Major Regional Meetings on Environment in 2016

Note: this is a living document and will be updated systematically

The Conference of Parties to the Barcelona Convention 
More than 150 delegates from 21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union, all parties to the Barcelona Convention, will meet in Athens to decide on key environmental issues related to the marine and coastal areas of the region. Deputy Executive Director, Ibrahim Thiaw, will be representing UNEP. The Convention will take place from 9-12 February 2016 in Athens, Greece

• For more information: http://www.unepmap.org/

ACP special Post-COP21 meeting to discuss the outcomes of Paris and the way forward
After the successful Climate Agreement in Paris, a special Post-COP21 meeting will be organized by the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Secretariat in Brussels on 22-23 March 2016. The objective of the meeting is to facilitate dialogue and discuss follow-up actions to implement the Paris Agreement, in collaboration with partners, particularly focusing on key issues for ACP Group of States. The ACP Member States constitute the largest Group of Parties to the Agreement and will play a key role in the implementation of the climate deal. Amongst the participants to this meeting, several UN agencies such as UNEP will also be represented.

• For more information click here: http://bit.ly/1nULDwR

The Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean
The Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean is regarded as one of the most relevant spaces for political and policy dialogue to establish and identify regional priorities. The last meeting took place in 2014 in Mexico and dealt mainly with topics such as advancing a regional cooperation framework on the global sustainable development agenda, climate change, biodiversity, chemicals, waste, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), among other crucial areas of action. The Forum will take place place from 28-31 March in Cartagena, Colombia.

• For more information: http://bit.ly/1Q2PzSR and http://bit.ly/1RhcJKE

The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)

The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was established in December 1985, following a conference of African ministers of environment held in Cairo , Egypt . Its mandate is to provide advocacy for environmental protection in Africa; to ensure that basic human needs are met adequately and in a sustainable manner; to ensure that social and economic development is realized at all levels; and to ensure that agricultural activities and practices meet the food security needs of the region. The Conference will take place from 16-19 April in Cairo, Egypt.

• For more information: http://bit.ly/1HTAJuL

The 8^th Environment for Europe (EfE) Ministerial Conference 
The 8th Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” (EfE) – facilitated by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) – is taking place from 8 to 10 June 2016, in Batumi (Georgia). This major gathering of Environment Ministers in Europe which is organized in close collaboration with UNEP, will mainly focus on “Greening the economy in the pan-European region”, “Improving air quality for a better environment and human health” and education for sustainable development.

• For more information: http://bit.ly/1SYBqvf and http://bit.ly/1UXru47  and http://bit.ly/1NZlEcM