Our Planet News
UNEP'S achievements at Habitat II
UNEP highlighted the environmental aspects of the development of human
habitats at the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(HABITAT II) held in Istanbul in June.
- UNEP participated in the first meeting of the Huairou Commission, an
international group of women with exceptional experience in housing,
habitat and urban management issues, which advised the Secretary-General
of HABITAT II on women's needs. UNEP reported that it has already begun
incorporating women's concerns and participation into its policies,
programmes and projects, in accordance with the commitments it made in
Beijing in 1995.
- UNEP co-sponsored a workshop on Rights to Land and Property, focusing on
women, the environment and the legal issue of land rights, and agreed to
work jointly with the Women's Environment and Development Organization
(WEDO) on reporting the best practices now being developed to integrate
women into environmental decision-making.
- The UNEP/International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) and the
Global Environment Centre Foundation of Japan organized a symposium on
Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs). This raised awareness of ESTs
among government and industry officials, and provided an opportunity for
technology users and managers to exchange information.
- During the conference, UNEP presented two publications that it
co-published: The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide: an Introduction to
Sustainable Development Planning; and Air Quality Management and
Assessment Capabilities in 20 Major Cities, prepared by GEMS/Air. The
Executive Director also drew attention to the World Resources
1996/1997 report published by the World Resources Institute, UNDP,
UNEP and the World Bank.
- Conference members were very positive about the participatory approach
of the Sustainable Cities Programme, a joint endeavour by UNEP and the
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. Through this programme, UNEP
is developing capacity-building tools and providing guidance and
information to major cities on urban environmental management.
Substituting safely in China
UNEP is helping China address the safety aspects of the substitution of
ozone-depleting products in industry. Together with NEPA, UNEP held a
workshop on safety issues relating to CFC substitution in refrigeration,
aerosol and foam plants. The first of its kind to be convened under the
Multilateral Fund for the implementation of the Montreal Protocol, the
workshop contributed to building the capacities of local governments and
industries in handling safety concerns and to the development of safety
standards. NEPA now intends to organize a series of safety workshops at
the provincial level. The agency will also adapt the Safety Guidelines for
CFC Substitution provided by UNEP.
Executive Director tours Asia and the
Pacific
The Executive Director participated in the 1996 ECO Asia Conference on
Sustainable Development, held in Gunma, as part of her official visit to
Japan in May. She stressed the crucial importance of regional
environmental cooperation to address the booming industrialization,
resource depletion and population pressure in the area. She also expressed
the hope that the UNEP/International Environmental Technology Centre
(IETC) will act as a central point for the sharing of technical
information by the proposed APEC Virtual Environmental Information Network
and the APEC Sustainable Development Institute and Training Network.
At a series of high-level meetings with, among others, the State Minister
of Environment, other senior government officials and business people, the
Executive Director discussed UNEP's priorities for the next two years, its
work on chemicals, the role of IETC and collaboration with the Environment
Agency of Japan, Canon Inc. and the Nippon Foundation.
In New Zealand on the next stage of her tour, the Executive Director
officially opened the GRID Centre in Christchurch. This opening
demonstrates the support of the Government of New Zealand for joint
activities with UNEP on the environment in the polar zone. Established at
the International Centre for Antarctic Information and Research (ICAIR),
GRID-Christchurch will provide UNEP with access to data directory
services, reports and Antarctic datasets.
The final stage of her tour took the Executive Director to Australia,
where she stressed the role that Australia can play in environmental
issues in both the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, and highlighted the
prompt payment by the Government of Australia to the Environment Fund for
1996. She held a number of meetings with senior officials of the
Environment and Foreign Affairs Ministries, the Olympic Coordination
Authority, the Environment Protection Agency and the Australian Nature
Conservation Agency.
Insurers respond to environmental risks
The UNEP Conference on the Insurance Industry and the Environment, held in
London in May, sought new solutions for managing the growing environmental
risks insurers now face. Insurers explored the following issues: claims
handling, environmental reporting, asset management, loss prevention,
mobilization of companies, lobbying and product design. The meeting agreed
to increase lobbying in the future for the implementation of relevant
environmental treaties such as the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change.
Meanwhile, in July, a number of insurers participated directly in the
Second Conference of the Parties to this convention, under the umbrella of
the Climate Change Association of the Insurance Industry in Support of the
UNEP Initiative. They launched a position paper on Insurance and Climate
Change, and held a workshop on Climate Change, Property Insurance and
Asset Management. Many leading global insurance companies are realizing
that insuring risks and preventing accidents go hand-in-hand with a
precautionary approach to the environment, and that their efforts to
protect human life and property and prevent catastrophic events can play a
vital role in protecting the environment for future generations.
Protecting the land that feeds us
UNEP commemorated World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought in Kenya
on 17 and 18 June by attempting to bridge the gaps that exist between
people, businesses and governments in understanding the global dryland
crisis.
The activities were supported entirely by donations from Kenyan businesses
and donors. For the second year, UNEP recognized outstanding contributions
to desertification control. Saving the Drylands awards were given to the
Jhanwar Watershed Project in India and the SOS Sahel Community Forestry
Project in the Sudan. In each case participation was the key to success,
demonstrating that communities need to be empowered through the
establishment of village-level decision-making structures and effective
credit facilities that are supported at the national level.
Positive moves on biodiversity
UNEP's latest achievements in the field of biological diversity were
recognized at the third meeting of the Executive Director's Advisory Panel
of Biodiversity Experts held in Washington, DC, in May. The panel
highlighted the preparation of strategic policy instruments such as the
Biodiversity Programme and Implementation Strategy and UNEP's efforts to
build partnerships with the biotechnology industry in the area of
biosafety. It made a number of recommendations, including the need for a
long-term mechanism to ensure up-to-the-minute information from the
scientific community on biodiversity-related issues as part of the
follow-up to the Global Biodiversity Assessment Report.
Also in May, UNEP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) brought
together in Geneva representatives from indigenous and local communities
to explore ways of ensuring their full participation in the implementation
of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The meeting recommended that:
- There should be regular consultations between UNEP-GEF, local people and
indigenous communities.
- GEF operations should address the priorities of the indigenous and local
groups.
- An advisory mechanism should be established to advise the GEF on
projects which would encourage the implementation of Article 8 of the
Convention on Biological Diversity. Article 8 states that the Contracting
Parties should preserve and maintain the knowledge, innovations and
practices of indigenous and local communities with regard to the
conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.
Groundwater: A Threatened Resource
UNEP/Gems Environment Library No 15
This, the latest addition, explains the importance of groundwater, and
assesses its vulnerability to over-use, misuse and pollution. The
UNEP/Gems Library was established in 1987 to disseminate environmental
information on major topics to a non-technical audience. There are three
other titles on water issues, Freshwater Pollution, The Pollution of
Lakes and Reservoirs and Water Quality of World River Basins.
All are available at US$7 per volume from SMI (Distribution Services)
Ltd., PO Box 119, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 4TP, UK (fax: +44 1438 748
844;
tel: +44 1438 748 111)
