8 February 2010: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Weekly newsletter, for the period 8-12 February 2010, reports on the first meeting of the Working Group on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation for the UNECE region, which convened on 5 February 2010, in Geneva, Switzerland.
The meeting was co-chaired by the UNECE and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Participants discussed the Working Group’s terms of reference, including the objectives to: provide a platform for identifying further synergies among UN agencies, funds and programmes working on climate change adaptation and mitigation in Europe and Central Asia; establish a system-wide regional action plan, as called for by the UN Secretary General, focusing on priority areas that require enhanced cooperation among the participating UN agencies; and propose policy guidance for consideration by member States of the region on the occasion of relevant intergovernmental meetings taking place in Europe and Central Asia, such as the Environment for Europe Ministerial Conferences, the Environment and Health Ministerial Conferences, and the European Conferences of the Specialized Agencies.
Based on a compendium of capabilities and activities of all the UN entities active in the region in the area of climate change, which will be continuously updated, the Working Group agreed to select a number of priority issues for inter-agency cooperation. The Working Group is further expected to follow up on the outcomes of the UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties by providing support to the implementation of these outcomes in the European and Central Asian region.
The thematic working group was established in a meeting of the Regional Coordination Mechanism convened by the UNECE Executive Secretary and chaired by the UN Deputy Secretary-General in October 2009. [Weekly Newsletter]
Cover of the weekly newsletter