25 February 2013: The 27th session of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC27/GMEF) convened in Nairobi, Kenya, from 18-22 February 2013. This was the first Universal Session of the GC following the decision of the UN General Assembly to strengthen and upgrade UNEP, as called for in the Rio+20 outcome document.

During the session, delegates adopted 13 decisions on, inter alia: climate change; institutional arrangements; the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES); coordination across the UN system, including the Environment Management Group (EMG); oceans; sustainable consumption and production; the green economy in the context of sustainable development; advancing justice, governance and law; state of the environment; and chemicals and wastes.

The GC agreed to a decision on the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN). The decision welcomes the decision of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP to select UNEP as the leader of the consortium of partners of the CTCN; authorizes the UNEP Executive Director to sign the Memoranda of Understanding with the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC; and requests him to make necessary arrangements for the first meeting of the CTCN.

Bolivia also introduced a climate-related draft decision on climate change and reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). The draft decision proposed replacing the term “reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and forest conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks” with “UN Programme on Forests and Climate as an alternative.” The proposal was discussed briefly, with many countries opposing the proposal. Bolivia said it would revise its proposal and reintroduce it at the next GC. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [GC27/GMEF Website] [UNEP Press Release] [UNFCCC Technology Mechanism Webpage] [CTCN Website]