Provide input on International Environmental Governance to the UNEP (process leading to the Rio+20 conference)

Here comes a request for you and your organization to provide input on the lead to the major Rio+20 conference. The timeframe is rather short, so please do read what follows and let me know if you think that you can contribute to these discussions.

As some of you already know, the UNEP has supported the establishment of a Civil Society Advisory Group on the issue of International Environmental Governance (AG-IEG), and Sara (as alternate) and I (as full member) will serve as representatives of the youth caucus. The AG-IEG will function as an expert body to provide input from all major groups of civil society and from representatives from all the UN regions to the UNEP in the coming three years.

The upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) will focus on two main issues: Green Economy and International Environmental Governance. The AG-IEG represent a major opportunity for civil society (us) to provide input to the process through the discussions taking place in the UNEP and in relation to the second theme of the conference.

The next major intergovernmental event in the process will be the February 2011 Governing Council of UNEP, taking place in Nairobi, and Achim Steiner, UNEP's Executive Director, has tasked the AG-IEG to come up with a document presenting views and suggestions in relation to 4 main questions. 

If you provide me some input on those questionsv (see below), or the additional three questions which the AG-IEG also considers discussing, I will consolidate those into a document and work to ensure that the main points are reflected in the document produced collectively by the AG-IEG and which will be provided to the negotiators during the preparation of the Governing Council. You do not have to send me input related to each question, you can address only a few/one of them (if so, please precise). I would need the inputs by the 8th of January, although I might still be able to use those provided in the following week. You can also send me some policy document or resolutions that your organization might have adopted. In any case, please precise if what you send is a personal feedback (which is perfectly fine as well)/something discussed with others/an official position of your NGO.

If the timeframe is too short for you (I am sorry about this), you can still send me a message back so that I know that I should keep you in the loop in relation to future developments taking place on issues related to IEG discussions.

Please copy Sara to your answers.

I would be happy to respond to any question that you might have, please just get back to me.

Seasonal Greetings,

Seb

4 main questions addressed by the AG-IEG prior to the UNEP 26th Governing Council (please address rather those ones)

1. Why is IEG of interest to developing countries? Can we articulate clearly the outcomes relevant to developing nations?
2.  Why is incremental reform not enough? Why do we need fundamental reform in IEG?
3. Why should the world believe in the United Nations, when multilateralism is not delivering results?
4. Why should we strengthen the Environment Programme, when the environment should be everyone's responsibility and integrated into all other programmes?

And additional issues that the AG-IEG might also considers...

5: Innovative proposals for civil society involvement in IEG
6. IEG beyond national jurisdictions.
7. Governance issues related to Sustainable Consumption and Production (see the existing UN process on this issue)
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