20 September 2011: The 17th senior officials meeting of the UN Environment Management Group (EMG) has decided that the EMG shall continue to provide a platform for enhancing synergy among the work of individual specialized agencies, programmes and funds working in environment in the lead up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

The meeting was co-chaired by Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the meeting also recommended that the EMG’s work be closely linked with interagency mechanisms such as UN-Water, UN-Oceans and the UN Development Group (UNDG). [UN EMG Website] [UNESCO Press Release]