Biodiversity

Ministerial Session of the 2021 UN Food Systems Pre-Summit

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The Ministerial Roundtable of the 2021 UN Food Systems Pre-Summit explored the interlinkages between Rio conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification, as well as their positions in supporting the transformation of the food systems.

The session was commenced by Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, France Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, who highlighted the inseparable relationship between climate change and the current socio-economic and environmental affairs, and urged for collective actions at all levels through the Food System Summit and the three Rio conventions to build a sustainable future for all.

A moderated roundtable with Member States followed to discuss opportunities to build synergies between the Rio conventions on the environmental issues and bring remarkable impacts on combating global hunger and malnutrition. As emphasized, unsustainable agricultural practices are the driving causes of climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification, and these impacts, in turn, exacerbate poverty, food insecurity and conflict, etc. To break the vicious circle, all stressed governments’ paramount role in mainstreaming nature through political decision-making, and incentivizing all stakeholders into making environmental-friendly decisions in investment, business and consumption. In addition, it is essential for all countries to promote nature-based solutions in agricultural production and ensure all farmers can strengthen their resilience in adapting to the impacts of climate change and deliver more quality, healthy food in the market. Lastly, all highlighted the importance to rethink and connect the Rio conventions for delivering multi-beneficial actions on nature restoration and food system transformation.

Representatives of the three Rio conventions then provided their perspectives on the conventions’ principles, and underlined the importance to implement policies in a holistic and circular approach to account for the interlinkages between all environmental issues and social well-being.

Meeting: 2021 UN Food Systems Pre-Summit, Ministerial Roundtable on UN Food Systems Summit and Rio Conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification

Date/Location: Wednesday, July 28, 2021; 03:00-04:30; Red Room, Rome, Italy

Speaker:

Dr. Martin Frick, Deputy to the Special Envoy, Food Systems Summit Secretariat;

Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France;

Ms. Teresa Ribera Rodriguez, Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Spain;

Dr. Thongplew Kongjun, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agricultural and Cooperatives, Thailand;

Mr. Christian Hofer, General-Director of the Federal Office for Agriculture, Switzerland;

Lord Zac Goldsmith, Minister for Pacific and the Environment Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), United Kingdom;

Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Ministry of Environment, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Egypt;

Prof. Dr. Rameesh Chand, Member of Nitiaayog, India;

Ms. Marije Beens, Vice Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Netherlands;

Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD);

Ms. Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity;

Ms. Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);

Dr. Inger Andersen, Chair, UN Task Force and Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Written by: WIT-UN Intern Iris Sit

Dimensions of Marine Debris

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Dede SURYANA

Dede’s trash barrel. Java 2012. Mandatory photo credit: Noyle/A-Frame

At this afternoon’s meeting panellists provided several comprehensive overviews regarding marine debris, plastics and microplastics, allowing for an overall description of the problem and the knowledge gaps present, sources of land and sea based debris, as well as insights on potentially scalable solutions that have previously been implemented.

It is clear that scientific research and data collection is an important element in tackling the problem of marine debris, with many knowledge and data gaps remaining: understanding the distribution, sources and types of plastics that make their way to oceans can help develop recovery mechanisms and the prevention of further plastic accumulation; learning the impacts of previously under-researched microplastics can help evaluate the effects on food chains and marine biodiversity; and innovative development of plastic alternatives can shift business production to ‘cleaner’ goods. Awareness and education also has the power of changing consumptive habits and waste disposal patterns to more eco-conscious practices. Along with shoreline clean-ups, the need for more efficient port waste disposal sites and incentive schemes for all target groups, including commercial and recreational fishing, has been shown to be a successful method for reducing material dumping at sea. Lessons-learnt should continue to be shared in order to learn the best-practices and help develop more efficient mechanisms to deal with plastic waste.

Meeting: Discussion panel: The environmental, social and economic dimensions of marine debris, plastics and microplastics and progress made in preventing, reducing and controlling pollution from marine debris, plastics and microplastics

Date/Time/Location: 13th of June, 2016; 15:00 – 18:00; Conference Room 1

Speakers: Mr. Peter Kershaw, Chairman of GESAMP and Chairman of the GESAMP Working Group on Microplastics; Ms. Lorna Inniss, Coordinator, Former Joint Coordinator of the Group of Experts of the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects; Ms. Jenna Jambeck, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, University of Georgia; Ms. Kelsey Richardson, Former Marine Debris Consultant, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP); Peter Van den Dries, Policy Advisor, Flemish Waste Agency; Stefan Micallef, Director Marine Environment Division, International Maritime Organization

Written By: Lena Courcol, WIT Representative

Edited By: Modou Cham, WIT Administrator 

Initial Briefing on United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA)

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Today, Mr. Harris began the meeting by introducing its agenda, which entailed briefing member states on the upcoming Second Session of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-2), which will be held at the UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya from May 23, 2016 to May 27, 2016.  He mentioned that the theme of the forum will be discussing ways to deliver on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the event will center on calling ministers from UN member states to form resolutions that address critical global environmental challenges.  He stated that the event will also involve inter-governmental and non-governmental actors to add to the discussions on addressing critical issues related to air quality, healthy ecosystems, chemicals, wastes, etc.

Mr. Harris also mentioned that numerous side events, as well as, a “Science and Policy Forum,” which aims to bring people from the science and policy communities to strengthen dialogue and collaboration on achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), would lead up to the UNEA-2.  Lastly, he stated that a debriefing would be held on June 8, 2016 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to share with member states all the resolutions and developments from the UNEA-2 and other side events and meetings.  Mr. Ahmad added that countries that do not have accredited permanent representatives in Nairobi, Kenya could send delegates who can contribute to the discussions of the CPR to UNEP.

Meeting: A Briefing by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to Member States on the Second Session of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-2)

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, May 3, 2016; 10:00 – 12:00; Conference Room 1

Speakers: Mr. Elliot Harris, Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and Head of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) New York Office (NYO); Mr. Jamil Ahmad, Secretary for the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment (GC/GMEF) and the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Written By: WIT Representative Shubhangi Shukla

 

Celebrating World Wildlife Day

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World's Most Beautiful Fish

On March 3, UN member states and civil societies gathered in the ECOSOC Chamber to celebrate World Wildlife Day 2016. Under the theme “The future of wildlife is in our hands,” wildlife conservation was a recurring topic of discussion. Ms. Gallach opened the conference with statements in support of protection for African and Asian elephants. She also called for stronger law enforcement and government participation to fight wildlife crime. Following, Mr. Harris emphasized the need for outreach and communication, which are essential to inspiring people to engage in activity to end illegal trade. As poaching is reaching unprecedented proportions, the continuation of raising awareness particularly to consumers of wildlife products is important.

Ms. Monasebian introduced a stricter tone and pointed out weak international law enforcements and under-equipped agencies. She then listed ways that the UNODC is combatting wildlife crime, including working with law enforcement to build judicial capacity and providing alternative livelihoods. A video statement from Mr. Vella continued this sentiment and highlighted the need for cooperation and collaboration.

Later, Mr. Sekhran gave a powerful statement on how there is no economy without nature, and humans depend upon the planet for our existence. He underscored how protecting nature is crucial as the population will grow by another one billion people prior to 2030, and statisticians have said that the world will not stabilize until population hits 11.2 billion.

Finally, Ms. Paratian wrapped up the presentations with examples of awareness in regards to wildlife protection. She cited the Chi Campaign in Vietnam, which is directed towards businessmen purchasing rhino horns as status symbols. Although it is difficult to be fully knowledgeable on the true impacts of these campaigns, she advocated for further involvement in these endeavors for wildlife conservation.

Meeting: Celebration of World Wildlife Day 2016

Date/Location: Thursday, March 3, 2016; ECOSOC Chamber; UN Headquarters; NYC

Speakers: John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General; Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General on behalf of UN Deputy Secretary-General; Virachai Plasai, Permanent Representative of Thailand; Elliott Harris, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of NY Office of UNEP; Simone Monasebian, Director of NY Office of UNODC on behalf of UNODC Executive Director; Karmenu Vella, EC Commissioner of Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; Heiko Thoms, Ambassador of Charge d’Affaires of Germany to UN; Robert Dreher, Associate Director of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Nik Sekhran, Chief of Practice & Director, Sustainable Development Cluster, Bureau of Policy and Programme Support, UNDP; John Robinson, Executive Vice President, Conservation and Science, WCS; Tania Paratian, Manager Intergovernmental Relations, WWF International

Written by: WIT Representatives Julianne Jeon and Olivia Gong

Edited by: WIT Representative Alex Margolick

Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Resources and Biodiversity

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picture1Today an informal working group was convened to discuss the feasibility of an international instrument that would clarify existing legal gaps in the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction. While all delegations recognize both the need and the opportunity to address issues such as ocean acidification, unsafe fishing practices, and marine pollution, problems arose in discussions over the equitable use of marine genetic resources, the transparency of technology transfer, and the feasibility of such a comprehensive instrument.

Many countries agreed on the practicality of this instrument, stating that under the correct parameters, a consensus could be reached. The Representative of Trinidad and Tobago stated that if they are able to identify a government structure to control the assistance of states in their implementation of the agreed upon regulations, the instrument would be possible. The Representative from the United States, however, was one of the few dissenters, as he remained unconvinced of the need for a new international agreement. He stated that coordination and cooperation through existing bodies was a more cost effective and practical solution to the issues present.

The Representative of Trinidad and Tobago also discussed the need for equitable distribution of marine resources in areas not covered by national jurisdiction, stating that the resources belong to neither the US nor the EU, but instead “are the common heritage of mankind.” In response, the US Representative expressed concern about this proposed benefit sharing regime. It was his belief that the transaction costs of implementing such a program would be so high as to impede the actual research itself, thus doing more harm to all countries involved. The Representative of Cuba addressed the issue of transparency, expressing the belief that it should be universal. Those beliefs were echoed by Representatives from the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, as they all believe that this proposed instrument could facilitate access and transfer of marine technology to all states.

 

Meeting Title: Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction
Speakers: Representative of Algeria; Representative of New Zealand; Representative of the Dominican Republic; Representative of Guatemala; Representative of Ecuador; Representative of Trinidad and Tobago; Representative of Costa Rica; Representative of the United States; Representative of Iceland; Representative of Cuba
Location: Conference Room 1, United Nations HQ, New York
Date: 18 June 2014
Written By WIT Representative: Zachary Halliday
Edited by WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan

 

 

UN Working Group Meets to Discuss the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity

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With a view to provide recommendations to the UN General Assembly, the eighth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group was convened today to discuss issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (ABNJ). This meeting was the second of the three meetings to discuss the scope, parameters and feasibility of a possible new international instrument.

During the opening session this morning, Co-Chair Ms. Lijnzaad delivered an opening remark to encourage the Working Group to move forward together in achieving an effective legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in ABNJ, and reassured the necessity of a new international instrument. She mentioned the need to address legal, regulatory and implementation gaps such as addressing fragmentation in governance, and to develop a benefit-sharing regime for marine genetic resources.

ImageMember states and parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) were invited to consider the organization of the work of the meeting. Norway remained open to negotiate a new implementing agreement that can add value to the existing international legal framework, and recommended a needs-based approach to identify legal gaps in the present regime. Norway also emphasized clarity, predictability and confidence among the Working Group, and pointed out practical needs were of great concern in which feasibility is a product of scope and parameters.

The European Union supported a new agreement and called for other parties to have strong political will to achieve the goals of marine conservation. The new agreement should also specify duties of parties in terms of identifying a practical solution and implementation in order to strengthen interaction and coordination across regions and sectors. Mexico and Austria pointed out it is not necessary to establish a new structure, rather the new agreement should be fully integrated into the established Law of the Sea architecture and in full compliance with the existing regimes, while avoiding redundancy. Mexico also pointed out that the legal framework should be functionally well defined to ensure greater coordination and capacity building. Lastly, Trinidad and Tobago stressed the need to take into account a precautionary principle, and Austria stressed the need for ecosystem-based management in the new agreement.

 

Meeting Title: Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction
Speakers: Ms. Liesbeth Lijnzaad, Legal Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands; Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel
Location: United Nations HQ, Conference Room 1, New York
Date: 16 June 2014
Written by WIT representative: Tracy Lau
Edited by WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan

Biodiversity: The Need for Action

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United Nations, New York Headquarters, 3 February 2014

During a side meeting on Biodiversity, representatives from various countries shared their perspectives on the importance of a biologically diverse planet. The ambassador to Germany, Mr. Thoms, shared the perspective that our earth, ocean, forests, and mountains hold many peoples spirituality. They also are the source of our economic capital and to exploit it for the short term will only lead to our degradation and vulnerability as people in the long term. 

India’s representative, Mr. Tyagi shared that overall, India’s percent of GDP from use of natural resources is 17%, but the poorest in the country receive 47% of their GDP from the environment. The poor in India, as in many other countries, rely more heavily on the environment than the population as a whole. Many other countries shared a similar concern, that with poverty eradication as a large part of the Post 2015 Development agenda, we must make a stand for biodiversity.

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One solution to these problems was presented by Mr. Santos. Brazil has created a program called Bolsa Verde, translating roughly to green stipend. With the attention to social inclusion, sustainable resources, and poverty, Mr. Santos shared that the program goes to areas of extreme biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, provides stipends and training for people. The populations work on their land to bring back biodiversity and learn environmental conservation models of care. 

Mr. Jumeau from the island Seychelles, spoke from the perspective of the small islands and developing world, “This is not just about conservation, it is in many cases the economic viability of our resilience as independent sovereign states.” Ms. Sendashonga, the facilitator, said although biodiversity is a no-brainer, we must come up with targets and actions to make this goal a future for humanity. 

Meeting Title: Why Biodiversity is Essential for Social and Economic Aspects of Sustainable Development: Perspectives and Country Experiences from Developing and Developed Countries

Speakers: Mr. Katsuhiko Takahashi (Minister, Permanent Mission of Japan), Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias (Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity), Ms. Cyriaque Sendashonga (Global Director of IUCN), Ronald Jean Jumeau (Sychelles Ambassador for Climate Change and SIDS Issues), Mr. Jean-Francis R. Zinsou (Ambassador, PR of the Permanent Mission of Benin to the UN), Mr. Heiko Thoms (Ambassador to Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN), Mr. Ajay Tyagi (Joint Secretary to the Govn’t of India in the Ministry of Environment and Forests), Mr. Sergio Rodrigues dos Santos (Minister-Counsellor, Brazilian Mission to the UN), Mr. Jechul Yoo ( Director General, Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea)

Written by WIT Representative: Stephanie Harris