global targets, which will cause a surge of relevant programmes/projects and interventions by UN agencies and Member States. A series of adopted rules represent the real game changer in the landscape of countries' commitment to advance sustainable development further and ensure effective ecosystem protection and management at the global, national, and local levels. Amongst those targets, the vital ones are by 2030:
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Protect 30% of Earth’s lands, oceans, coastal areas, inland waters;
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Reduce by $500 billion annual harmful government subsidies;
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Cut food waste in half.
Also, the other targets quantify the sought achievements in tackling biodiversity loss, food security, and resource mobilisation efforts, as well as a series of other important milestones in addressing biodiversity conservation in a coherent and synergised manner by various players.
The Heads and Coordinators of the Regional Seas Programmes exchanged their views with Ms Inger Andersen and reflected on the regional importance of the close engagement within the respective Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans to ensure the multiplicative effect and the strong positive environmental impact and solid successes. This impact will be ensured by the specifically designed new UN Delivery Model being introduced by UNEP.
