UNEA-6 President Leila Benali, from Morocco. PHOTO/ IISD/ENB/Mike Muzurakis.
By PATRICK MAYOYO
On Wednesday, high-level dignitaries joined exhausted delegates, driving home the fact that declarations and diplomacy are built on the hard work of dedicated but often faceless individuals.
The Multilateral Environmental Agreement Day celebrated the interconnectedness between environmental issues. The negotiations on draft resolutions were far from celebratory but marched on.
Halfway through the Sixth Session of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-6), the mood was characterized by the age-old adage ‘keep calm and carry on’ as delegates remained stuck in plenary past midnight pleading for more time.
According to Earth Negotiations Bulletin, day-three was countered by more positivity as UNEA hosted the first ever Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Day, which featured an opening plenary and two high-level dialogues, accompanied by numerous side-events, all dedicated to exploring options for increased convergence of actions between UNEA and MEAs and raising MEAs’ visibility.
Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment, China, and President of the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, called for strengthening links between MEAs and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and broadening stakeholder engagement within MEAs.
Cheikh Ndiaye Sylla, Senegal, COP 12 President of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, expressed hope that eligibility and access criteria for funding would not become impediments as a result of activities to promote MEA synergies.
Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), recalled COPs for the three Rio Conventions will meet at the end of 2024 and suggested we must ensure that the work of each MEA amplifies others.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP 15 President Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment, China, with David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary, CBD. PHOTO/ IISD/ENB/Mike Muzurakis.
Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, said multilateralism needs the engagement of all stakeholders.
Donald Cooper, Director, Transparency Division, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said the Covid-19 pandemic taught us that the world has the capacity to evolve and change when there is social, economic, and political will, and added he desires for it to change.
Susan Gardner, Director, Ecosystems Division, UNEP, called attention to the regional seas agreements, which she noted have been longstanding and powerful tools of cooperation.
Contact groups dragged on with informal, bilateral discussions, and late night sessions. Well past midnight, Co-Chairs reported back to the Committee of the Whole (CoW) plenary for the second time asking for more time. CoW Chair Norbert Kurilla (Slovakia) suggested “informal informals” continue on Thursday.
Eight resolutions were adopted by the CoW. The draft report of the CoW was presented by Rapporteur Chair Silvio Albuquerque and the Committee adopted the draft report on condition that outstanding items will be added. Chair Kurilla thanked all for their commitment and closed the CoW at 12:45 am.
