15 April 2013: At a briefing for UN Member States on the status and implementation process of the Ten-Year Framework Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP on SCP), officials from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) provided a general overview of the 10YFP’s mandate, organizational structure, means of implementation and outreach, programs, and next steps for implementation.
Arab Hoballah, Chief for SCP, briefed UN Member States on 15 April 2013, in New York, US, and highlighted document A/CONF.216/5, to enact the Framework. He identified the main objectives of the 10YFP as: accelerating the shift towards SCP in all countries; increasing resource efficiency; creating new jobs and new market opportunities; alleviating poverty; capacity building; providing financial and technical assistance for developing countries; and establishing an information and knowledge sharing platform on SCP.
On organizational structure, Charles Arden-Clarke, Acting Head of the 10YFP Secretariat, said the 10YFP will be composed of a secretariat within UNEP, a ten-member board of Member States, a UN inter-agency advisory group, national and stakeholder focal points, and an information-sharing platform (the “SCP Clearinghouse”). Efforts to determine the members of the Board are underway, and Arden-Clarke encouraged the acceleration of this process. He also outlined the reporting procedures of the 10YFP Secretariat to the Board, and of both bodies to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
On the SCP Trust Fund, Hoballah said it is now established and seeking resources from a variety of sources, and will need Board approval for key activities. Hoballah also introduced the SCP Clearinghouse, a website that will serve as a hub for networking, partnerships, information sharing, and SCP promotion. The Clearinghouse will be launched on 21 May 2013, Hoballah said.
On selecting and establishing programs, Arden-Clarke presented the criteria, development, structure, and measurements that will be required for expanding beyond the current five – consumer information; sustainable lifestyles and education; sustainable public procurement; sustainable buildings and construction; and sustainable tourism, including ecotourism. The template for submitting program ideas is to be released by the end of May 2013, pending Board approval.
On “next steps,” the officials said the 10YFP will embark on: engaging new actors in SCP; fully nominating the 10-member Board and holding its first meeting; establishing an inter-agency coordination group; nominating national and stakeholder focal points; launching the SCP Clearinghouse; and beginning program consultations.
Interactive discussion with Member State representatives centered on the speed of 10YFP implementation, the reporting mechanisms of the Secretariat, and the inclusion of SCP in the post-2015 development agenda. [IISD RS Sources] [UNEP Webpage on 10YFP] [10YFP Brochure] [SCP Clearinghouse] [UNCSD Document on 10YFP, A/CONF.216/5]