Looking ahead: preparing for UNEA-2

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Opening Plenary (English):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r02AsFZBcUo 

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The forthcoming second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) will take place at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, from 23 to 27 May 2016. Its overarching theme will be Delivering on the Environmental Dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the policy review session entitled Healthy Environment, Healthy People.

UNEA-2 will address challenges, opportunities and emerging issues related to the environment and will be the first global platform for reviewing the progress on the SDGs, particularly their environmental dimensions.

In following sections you will find more information about the UN Environmental Assembly and more details on the second session of the Assembly.

About the United Nations Environment Assembly

The United Nations Environment Assembly represents the world’s highest-level authority on the environment and brings together Heads of State and government, ministers from the United Nations Members States, leaders from the corporate sector and civil society as well as the world’s media, in an week of networking, policy making and dialogue for the global environment.

Since the Assembly provides a groundbreaking forum for leadership on  global environmental policy, it culminates in various resolutions and aims to act as a global call to action to address the critical environmental challenges the world faces today.

The first session of UNEA was held in June 2014. It tackled major issues such as the illegal trade in wildlife, air quality, environmental rule of law, financing the Green Economy, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

About UNEA-2

The overarching theme of UNEA-2 is Delivering on the Environmental Dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It will address challenges, opportunities and emerging issues related to the environment.

UNEA-2 will be one of the first major global conferences after the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Paris Conference on Climate Change in 2015, and will be the first global platform for reviewing the progress on the SDGs, particularly their environmental dimensions. To this end, UNEA-2 will contribute to the work of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF), a UN platform that provides political leadership for the SDGs, reviews their implementation, and promotes the integration of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

The environment ministers of all UN Member States will be present at UNEA-2, along with a number of high-level participants such as Christina Figueres (Executive Secretary of UNFCCC), Christian Friis Bach (Executive Secretary of UNECE), Marco Lambertini (Director General of WWF) and Helen Clarck (Administrator of UNDP) amongst many other leaders.

Your voice counts as well. The United Nations wants to hear from you and has created a space especially for you. Visit MyUNEA where you can learn about what the UN is doing for the environment, engage with the UN and help inform policy makers and visualize what matters most to you and other people around the world. Engage in the Global Green Survey and help build the Global Thematic Report for UNEA 2.

- High-Level Events

UNEA-2 will provide a space to share experiences and amplify successful initiatives on issues of global importance ranging from healthy oceans to sustainable finance, from biodiversity to sustainable mining. In this regard, UNEA-2 will also feature a number of high-level events:

·A high-level plenary meeting will provide direction on the implementation of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda. Environment ministers and other high-level representatives will outline how the environmental community will work to achieve the SDGs. They will also define the role that UNEP will play in supporting nations and peoples to achieve these goals.

·Two high-level symposia will be held during UNEA-2 on “Mobilizing Resources for Sustainable Development” and “Environment and Displacement: Root Causes and Implications.” They will bring together a wide range of actors and stakeholders and provide an interactive platform for discussion and mobilization of concerted action on themes related to the implementation of the 17 sustainable Development Goals.

·A Ministerial Policy-Review Session will gather under the overarching theme ‘Healthy Environment, Healthy People’. At this session, ministers and other high-level officials will identify concrete partnerships, policies and tools that can help to achieve the SDGs in critical areas such as air quality, healthy ecosystems, chemicals and waste.

·The Healthy Environment, Healthy People report will address the nexus between environmental health and public health in light of the 2030 Agenda. The report, which will be launched at the Assembly, will serve as the backbone of the ministerial policy review session.

In addition to the high-level events listed above, other high-level events and symposia will be organized, focusing on bringing together key players around issues central to the global environmental agenda.

An example of such other event is the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF) which will precede this year’s Assembly and which is to be held on 21 and 22 May 2016, Nairobi, Kenya. The High-Level segment will provide a space for major groups and stakeholders from different regions to get together immediately before UNEA-2 to prepare their inputs and coordinate their contributions to the meeting.

- Side Events

A total of 26 side events have been selected which will take place during UNEA-2 and which cover a broad spectrum of topics. These events are organized by a multitude of organizations, ranging from various UN agencies to Member States and other organizations. More information on each side event can be found here.

In addition to these side events, there are also 27 Green Room side events planned during UNEA-2, from 23 to 27 May. These types of side event are primarily for civil society, with a view to sharing experiences and increasing opportunities for informal dialogue among the participants of UNEA-2.

In parallel to the Assembly a three-day Sustainable Innovation Expo (SIE2016) will take place. The Expo will not only highlight solutions to major challenges facing the world but also recommend a roadmap towards scaling up the world’s engagement with strategic partners in the business sector to achieve green economies in the context of sustainable development.

SIE2016 will include a series of thematic networking events with moderated panel discussions covering topics such as sustainable energy and technology, Big Data and innovation, oceans and the Blue Economy, women entrepreneurs and energy, waste management, the urban world of 2030, air quality and South-South Cooperation. There will also be symposia and a business dialogue, linking the private sector and foundations with policymakers.

- Expected outcomes

Three document which are of great importance and critical to UNEP’s work will be approved at UNEA-2:

• UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2018–2021, which describes how UNEP will address key environmental challenges using a results-based approach that is aligned with the 2030 Agenda.
• UNEP’s Programme of Work for 2018–2019, which sets out the seven subprogrammes with associated strategies, expected accomplishments, key outputs, budgets and targets.
• The Outcome Document from UNEA’s High-Level Segment, which will reflect environment ministers’ collective vision for the future of the environmental agenda.

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You may also download the UNEP Events app to get live updates and more UNEA-2 information!

• From your Android or iOS (Apple) mobile device (Tablet or Phone) go to Play Store (for Android) or Appstore (for iOS/Apple) and search for an App called UNEP Events.
• Install the app same way you would any other app you have on your phone, accept the default permissions settings when prompted.
• Once installed, the app will ask to be allowed to send push notifications to you. Please accept, this will allow UNEA updates/notifications/announcements to be sent to you

This article will be updated when more information regarding UNEA-2 is made available. During and after the Assembly several articles and updates will be posted on UNEP’s Capacity for Development webpage.

In the meantime, if you want to found out more about UNEA-2, the symposia or side-events, you can already visit the UNEA website.