UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner briefed European Environment Ministers on the forthcoming UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) at an informal Council Meeting in Athens, Greece.
Steiner addressed: UNEA's expected role and vision; UNEP priorities for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and post-2015 development agenda; and wildlife crime.
UNEA's first session will take place in June 2014, and Steiner said it is expected to agree on a common vision.
14 May 2014: UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner briefed European Environment Ministers on the forthcoming UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) at an informal Council Meeting in Athens, Greece. Steiner addressed: UNEA’s expected role and vision; UNEP priorities for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and post-2015 development agenda; and wildlife crime. UNEA’s first session will take place in June 2014, and Steiner said it is expected to agree on a common vision.
Steiner’s presentation refers to UNEP as the “leading global environmental authority in post-2015 processes.’ He said UNEA’s first session will address the SDGs and the post-2015 agenda, including sustainable consumption and production (SCP).
According to Steiner, the SDGs should cover specific environmental issues, including: sustainable economies and green jobs; sustainable eco-agricultural food systems; prosperity that does not degrade the environment; inter-generational equity and harmony with nature; and tools and policies for a sustainable future. Steiner also emphasized the importance of: integrating the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development to achieve long-term transformational change, including poverty eradication; and addressing universal concerns with universal ambition through a differentiated approach that recognizes different baselines, needs, capabilities and priorities.
Steiner informed Ministers that a ministerial dialogue on ‘Illegal Trade in Wildlife’ will take place during the UNEA, resulting in a Chair’s summary and outcome document. Steiner said natural resource theft, such as illegal timber transport and elephant poaching, poses challenges to sustainable development, poverty eradication and a green economy transition as well as jeopardizing local livelihoods and the lives of law enforcement officials. To tackle these challenges, Steiner proposed, inter alia: demanding a reduction in illegally-sourced wildlife products; maintaining political momentum to support international cooperation and strengthening political will to fight wildlife crime; supporting enforcement, judicial and legal measures; and raising awareness. [UNEP Press Release] [UNEA Website]