13 December 2010: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a series of consensus texts urging more cooperation among States and between the UN and various regions and treaty bodies, on an array of topics, including environmental management.

Among the documents before the Assembly was a draft text on Cooperation between the UN, national parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) (document A/65/L.11), encouraging the Union to strengthen its contribution to the Assembly and inviting the Peacebuilding Commission to continue its work with the union in engaging national parliaments in countries under its consideration. Also before the Assembly was a draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States (A/65/L.33).

In discussion that followed the introduction of the texts, Egypt noted that his country had introduced to the Assembly in 1996 the agenda item on cooperation with IPU, which had addressed specific problems related to globalization, trade liberalization and climate change.

IPU affirmed that there had been much cooperation between the UN, national parliaments and IPU over the past two years, in such areas as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), climate change, financing for development, gender issues, HIV/AIDS and least developed countries (LDCs).

Greece recalled that under Greece’s chairmanship, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) had expanded into “green development and entrepreneurship,” and that BSEC Ministers of Foreign Affairs had adopted a declaration on combating climate change, which conveyed a common vision for “greening” the Black Sea.

Outlining the development of relations between the BSEC and the UN, the BSEC stated that the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of his organization, at their meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece, on 26 November 2010, had adopted a Joint Declaration on Combating Climate Change in the Wider Black Sea Area, which had been presented at the Cancun Climate Change Conference by Greece, BSEC’s current chairman.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean noted that the Parliamentary Assembly, among other things, had participated in such UN events as the 15th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 15) to the UNFCCC in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009.

The Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States underscored that the League was cooperating with the UN in the area of climate change. [UN Press Release]