The Eighth meeting of the EMG was held in Nairobi on 1 September immediately prior to the second meeting of the High-level Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on an Intergovernmental strategic plan for technology support and capacity building (IGSP).

The main focus of the meeting was on the EMG’s work in the area of environment-related capacity building, including its contribution to the development of the Intergovernmental Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity Building.
The EMG discussed the status and the progress of work of its Issue Management Group (IMG) on the UN system (including the Secretariat’s of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements) environment-related capacity building activities and initiatives in two pilot areas of biodiversity and chemicals management.
The Group also considered the draft outline prepared by its second IMG on the overall UN activities and initiatives on environment related capacity building and agreed to submit the current results of the two IMG’s work to the second meeting of the IGSP for its information and consideration. The Group commended the work of the two IMG’s and observed that the two studies needed to be further developed taking into account the additional inputs of the EMG members on their experiences and lessons learned in view of better contributing to the discussions of the second and the third meetings of the IGSP in September and December 2004 respectively.
The Group also discussed the issue of “Sustainable Procurement for the UN System.” In view of the need to work further on the inclusion of sustainable development considerations in procurement practices; as recognized in Agenda 21 and in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (chapter III, paragraph 19) and in follow up to the International Expert Meeting on a 10-year-framework of programmes for sustainable consumption and production in June 2003, which recommended that ‘the United Nations itself should adopt sustainable procurement and environmental management programmes for is offices and operations’ (paragraph 154 of the meeting report); the EMG at its 7th meeting on 20 April decided to focus on this area in order to assist in developing sustainable procurement policies throughout the UN system.
Accordingly, the Group decided that in close cooperation with the Interagency Sustainable Procurement Group, the EMG should contribute to raising awareness on sustainable procurement throughout the UN system. To that end, the EMG at its eighth Session considered a background document on sustainable procurement and environmental management programmes for the UN system and the role of the EMG. The Group requested further work in this area, through establishing an IMG , including completion of a survey on current regulations and activities and the preparation of a proposal for further work in this area within the UN system.
The Group decided to hold its next meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2004 back to back with the final meeting of the IGSP. More information is available at: http://enb.iisd.org/whats_new/EMGbrief.doc