UNEP 2006 Annual Report-2007755

Contents
UNEP in 2006
Climate of change 6
Knowledge for change 14
Managing change 22
Energy for change 28
Changing business 36
Changing chemistry 42
Ecosystem change 48
Sea change 56
Changing the future 64
Partners for change 72
Unep funding 2006 82
Unep around the world 84

UNEP Governing Structure
The UNEP Governing Council was established in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 2997 (XXVII) of 15
December 1975 (Institutional and financial arrangements for international environmental cooperation). The Governing Council
reports to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council. Its 58 members are elected by the General
Assembly for four-year terms, taking into account the principle of equitable regional representation. Full information on the
composition, functions and responsibilities of the UNEP Governing Council and the Committee of Permanent Representatives,
formally established and strengthened as a subsidiary organ to the Governing Council by decision 19/32 of 4 April 1997, is
available at www.unep.org/governingbodies.
Bureau Members of the UNEP Governing Council
President
H.E. Mr. Rachmat Witoelar (Indonesia)
Vice-Presidents
H.E. Mrs. Sulfina Barbu (Romania)
H.E. Mr. Andreas Carlgren (Sweden)
S.E. Monsieur Laurent Sedogo (Burkina Faso)
Rapporteur
H.E. Mr. Donald Cooper (Bahamas)
Bureau Members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives
Chairman
H.E. Mr. Igor Liška (Slovakia)
Vice-Chairmen
H.E. Mr. Antonio José Rezende De Castro (Brazil)
H.E. Mr. Mohammad Raeis (Iran)
Ms. Dorothy Nachilongo (Zambia)
Rapporteur
Mr. Jan Bauer (Netherlands)
Algeria ** Costa Rica * Pakistan **

Angola ** Czech Republic ** Poland *
Antigua and Barbuda ** Democratic Republic of the Congo ** Republic of Korea **
Argentina ** France ** Romania **
Australia ** Germany ** Russian Federation **
Austria ** Ghana * Saudi Arabia *
Bahamas * Haiti ** Senegal *
Bangladesh * Hungary * Somalia *
Belgium ** India * South Africa **
Botswana ** Indonesia ** Sweden *
Brazil * Iran (Islamic Republic of) * Thailand **
Bulgaria * Israel * Turkey *
Burkina Faso * Japan ** Tuvalu *
Burundi ** Kazakhstan * Uganda **
Cameroon * Kenya ** United Kingdom of Great Britain
Canada ** Kyrgyzstan * and Northern Ireland *
Cape Verde * Mexico * United Republic of Tanzania *
Chile ** Monaco * United States of America **
China ** Morocco * Uruguay **
Colombia * Netherlands *
* Members whose terms expire on 3l December 2007.

** Members whose terms expire on 3l December 2009.
United Nations Environment Programme

UNEP in 2006
A Year of Change,
a Year of Reform
by Achim Steiner
The UNEP annual report for 2006 is as much

my predecessor’s as it is mine, both literally and
intellectually. Klaus Toepfer, who retired at the
end of March 2006 after eight years in charge
of UNEP, helped to stabilize the organization
and expand its operations, for example in
the development of a first-class post-conflict
assessment branch, which was again called
into action following the recent conflict in the
Lebanon and is increasingly being requested
by governments in Africa. Above all, Klaus
succeeded better than anyone during his two
terms of office in articulating the link between
environment and development. It is upon this
legacy that the organization is evolving, both in
its traditional areas and into new and challenging
arenas.
For my first term in office, I have set out four

broad themes where I want to see UNEP develop UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner
greater capacity, take intellectual leadership and,
above all, generate targeted action. These are:
environment and economics as they relate to I also mentioned challenges, because fully
ecosystem services; reform of the organization integrating this welter of activities so that they
within the wider landscape of UN reform; pull together in a seamless and fruitful direction
partnerships with civil society and the private is one area that needs urgent attention. Challenges
sector; and, last but not least, more effective and also as a result of the Secretary-General’s reform
efficient management. As I write, almost all the agenda, which requests that UNEP and the rest
new directors of UNEP’s divisions have been of the UN system work ever more closely and
appointed following a major recruitment drive. effectively together in common cause towards
Furthermore, a series of task forces have been sustainable development. These challenges present
reporting on areas ranging from information real possibilities and opportunities, perhaps
technology to the more efficient and effective not seen for a generation. The environment,
running of the Executive Office. from being on the margins of political debate,
has now moved ever closer to the centre, with
It is now well over six months since I took governments, business, the scientific community
over as Executive Director, and I have to say and civil society looking to the UN and to UNEP
it is has been a whirlwind time full of new for guidance and, more importantly, solutions, as
challenges, possibilities and surprises. Surprises never before.
because, despite having considerable familiarity
with UNEP before arriving here, I have been It is a fascinating time to be taking up the post of
astounded by the sheer scope of activities UNEP Executive Director. There is a revitalized
being undertaken across so many fields—at interest in the environment as a source for long-
headquarters, in the regions and with our lasting development—if it is sensibly managed—
partnerships. This wealth of activity is reflected as well as a growing understanding of its potential
in this 2006 annual report. as a source of conflict if it is not. This is in no
Environment for Development

Introduction by the UNEP Executive Director
small part due to the widespread realization that annually; natural products and medicines: over
we are all living on borrowed time, with many of $2.5 million a year; and so on. It is this deepening
the planet’s ecosystems and nature-based goods awareness of the costs of environmental
and services in decline. degradation, allied to the growing recognition that
nature-based resources have large and increasingly
The environmental community of scientists, civil quantifiable economic value that is now shaping
society and concerned citizens had, until very UNEP’s strategy as the global environmental
recently, been widely portrayed as the purveyor authority.
of alarmist statements and predictions. This is
changing. Past warnings of over-exploitation of In many ways nature is the wealth of the poor.
finite natural resources and the unsustainable One element of UNEP’s reform agenda is the
use of national, regional and global goods and Poverty and Environment Initiative with the UN
services provided by natural systems are now seen Development Programme (UNDP), which we
to be true across a wide range of issues—from are taking forward into 2007. The basis of this
biodiversity loss, water scarcity and collapsing relationship was a joint report, released at the
fisheries up to the overarching concern about 2005 World Summit, which explicitly makes the
climate change. economic case for the environment in poverty
eradication. It says, for example, that every
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), the dollar invested in fighting land degradation and
work of around 1,300 scientists from 95 countries desertification may conservatively generate more
in which UNEP played an important part, not than three dollars in economic benefits, helping to
only confirmed longstanding concerns, it went fight poverty among the billions of people living
further. Its first report, published in March 2005 on fragile lands. Meanwhile, every dollar spent on
in advance of the World Summit held later that delivering clean water and sanitation is likely to
year, concluded that approximately 60 percent of give impressive rates of return of up to $14.
ecosystem services are being currently degraded
or used unsustainably. Economics is also increasingly a feature of the
climate change debate. The UK Government’s
The MA was also seminal in that it advanced Stern Report, released in advance of the UN
straightforward recommendations on how to climate change meeting at the UN offices in
reverse the decline alongside some compelling Nairobi in November 2006, stated that, if no
economic arguments—arguments that I see as action is taken, average temperatures may rise
pivotal to UNEP’s work over the coming years. by up to 5 degrees centigrade from pre-industrial
For instance, it says that an intact wetland in levels, with a commensurate minimum loss of 5
Canada is worth $6,000 a hectare, versus $2,000 per cent of Gross Domestic Product annually.
a hectare for one cleared for intensive agriculture.
Intact tropical mangroves, coastal ecosystems that In contrast, the costs of action to reduce
are natural pollution filters and coastal defenses, as greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst
well as nurseries for fish, are worth around $1,000 impacts can be limited to around 1 per cent of
a hectare. Cleared for shrimp farms, the value falls global GDP each year. The Stern Report also
to around $200 a hectare. estimates that reducing emissions would actually
make the world better off—one estimate indicates
The second Africa Environment Outlook, that, over time, a shift to a low-carbon global
published in 2006, echoes the MA’s themes. It economy would trigger benefits of $2.5 trillion a
builds a case that the region—popularly perceived year.
as poor—is in fact rich in natural and nature-based
resources, if only they could be more sustainably Regrettably, whatever measures are taken to tackle
developed. Take the wetlands of the Zambezi climate change, some level of impact is now
Basin. It is estimated that the economic value of inevitable, which is why we must also focus on
these wetlands in terms of crops and agriculture adaptation as an immediate priority—particularly
is close to $50 million a year; fishing: nearly in developing countries. At the Nairobi climate
$80 million a year; maintaining grasslands for change meeting, UNEP and UNDP, again in the
livestock production: more than $70 million; spirit of reform, launched a joint initiative to boost
wetland-dependent ecotourism: $800,000 developing countries’ participation in the Kyoto

UNEP in 2006
Protocol’s clean development mechanism and economies, whose ecological footprints now
help developing countries adapt their agriculture extend beyond their national borders, are also
and health care infrastructure in a climatically requested to show international leadership in this
altered world. new century.
2006 was also a year in which it became evident While this annual report looks back over the past
that addressing the world’s major environmental year it also points to the future—one in which
and sustainable development challenges is decisive and wide-ranging decisions need to be
no longer broadly divided down the lines of made, not least on the overarching issue of climate
developed and developing countries. We now change and the need to mainstream environment
have the phenomenon of rapidly developing into poverty reduction and development strategies
countries, such as Brazil, China and India. in order to meet the Millennium Development
UNEP must be relevant to this constituency Goals. UNEP looks forward to playing a
within the context of a globalized world of significant role, strengthened in the certain
more than six billion people whose aspirations knowledge that its mandate reflects the calling of
for reasonable lifestyles for themselves and our time with environmental issues more pressing
their families require reforms in the way we all and solutions more self-evidently needed than at
consume and produce. The rapidly developing any time in history.
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner at the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in
Nairobi, 7 November 2006, at the launch of the UNFCCC publication, ‘The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World’s Greatest
Challenge’ compiled by the Stockholm Environment Institute with assistance from UNEP. UNEP’s work on climate change ranges from
assessment, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which it administers jointly with the World Meteorological
Organization, and a wide range of capacity building activities. UNEP works closely with the UNFCCC on outreach, and helps developing
countries to participate fully in the Convention. UNEP is also assisting countries to benefit fully from the various mechanisms of the Kyoto
Protocol, such as the Clean Development Mechanism. © Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images

Climate of change
CLIMATE OF
CHANGE
UNEP entered a period of transition in 2006.

It said farewell to Klaus Toepfer, who had led
the organization for eight years, and welcomed
Achim Steiner as the new UNEP Executive
Director in June. Mr. Toepfer described his
successor as “an outstanding individual among a
field of outstanding candidates,” and said he was
“delighted that Achim Steiner has accepted this
important international post at an organization
that has a key role in delivering sustainable
development, fighting poverty, realizing social
justice and achieving stability in the 21st century.”
Mr. Steiner, who had previously served as

Director General of the World Conservation
Union (IUCN) from 2001 to 2006, took up
office with a call to UN member states to
put the environment at the heart of economic
policies, noting that recent reports, including
the UNEP-supported Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment, were increasingly emphasizing the
“enormous wealth” of ecosystem services. “They
also underline that far too many are becoming
limited as a result of abuse, poor management
and over-exploitation,” he added. Mr. Steiner
said one of the main challenges for his first
term as UNEP Executive Director is to work to
end this “antagonism between economic and
environmental policy”. He said he would be
focusing on how markets, economic incentives,
and international treaties and agreements
can be made to work in a way which is “pro- Working together, especially at the country
environment, pro-poor and thus pro-sustainable level, was the overriding recommendation of
development”. the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel
on UN System-wide Coherence in the Areas
DELIVERING AS ONE of Development, Humanitarian Assistance and
the Environment. The panel’s report, entitled
Mr. Steiner also said that among his many targets ‘Delivering as One’, presented in November
for making UNEP even more relevant to the 2006, as well as the UN General Assembly’s
challenges of the 21st century was achieving ongoing informal consultations on the institutional
stronger and more streamlined ties with other framework for the UN system’s environmental
UN organizations, civil society and the private activities, represent, in Mr. Steiner’s words, “real
sector. “The challenges are so immense that only opportunities that we must all seize.”
by working together in mutual self interest can we
realize internationally agreed goals and deliver a The Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel
stable, just and healthy planet for this and future was instituted in February 2006 in response
generations,” he said. to the outcome of the 2005 World Summit,

UNEP in 2006
Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP between February 1998 and March 2006, speaking at the Zayed Prize award ceremony, held as
part of the ninth Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
7–9 February 2006. The Governing Council session, which saw the largest-ever gathering of environment ministers, was Mr. Toepfer’s last.
He was succeeded in June 2006 by Achim Steiner, who had previously held the position of Director General of the World Conservation
Organization (IUCN). 2006 also marked the final year of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s decade of service at the helm of the United
Nations. During his two terms of office, Mr. Annan consistently highlighted the importance of environmental sustainability to the UN’s
broader development goals, something that UNEP has both echoed and taken a leading role in articulating. © UNEP
where members of the UN General Assembly integration of environmental activities in the

emphasized the central role of environmental broader sustainable development framework at
sustainability in achieving UN objectives, the operational level, including through capacity-
including global security and the Millennium building.”
Development Goals. The Summit outcome
also highlighted “the need for more efficient Working more closely with UN system partners
environmental activities in the United Nations to build capacity at country level lies at the core
system, with enhanced coordination, improved of the Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support
policy advice and guidance… and better and Capacity Building, which was adopted by

Climate of change
the UNEP Governing Council in 2005 to help

developing countries and countries with economies
in transition to improve their economies and the
living standards of their people, while at the same
time preserving the natural capital on which their
development is based. The goal of the Bali Plan is
more coherent, coordinated and effective delivery
of environmental capacity building and technical
support at all levels in response to well-defined
country priorities and needs. It complements and
enhances UNEP’s traditional activity areas, such
as assessment, environmental policy and law,
institution building, and creating partnerships for
sustainable development. Specifying how a project
contributes to implementation of the Bali Plan will
become a routine requirement for project approval,
including the identification of related activities
conducted by other partners in the countries
targeted for UNEP assistance.
Caption One of UNEP’s increasingly important partners in

implementing the Bali Plan is the UN Development
Programme (UNDP). Working together, UNEP
and UNDP plan to mainstream environment into
the whole development framework, especially in
relation to the development of poverty reduction
strategies, and to use UNDP’s extensive reach
to implement environmental capacity building
and technological support at country level across
the globe. The partnership provides a significant
opportunity for UNEP and UNDP to demonstrate
that UN reform is indeed happening, and could be
the prime example of how the UN can work.
BUILDING CAPACITY
Just prior to the February 2006 Governing Council/

Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF),
which was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
Heads of State of six African counties attending
the 6th Assembly of the African Union adopted the
January 2006 Declaration on the Implementation
in Africa of the Bali Plan, as an expression of their
political commitment to promoting technology
support and capacity building in their countries
and throughout Africa. The Bali Plan reflects
Addressing today’s environmental challenges is largely beyond the and works in harmony with existing regional and
capacity of individual countries. Only concerted and coordinated
international action will be sufficient. The arena for such actions subregional initiatives, such as the environment
is the United Nations, and the focal point for such action is initiative of the African Union’s New Partnership
UNEP. Governments have called for a more coherent system of
international environmental governance as part of the UN reform
for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), for which
process, and are exploring the role and responsibility of UNEP UNEP has provided extensive support, and the
and other UN entities in relation to environment and development African Ministerial Conference on the Environment
issues. This diagram, featured on www.unep.org, presents an online
‘environmental DNA’ of the UN system, and provides a link to the (AMCEN), for which UNEP provides the
environmental components of each organization’s area of work. secretariat.

UNEP in 2006
The six signatories of the January 2006 information on technologies, expertise, tools,
Declaration—Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Kenya, advisory services, training, networks, and best
Lesotho, Rwanda and Tunisia—have already practices to match available solutions to identified
participated in pilot projects implemented by capacity building needs. In addition, UNEP
UNEP in collaboration with the UN Development initiated consultations with external partners.
Programme (UNDP) to mainstream the Dialogue with the UNDP Special Unit for
environment into national development planning South-South Cooperation focused on identifying
and national poverty reduction strategies. potential joint activities in Africa and Asia-Pacific,
Launched at the 2005 World Summit, the collaboration on the global ‘South Report’ on
projects built on existing assessments to develop South-South Cooperation, and links to the UNDP
a Strategic National Capacity Building and knowledge base. UNEP has also been working
Technology Support Plan for each country. The with the secretariat of the NEPAD Environment
results are currently under review. Initiative to incorporate South-South cooperation
in activities for 2007, and with the China-
EFFECTIVE DELIVERY Africa Cooperation Forum to identify further
opportunities for supporting capacity building and
Implementing the Bali Plan is a long-term technology support.
endeavour. Equipping UNEP and its partners to
deliver it requires an incremental, systematic and Work has also commenced with the Brazilian
strategic approach. With the Bali Plan increasingly Ministry of Foreign Affairs to identify
informing all UNEP’s activities, one of the opportunities for strategic alliances for identifying,
new Executive Director’s first initiatives was to formulating and implementing capacity building
constitute a task force to make recommendations and technology support projects in the broader
on how to harmonize and align UNEP’s 2008– framework of cooperation among the emerging
2009 programme of work with the Bali Plan, economies of India, China and South Africa. In
including looking at administrative issues and the context of biodiversity conservation, UNEP
management efficiency. has also been working with the Convention on
Biological Diversity to develop a multi-year
Progress in implementing the Bali Plan during plan of action on South-South Cooperation to
2006 includes follow-up to the UNEP-UNDP strengthen institutional capacity for implementing
Bali Plan pilot project in six African countries, the objectives of the Convention and the
with analysis of lessons learned and the selection achievement of the 2010 biodiversity target.
of two countries per region for further joint
UNEP-UNDP comprehensive or sectoral needs MANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY
assessments. At the same time, UNEP began
a comprehensive review of existing needs Implementing the Bali Plan effectively will also
assessment methodologies. As required by the Bali mean changes within UNEP. The Executive
Plan, UNEP has also developed a comprehensive Director has indicated that he will be working hard
database of its capacity building and technology to improve UNEP’s own efficiency to make UNEP
support activities. The database is available a modern multicultural organization for the 21st
online and has links to databases of the Global century that is responsive, flexible, efficient and
Environment Facility, UNDP, the World Bank and service-oriented. To achieve that he has embarked
the secretariats of the multilateral environmental on a process to capitalize on existing and potential
agreements (MEAs). It captures the main headings ability within the organization, and to identify
of the cross-cutting and thematic issues defined areas where the organization’s activities can and
in the Bali Plan and lists UNEP activities in the must be improved or streamlined.
different countries and regions.
As part of a structured timeline of reform, the
UNEP also started to implement South-South Executive Director outlined a 3-12-24 process,
cooperation activities in 2006. Strategic and whereby it is envisaged that at the end of a 39-
operational guidelines have been formulated to month period UNEP’s position as the global
integrate South-South cooperation into the 2008– environmental authority will have been reinforced
2009 UNEP programme of work, and a global by instituting better programmatic focus with
clearing-house has been developed for exchanging demonstrable impact, coupled with stronger

Climate of change
operational partnerships inside and outside the Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is the
UN system. Among the indicators of the success first among eight time-bound and interlinked
of this programme should be an expanded Millennium Development Goals which guide the
financial resource base for the organization and UN’s Country Team strategies. UNEP believes
increased staff satisfaction. that the seventh goal—ensuring environmental
sustainability by integrating the principles of
As a first step towards achieving organizational sustainable development into country policies
strengthening, the Executive Director instituted and programmes and reversing the loss of
a number of task forces to examine essential environmental resources—is the foundation on
areas such as administrative and human resources which all the other goals can be achieved.
issues, information technology, and programme
implementation related to the Bali Plan. UNEP This principle is central to the UNEP-UNDP
also undertook a wide-ranging recruitment drive collaboration, especially the Poverty and
for vacant professional and senior management Environment Initiative, a global partnership
positions, using traditional media in all regions as established in 2005 to support the integration
well as a large number of networks targeting civil of environmental sustainability into national
society, academia, the private sector, governments development processes. Under the initiative, joint
and other partners. By the end of the year new capacity building projects are being implemented
directors had been found for UNEP’s Divisions in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania, and UNDP
of Technology, Industry and Economics, country offices are also closely involved in
Environmental Policy Implementation, and UNEP’s activities in other pilot countries: Mali,
Early Warning and Assessment, as well as a new Mauritania, Mozambique and Uganda.
Chief of the Secretariat of the Environmental
Management Group. Structural reform was also During 2006, UNEP and UNDP continued
embarked on, with the devolvement of a number to hold high-level policy meetings on
of branches formerly associated with the now- implementing the UNEP-UNDP Memorandum
disbanded Division of Policy Development and of Understanding and establishing areas of
Law into other divisions, as a first step towards cooperation, which include a proposed new
a divisional structure that more closely reflects Joint Poverty and Environment Facility based in
UNEP’s functional elements. Nairobi, and a proposal for a partnership within
the framework of the annual UNDP Human
POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT Development Report.
The Bali Plan and the 2005 World Summit ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT
have given UNEP renewed confidence and a
broader mandate to promote the integration of The Poverty and Environment Initiative has
environmental considerations in country-level provided practical experience and lessons on
development strategies. At the national level, how UNDP and UNEP can most effectively work
UNEP will work closely with UN Resident together at the country, regional and global levels.
Coordinators, with a focus on capacity building To further strengthen the cooperation between
for science and assessment, environmental the two organizations, the proposed Joint Poverty
policy development and implementation as well and Environment Facility in Nairobi will provide
as technology and industry. UNEP will forge technical support to regional UNEP and UNDP
strategic partnerships with national environment centres as well as directly to country projects,
agencies, help establish and strengthen civil especially in Africa. The proposed scaling-up
society networks and assist governments to build should lead to a significantly increased number
mechanisms for civil society participation in of country programmes for mainstreaming
decision-making processes. At the subregional environment into national development processes
level, UNEP will work closely with established and poverty reduction strategies. In the Pan-
bodies and processes to identify common needs. European region, the UNEP and UNDP Regional
UNEP will also advocate the participation of Offices are joining forces to ensure cost-effective
civil society groups in subregional, regional and joint programming and delivery of assistance
global environment and sustainable development to countries with economies in transition at the
forums. subregional and country level, and in particular in
10 United Nations Environment Programme

UNEP in 2006
the area of mainstreaming environmental concerns explain current environmental crises, such as
in national sustainable development policies and declining marine fish stocks, tropical deforestation
programmes. and global warming, as well as the reluctance to
effectively address them.
Work is also underway to harmonize both
organizations’ administrative and financial Underlying much of society’s failure to act
systems and to reinforce UNEP’s engagement in is the myth that environment and economics
the UN Development Group (UNDG) through the are at loggerheads. UNEP is working with
appointment of a senior staff member in the UNEP governments and private sector partners to
New York Office with the sole responsibility of demonstrate that economics is a tool that can be
representing UNEP in the UNDG. UNEP has been used to promote environmental sustainability.
a member of the UNDG, an interagency body Speaking at a World Trade Organization meeting
chaired by the UNDP Administrator dedicated to in September 2006, UNEP Executive Director
improving the effectiveness of UN development Achim Steiner noted that “environmental
work at the country level, since 2004. UNEP policy—far from being a brake on trade—is
has chaired a working group on Non-Resident emerging as a powerful new force generating
Agencies, focusing on helping UN Country Teams new kinds of trading opportunities.” Most of the
to involve members of the UN family that do not MEAs linked with UNEP have significant trade
have field-level presence, and contributes to all dimensions. Examples include the Convention
UNDG working groups and task teams, including on the International Trade in Endangered Species
those on Capacity Development and Post-Conflict (CITES), the Montreal Protocol on Substances
Assessment. that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the Basel
Convention on the Control of Transboundary
In December 2006, UNEP collaborated with Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
UNDP on the launch of the UNDP report ‘Making Disposal, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Progress on Environmental Sustainability: Lessons Organic Pollutants and the Rotterdam Convention
and Recommendations in over 150 Country on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for
Experiences’, which documents the progress Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in
countries have made towards environmental International Trade.
sustainability. While the report makes clear that
most countries are not yet on track to reach MDG7 Since its ratification, the Kyoto Protocol on
by 2015, it also demonstrates that they can make Climate Change has taken the notion of trade
meaningful progress when they adopt the principle as a force for sustainable development into new
of environmental sustainability, and then adapt realms. At its heart are trade-based flexibility
their development plans to their own specific mechanisms, such as Joint Implementation,
ecosystems. Emissions Trading and the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM), that are triggering new flows
SUSTAINABLE GLOBALIZATION of funds from developed to developing countries.
The United Nations Framework Convention on
Achieving environmental sustainability is not only Climate Change (UNFCCC) estimates that the
a national concern. It has significant international CDM alone could generate some $100 billion
dimensions. Countries can achieve a great deal by for developing countries, well as improving
mainstreaming environment into poverty reduction the lives and livelihoods of billions of people
and development strategies. However, national in the developing world who currently lack
environmental degradation is also inextricably access to electricity. UNEP maintains that, by
linked with trading regimes, economic instruments bringing development and wealth to the poor,
and the values placed on nature-based goods environmental treaties can create billions of new
and services within a globalized world. One of consumers in Africa, Asia and Latin America who
UNEP’s fundamental challenges is to change the can genuinely participate in the global market
mindset of people, businesses and governments place. It is a vision of ‘intelligent’ globalization
who still regard natural capital either as an that produces sustainable markets through
inexhaustible common resource, or a luxury sustainable trade in the certain knowledge that
whose preservation can be postponed in favour this is where long-lasting profits and genuine
of short-term development goals. Such attitudes livelihoods can be made.
Environment for Development 11

Climate of change
UNEP and the UN Conference on Trade and

Development have also joined forces under
the UNEP-UNCTAD Capacity Building Task
Force on Trade, Environment and Development
(CBTF). Through support for country projects,
thematic research, policy dialogues, and
capacity building workshops at the national and
regional levels, the CBTF enhances the capacity
of governments to address issues at the interface
of trade, environment and development. Since
its launch in 2000, the CBTF has provided
capacity building and technical assistance to
nearly 1,000 policy makers from more than
30 countries and supported more than 30
training workshops, 10 country projects and
eight thematic research studies. The CBTF has
identified organic agriculture, environmental
goods and services, and the relationships
between trade and MEAs as current capacity
building priorities.
UNEP has also partnered with several MEA

secretariats on projects to ensure that trade and
environmental policies are mutually supportive.
‘Sustainable Trade and Poverty Reduction: New Approaches to The first is a four-year initiative launched in
Integrated Policy Making at the National Level’ is a synthesis of 2005 in collaboration with the Secretariat of the
nine country studies from around the world. It summarizes the
results of a capacity building process to integrate environmental,
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to
social and economic considerations into public policies, with a build national capacity in Africa, the Caribbean
focus on sustainable trade and poverty reduction. and the Pacific (ACP) to assess, design and
implement policies that maximize development
gains from trade in the agricultural sector while
ENVIRONMENT AND TRADE minimizing the impact on biodiversity. The
initiative, which is being launched in six ACP
To promote this vision, UNEP has a wide and countries, responds directly to calls by the CBD
growing network of partnerships with trade Conference of Parties to support assessments
and business organizations and other private of the impacts of trade liberalization on
sector groupings. At the top of the pyramid lies biodiversity. In 2006, UNEP also initiated a
the World Trade Organization (WTO), whose two-year project, implemented jointly by the
rules and decisions on trade carry enormous UNEP-UNCTAD Capacity Building Task Force
weight and have far-reaching implications for on Trade, Environment and Development,
environmental sustainability. Given this, UNEP the CITES Secretariat and the Geneva-based
believes it is critical that WTO agreements and Graduate Institute of Development Studies, to
MEAs are mutually supportive. In 2006, UNEP enhance the capacity of developing countries
organized a number of informal meetings among and countries with economies in transition to
representatives from MEA secretariats to discuss assess, design and implement effective national
the ongoing WTO negotiations and exchange wildlife trade policies. This project was also
relevant information and experiences. As an developed to respond directly to calls by the
observer to the WTO Committee on Trade and CITES Conference of Parties to support national
Environment negotiations, UNEP also provided wildlife trade policy reviews.
a number of statements and briefings during
2006 to trade negotiators, including on UNEP’s In 2006, CBTF, together with the International
work related to the use of trade-related measures Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements,
in MEAs and the liberalization of trade in facilitated the assessment of the organic sector
environmental goods and services. and the harmonization of organic agriculture

UNEP in 2006
standards in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda under the perspective of developing coastal and
the East Africa Organic Agriculture initiative. island states, as well as of distant water
In addition, CBTF commissioned a paper to fishing nations. Participants also discussed
review the experience of MEA secretariats the importance of taking sustainability into
and their Parties in identifying and facilitating consideration in the development of new
the transfer of technology and to examine disciplines on fisheries subsidies at the WTO
whether these experiences can provide useful as well as at the national and regional level.
insights for the current WTO environmental UNEP’s work is focused on developing
goods and services negotiations. UNEP’s sustainability criteria for granting subsidies.
Economics and Trade Branch, in collaboration These would judge the health of relevant fish
with the International Institute for Sustainable stocks and the quality of the management
Development, also updated the popular system. The aim would be to bring such criteria
Environment and Trade Handbook to enable into the WTO and prohibit subsidies that are
governments to develop practical approaches to granted in over-exploited waters or in the
integrating policies in these two sectors. absence of effective management. Elsewhere,
a new Global Environment Facility (GEF)
VALUING NATURAL CAPITAL project, which is helping shrimp fishermen
in developing countries to test new nets and
Many of today’s environmental challenges stem trawls, is reducing bycatch by up to 70 per cent
from insufficient appreciation of the importance in some cases.
and the fragility of environmental resources
that are so often taken for granted. Examples The bottom line is that governments need to
of such ‘natural capital’ include water storage realize the full value of their natural capital,
and filtering services provided by forested and the social and economic implications of the
watersheds and wetlands, diverse natural environmental changes that human activities
ecosystems that support pollinating birds and are causing. In order to help them do so, UNEP
insects, microscopic below-ground fauna that is promoting the concept of Green Accounting,
promote soil fertility, and warm and cold water which incorporates the effect of environmental
coral colonies that support a wide variety of changes into national accounting frameworks.
marine life, including commercial fisheries. Over the years, UNEP has collected abundant
materials on this issue, and has made it
Currently the prognosis for commercial marine available via a virtual resource centre, a
fisheries is increasingly worrying, with some searchable database with web links that also
scientists maintaining that if seafood species complements the objectives and programme
continue to decline at the present rate through of work of the UN Committee of Experts on
over-fishing and pollution there will be little Environmental-Economic Accounting.
left within four decades. Among the hardest hit
will be 90 per cent of the world’s fishermen and In September 2006, UNEP’s Economics and
women who operate in near-shore waters and Trade Branch and IUCN, in consultation
account for over half the global fish catch. For with the Secretariat of the Convention on
instance, the growing phenomenon of economic Biological Diversity (CBD), also organized
migrants from West Africa seeking sanctuary a technical discussion among experts on
in southern Europe is commonly attributed international Payments for Ecosystem Services.
to failing coastal fish stocks that have been The discussion took stock of the experience
depleted by subsidized industrial trawlers. in this field, identified gaps and constraints,
and proposed a collective action plan to
In May 2006, the UNEP Roundtable on scale Payments for Ecosystem Services to
Fisheries Subsidies expressed the need to transboundary and international levels with a
look closely at fisheries access agreements. particular focus on biodiversity. Biodiversity
A report is being prepared to explore the was also the focus of a CBTF collaboration
political economy and sustainability concerns with CITES on a two-year process to enable
related to these agreements, including fisheries governments to review national wildlife
management and monitoring, control and trade policies against socio-economic and
surveillance aspects, taking into account conservation criteria.

Knowledge for change
KNOWLEDGE FOR
CHANGE
Understanding environmental change is the
first step to drafting effective environment,
trade or other development policies. UNEP
leads, supports or collaborates in a wide range
of environmental assessments, including
the Global Environment Outlook (GEO),
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), administered with the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Global
International Waters Assessment (GIWA), the
International Assessment of Agricultural Science
and Technology for Development (IAASTD) and
the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), for
which UNEP has provided both financial support
and coordination.
Following the release of the MA synthesis reports

during 2005, a series of technical assessment
volumes were published during 2006, namely:
‘Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Our
Human Planet (Summary for Decision-makers)’;
‘Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Current
State and Trends’; ‘Ecosystems and Human Well-
being: Scenarios’; ‘Ecosystems and Human Well-
being: Policy Responses’; and ‘Ecosystems and
Human Well-being: Multiscale Assessments’.
During 2006, UNEP continued consultations

with governments and other stakeholders on
strengthening the scientific base of UNEP. On
the basis of these consultations, the Executive
Director has now shifted the focus of the
Environment Watch proposal, which was first
presented to the UNEP Governing Council in
2005, from a system to a multi‑year strategy.
‘Environment Watch Strategy: Vision 2020’
sets out a bottom-up and incremental approach
to achieving, by 2020, enhanced institutional,
scientific and technological infrastructures
and capacity for cooperation on keeping the UNEP’s flagship assessment process is the Global
state of the environment under review and Environment Outlook (GEO), instituted in 1995
providing timely, accurate, credible, relevant and by the UNEP Governing Council. to fulfil UNEP’s
consistent environmental data and information mandate of keeping the world’s environment
for environmental governance. The strategy under review. Based on a world-wide consultative
is generic and based on three tried and tested process, GEO provides information for decision-
approaches: capacity building and technology making, supports early warning, and builds
support; networking and information sharing; and assessment capacity at global and subglobal levels.
assessments. Over the years GEO has evolved into a series of

UNEP in 2006
comprehensive global integrated environmental Hideaki Motoyama, project leader of the National Institute
of Polar Research, holds a million-year-old ice sample in
assessments that analyze environmental changes, Tokyo, 18 April 2006. Drilled from three kilometres deep
causes, impacts, and policy responses. As well under the Antarctic ice cap, the sample could yield vital
clues on climate change. UNEP uses a broad range of
as the main GEO assessment, the process also research to provide policy-relevant information for decision
produces an increasing number of regional, making. © Toru Hanai/Reuters/The Bigger Picture
national, city and technical reports, manuals,
educational materials, a comprehensive set of
data and indicators, as well as capacity building
tools.

The ongoing GEO-4 assessment process capacity building, including through the exchange
represents the latest comprehensive report in a of expertise, experiences, information and
new five-year production cycle mandated by the documentation to develop human resources
UNEP Governing Council. Due for publication and strengthen the institutions of the South.
in September 2007, its theme is ‘Environment To this end, UNEP, through the support of UN
for Development’, emphasizing the role of the Development Account, has initiated the South-
environment and natural capital for human well- South Network of GEO Collaborating Centres
being. GEO-4 will present global and regional project, which supports the innovative use of
issues in the context of the development of information and communication technology in
international environmental governance and integrated environmental assessment for effective
their relation to international development policy formulation and decision making at
goals and targets. It will assess the state of the regional and subregional levels.
global environment and progress and barriers
towards meeting commitments under multilateral The success of UNEP’s GEO integrated
environmental agreements. It will also look at the environmental assessment methodology and
effectiveness of policy responses 20 years after training in the last ten years also led to a
the Brundtland Report ‘Our Common Future’ collaboration between UNEP, the International
first issued its recommendations and crystallized Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and
the idea of sustainable development. Extensive about 40 experts around the world to prepare a
intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder new ‘GEO Resource Book: A Training Manual
consultations have strengthened the assessment on Integrated Environmental Assessment’. The
and science base of the process. manual is intended as a key tool for training
workshops and post-training support to enhance
CAPACITY BUILDING the capacity of governments to conduct regional
and subglobal environmental assessments. The
Capacity strengthening and interactive manual, which is a follow up to an earlier training
consultation with collaborating centres provides resource developed by UNEP and IISD, consists
the keystone of the GEO process. In West Asia of eight modules that can be used individually for
UNEP continued to support the preparation specialized training or as a full package.
of national state of the environment reports in
Bahrain, Qatar, Syria, Yemen and the Emirate of ASSESSMENT IN THE REGIONS
Abu Dhabi, and is also working with the League
of Arab States on a State of Environment Report After almost a decade of assessment work in the
for the Arab Region as a whole. It also provided region, GEO processes in Latin America and the
support to the Regional Organization for the Caribbean (LAC) are focused on improving the
Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) quality of information, strengthening partnerships
to revise and enhance national guidelines for the and creating impact. GEOs make an important
preparation of a State of Environment Report for contribution in the development of the Common
the ROPME sea area. Training was conducted in Country Assessments and UN Development
Qatar on integrated environmental assessment and Frameworks, in Mexico and Brazil, for example.
reporting, and work continued on customizing UNEP and its partners also continue working
the GEO training modules for the region and towards better information for sound decision
translating two of the modules into Arabic. making by assisting more countries—for example
Belize, Ecuador, and Uruguay—that have chosen
UNEP also convened a regional meeting for the to carry out national environmental assessments
South-South network of GEO Collaborating using the GEO methodology. In all three cases,
Centres for integrated environmental assessment the national government is working very closely
and reporting and helped coordinate and with its technical, non-governmental partner, to
support ongoing work on the Arab Millennium produce an unbiased environmental outlook.
Ecosystem Subglobal Assessment to be
published in 2007. The Bali Plan establishes During 2006, the second GEO Peru report and
South-South Cooperation as a key mechanism the third GEO Chile report were launched. An
for its implementation, and stresses the need to outstanding development in these countries is
intensify efforts directed towards institutional that the GEO report has either been adopted

UNEP in 2006
or is being considered as the official national

state of the environment report, thus helping the
countries to fulfill specific mandates established
in their national environmental laws. Another
GEO participant, Cuba, embarked upon its second
assessment, aiming to take it to a next level,
with a well-developed scenario analysis and an
innovative analysis of interlinkages. Scenarios can
be a great tool in providing an attractive package
of information and message, but their construction
requires special techniques and tools. UNEP,
with the help of GEO Collaborating Centres and
partner institutions, organized scenario training
sessions for GEO LAC 2007, GEO Amazonia,
GEO Belize, GEO Cuba (Cuba, 7-10 August), for
GEO MERCOSUR, and GEO Central America.
The third GEO assessment process for Latin
America and the Caribbean began in July 2006, Published every year, in time for the UNEP Governing Council
and the final report will be presented during the meeting, the GEO Year Book provides an annual update of
the state of the global environment, and identifies trends and
sixteenth meeting of the Forum of Ministers of emerging issues.
Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean,
in November 2007. in 2006. At the subregional level, UNEP has
published indicator reports and priority papers
In Africa, the second Africa Environment Outlook for the five Asia-Pacific sub-regions so policy
report (AEO-2) was launched in May 2006 at the makers can use benchmarks and assess trends
11th session of the African Ministerial Conference in 30 economic, social and environmental areas.
on the Environment (AMCEN), held in A regional state of the environment Report for
Brazzaville, Congo. AMCEN also gave the AEO South Asia and a youth version of the report by
process a fresh mandate and requested UNEP to the South Asia Youth Environment Network were
support the preparation of AEO-3, to be launched also produced. These reports feed into the global
in 2010. The report, subtitled ‘Our Environment, GEO process.
Our Wealth’ says that the region is only realizing
a fraction of its nature-based economic potential HAZE AND DUST
which, if used effectively, fairly and sustainably,
could provide a way out of poverty for most of Also in Asia-Pacific, UNEP has brought together
Africa’s 800 million people. To enhance national an international science team to study the impacts
capacity in data and information management of aerosol pollution on regional climate, the
to support reporting, the Africa Environment hydrological cycle, agriculture and human health.
Information Network has been extended to an The Atmospheric Brown Cloud Project aims to
additional 22 countries beyond an initial 12 which address concerns around a three kilometre-deep
were involved in the pilot phase. pollution blanket that forms over parts of the
Asian continent during the dry monsoon season.
In the Asia-Pacific region, UNEP is helping to Forest fires, the burning of agricultural wastes,
strengthen the capacity of national governments fossil fuels in vehicles, emissions from power
in data processing, modelling and analysis. stations, industry and millions of inefficient
With financial support from the Norwegian stoves burning wood, cow dung and other ‘bio
government, national state of the environment fuels’ form the haze, which is a mass of ash,
reports were prepared for Bangladesh, Bhutan, acids, aerosols and other particles. Satellite data
DPR Korea, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, reveal that a thick haze layer is also found in other
Lao PDR, and Viet Nam. UNEP is also assisting polluted regions.
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Sri
Lanka and Bhutan to prepare national state of the Initial scientific results suggest that the brown
environment reports. A state of the environment haze is reducing the amount of sunlight reaching
report for city of Dhaka was also completed the earth’s surface by as much as 10 to 15 per

cent. It may also be affecting monsoon weather cooperation that includes the establishment
patterns, triggering droughts in western parts of a regional monitoring and early warning
of the Asian continent and increasing flooding network, led by UNEP, and the development of
in parts of Bangladesh and India. There are an investment strategy to strengthen mitigation
also indications that the haze may be reducing measures under ESCAP’s leadership.
winter rice harvests in India by as much as 10
per cent. A UNEP commissioned report suggests Air quality also provided the Feature Focus in
that pollution from the haze could be leading to the 2006 GEO Year Book, UNEP’s annual survey
“several hundreds of thousands” of premature of the changing global environment, which was
deaths from respiratory diseases. In 2005, capacity launched at the February Governing Council
building activities were implemented through meeting in Dubai. The Year Book, which is linked
the establishment of observatory stations and to the GEO process, provides a bridge between
training programmes for Asian scientists. By science and policy, drawing attention to new
2006, Atmospheric Brown Cloud observatories emerging challenges, highlighting important
were operational in India, Japan, Republic of environmental issues and presenting global and
Korea, Maldives, Nepal, and Thailand. A team for regional overviews and trends. It also provides an
assessing impacts on agriculture, water supply and annual core set of GEO Indicators which present
public health was also established. global headline trends in major environmental
issues, such as climate change, biodiversity,
In northeast Asia dust storms and sandstorms forests and governance, to give a snapshot of
have occurred for thousands of years. However, humanity’s progress in sustainably managing our
their frequency, scope and intensity has grown planetary habitat.
over the past 50 years, and they have become
a serious environmental problem, disrupting EARTH AND WATER
communications and economic activity, affecting
health and in some cases, threatening lives. In As well as highlighting the environmental,
response to requests from governments in the socio-economic and public health impacts of
region, UNEP, the Asian Development Bank energy-related air pollution, the GEO Year Book
(ADB), the UN Economic and Social Commission looked in detail at the emerging scientific and
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN policy challenges of farming fish and shellfish
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) without damaging marine ecosystems, and crop
developed a Global Environment Facility (GEF) production in a changing climate. Agriculture
and ADB-funded project on Prevention and also provides the focus for another assessment in
Control of Dust and Sandstorms. The project which UNEP is involved. The multi-stakeholder
established an institutional framework for International Assessment of Agricultural Science
regional cooperation and a master plan to guide and Technology for Development (IAASTD)
Freshwater availability and quality

are central issues for sustainable
development and the achievement
of the Millennium Development
Goals. UNEP assessments and
policy advice help local and
national governments make
environmentally sound water
resource management decisions.

UNEP in 2006
is completing a single global assessment and ASSESSING RISK

five sub-global assessments of the role of
agricultural knowledge, science and technology During 2006, the Environment and Security
in reducing hunger and poverty, improving Initiative (ENVSEC), a partnership between
rural livelihoods, and facilitating equitable, UNEP, UNDP, the Organization for Security and
environmentally, socially and economically Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Economic
sustainable development. After a nomination and Council for Europe and the Regional Environment
selection process in 2005, authors produced a Center for Central and Eastern Europe, in association
first draft of each assessment for government and with NATO, continued its work in the Caucasus,
expert peer review, which took place between Central Asia and southeastern Europe. The purpose
August and October 2006. A second round of of the Initiative is to offer the combined political
peer review will take place in April-May 2007. and technical expertise and experience of the
The six assessments are due to be finalized by partners in assessing and addressing environmental
the end of 2007, and the findings submitted problems that raise security concerns within and
for final approval, adoption and acceptance between countries.
by governments during an intergovernmental
plenary, which will be held at UNEP At the request of Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine,
headquarters in January 2008. ENVSEC initiated an environment and security risk
assessment in this eastern European subregion. As
The Global International Waters Assessment well as some of the environmental consequences
(GIWA), which concluded in 2005, published its of the Chernobyl disaster, stocks of rocket fuel and
final report ‘Challenges to International Waters: obsolete pesticides from Soviet times were identified
Regional Assessments in a Global Perspective’ as areas for urgent attention in future ENVSEC work
in January 2006. The GIWA assessment, led in the region. In Central Asia, an assessment has
by UNEP with GEF funding, and hosted and been made of environment and security challenges
executed by Kalmar University in Sweden, on the east coast of the Caspian Sea, while in
divided the continents and shallow-water seas of another new project, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and
the world into 66 natural regions consisting of other downstream countries, such as Uzbekistan and
one or more international river basins and their Turkmenistan, are being assisted in preventing and
adjacent large marine ecosystems. Subregional mitigating water management problems in the Amu
assessment reports covering GEF-eligible Darya river basin. In southeastern Europe, UNEP
countries were published between April and and its partners continue to promote environmentally
June 2006, covering the Mekong River, the Sea sound mining practices, through training, assessment
of Okhotsk, the Oyashio Current, the Caribbean and demonstrating legacy rehabilitation, aimed at
Sea, the Humboldt Current, the East African Rift reducing transboundary and other security risks.
Valley and the Caspian Sea. ENVSEC is also promoting cross-border cooperation
on nature protection through the establishment of
The UNEP Global Environmental Monitoring protected areas and parks.
System (GEMS) Water Programme has a twin
goal of improving water quality monitoring Among the 2006 ENVSEC-supported peace-
and assessment capacity in participating building efforts was the OSCE-led Environmental
countries, and determining the state and trends Assessment Mission to wildfire-affected territories
of regional and global water quality. These in the ‘frozen conflict zone’ of Nagorno-Karabakh
goals are implemented through the GEMS/ in the South Caucasus, as called for by UN General
Water data bank, GEMStat, with water quality Assembly Resolution 60/285 of 7 September 2006
data from more than 100 countries, and over on “the situation in the occupied territories of
two million entries for lakes, reservoirs, rivers Azerbaijan.” The Mission made recommendations
and groundwater systems. On World Water on how to rehabilitate the fire-affected areas and
Day , 22 March 2006, GEMStat expanded as prevent the recurrence of such fires. The Mission
an Open Web Service. The GEMS Water Data also concluded that the environmental operation
Integrity programme has also completed a study requested by the resolution presented an opportunity
evaluating the reliability and comparability of for regional cooperation, confidence building and
water quality data from laboratories in United ultimately reconciliation of the conflict in Nagorno-
Nations member states worldwide. Karabakh.

2006 also marked the 50th anniversary of the to environmental data and information from a
Vienna-based UN Scientific Committee on country perspective. Inter-agency collaboration was
the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), mobilized in 2006 to contribute content. The next
which is functionally linked with UNEP. Born step is to engage national level institutions.
in the aftermath of the atomic bomb horrors of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki and amid a proliferation In an effort to bridge the knowledge gap between
of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, UNSCEAR developed and developing countries, UNEP has
has moved from assessing the lingering and been working with partners to develop the Online
deadly impact of nuclear warfare to the wider task Access to Research in the Environment (OARE)
of gauging the effects of radiation whatever its initiative, which was launched in October. OARE
cause, be it medical, natural or industrial. is a partnership with Yale University, the World
Health Organization (WHO), the Food and
THE BIG PICTURE Agriculture Organization (FAO) and more than
35 publishers to make global scientific research
A central component of UNEP’s assessment in the environmental sciences available online
and early warning system is the network of for free or at nominal cost to tens of thousands of
autonomous Global and Regional Integrated Data environmental scientists, researchers, and policy
(GRID) Centres. UNEP’s partnership with the makers in the developing world. By providing
GRID network provides and facilitates access to access to advanced and up-to-date peer-reviewed
environmental data and information for decision research literature, OARE is helping to fulfil the
making and policy setting, underpinning UNEP’s Bali Plan mandate to strengthen national capacity
review of the state of the world’s environment for data collection, research and analysis. OARE,
and providing early warning on emerging whose collection is valued at nearly $1 million,
environmental threats. Bringing GRID ‘into the also represents a truly global public-private
21st century’ was the goal of a meeting held at partnership for development, providing access
UNEP-WCMC in October 2006. The meeting to essential information so local experts can find
—the first in 11 years to bring together all UNEP’s solutions to local environmental issues. Three
centres and partners working on environmental months after the launch of OARE, 198 institutions
and related data and information—discussed in 54 countries had already registered.
the development of the environmental data
infrastructure for UNEP, including the knowledge Another new initiative that will help to bring the
base, capacities and tools available in the GRID results of UNEP assessments to a global audience
and other partner data centres. was launched in September, when the popular
Internet site Google Earth introduced more than
Among key initiatives under development 100 satellite images from UNEP’s best-selling
to increase access to environmental data ‘One Planet, Many People: Atlas of our Changing
and information is the web-based platform Environment’ and ‘Africa’s Lakes: Atlas of our
‘ecoMundus’ (www.unep.org/ecomundus), Changing Environment’, which was released
which will serve as a mechanism for finding key in 2006, on its ‘featured content’ section. The
environmental information and data resources content, which will be frequently updated as new
scattered across the World Wide Web. Five information becomes available, allows users to ‘fly’
regional workshops on ecoMundus were convened round the planet and zoom in on environmental
throughout 2006 to bring key partners on hotspots to see how human activities have brought
board. Producing a comprehensive inventory of about environmental change.
environmental assessment processes and outputs
from global to city level, as well as across different UNEP AT THE POLES
thematic areas, is a challenging task. To date more
than 800 metadata records and over 500 assessment UNEP’s science-based work will become more
reports have been added to the system, named widely available via the Tara project. On 20
PEARL (Prototype Environmental Reporting and July, the Tara—the biggest polar schooner in
Assessment Landscape). In order to help countries the world—set off on the ambitious Arctic Drift
to share environmental data and information UNEP project, Tara Arctic 2007–2008, which is supported
has also initiated a global partnership to identify, by UNEP. As part of International Polar Year,
classify, organize and provide electronic access which commences in March 2007, Tara has

UNEP in 2006
The world’s largest polar schooner, the Tara, enclosed in ice for the Arctic winter. The 2007–2008 Arctic Drift project will provide valuable
data on the fast-changing Arctic environment. © F. Bernard/taraexpeditions.org
set out on a two-year expedition to the Arctic. and threats to indigenous peoples living in the
Locked in the ice, the boat will drift across the Arctic region and for the world as a whole.
region providing an unprecedented platform for
scientific observations and research—including The importance of the polar regions as barometers
the European DAMOCLES—on how the Arctic of global changes and the emerging understanding
environment is changing. It will relay these of feedback mechanisms that link polar regions
findings to scientists, policy makers and the to the rest of the biosphere underpin UNEP’s
general public. Tara’s progress can be followed on increasing interest in them. Over the last few years,
the expeditions pages of the UNEP website. UNEP has been submitting technical papers on
emerging Antarctic issues to the Antarctic Treaty
UNEP’s work in the polar regions is led by the Consultative Meetings, which aim to review
UNEP GRID-Arendal centre in Norway. Norway and further promote the implementation of the
will host the 2007 World Environment Day Antarctic Treaty and its Protocol on Environmental
celebrations, under the theme ‘Melting Ice: A Protection. Tourism and biological prospecting are
Hot Topic?’, with a link to International Polar two of the key emerging issues that have received
Year. The Polar regions are some of the most increased UNEP attention. The tourism industry
beautiful places on Earth. They are also nature’s has increased tremendously over the last decade,
early warning systems, where issues like climate while biological prospecting is a strongly emerging
change, the thinning of the ozone layer and the issue. UNEP technical papers aim to bring focus
impacts of persistent chemical pollution manifest on those commercial activities and help ensure that
themselves first. The Arctic is also increasingly they do not detract from on the successes of the
becoming a new economic powerhouse for Antarctic Treaty system, in particular in securing
minerals, oil and gas extraction and shipping— Antarctica as a natural reserve, devoted to peace
partly as a result of the receding ice, due to and science. For the International Polar Year 2007–
climate change. Both Polar regions are seeing 2008, UNEP is preparing a number of publications,
increased interest from tourism and the fisheries including a GEO for the ice-covered regions that
industry keen to exploit their vast and abundant will be launched in Norway in June 2007 for World
fish stocks. All these issues present opportunities Environment Day.

Managing change
MANAGING
CHANGE
The purpose of UNEP’s environmental

assessments is to provide policy-relevant
information for use by local and national
governments, regional and global governmental
forums, international organizations, and the
private sector. Underpinning these policies
is a vast and growing body of environmental
law. Since its establishment, UNEP has been
closely involved in helping countries develop
and apply environmental law, from the global
convention level down to national legislatures and
local authorities. Long-term strategic guidance
for this work is provided by the Montevideo
Programme for the Development and Periodic
Review of Environmental Law, which is now
in its third decade. In combination with the
Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and
Capacity Building, it provides an important policy
framework for UNEP’s normative and operational
activities in the field of environmental law.
Throughout 2006, UNEP continued its

work on the progressive development of
environmental law, providing technical implementing environmental laws. As well as
assistance to governments to strengthen their several national workshops in Africa and Central
capacity to develop and implement national and Asia, UNEP convened a special session of the Ad-
international environmental law and disseminating hoc Advisory Committee of Judges, in Geneva,
environmental law information, with more than where judges from around the world reviewed and
20 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin finalized the ‘UNEP Judicial Training Modules on
America and Eastern Europe receiving UNEP the Application of Environmental Law by National
technical assistance in 2006. As a concrete step Courts and Tribunals’. In addition, a forum of
to further promote South-South cooperation in judges for the environment was held in Helsinki,
the field of environmental law, the Bandung Finland, and a judicial capacity building seminar
Roadmap for Advancement of Environmental Law for Lusophone countries was held in Sao Paulo,
in Support of the New Asian-African Strategic Brazil. UNEP also provides capacity building for
Partnership was prepared at a workshop of experts parliamentarians, who develop, review, and adopt
from Asian and African countries, convened environmental law.
in Indonesia by UNEP and the governments of
Indonesia and South Africa in December 2006. Central to the application of environmental
law is the question of access to information,
CAPACITY BUILDING especially in developing countries and countries
with economies in transition. UNEP has been
One of the standout initiatives of recent years cooperating with the World Conservation Union
has been the Global Judges Programme, which (IUCN), and the UN Food and Agriculture
provides capacity building for judges, prosecutors Organization (FAO), to develop ECOLEX, the
and other legal practitioners in understanding and largest Internet database on environmental law at

UNEP in 2006
Marina Silva (centre), minister of environment of Brazil and in conversation with fellow women environment ministers and heads
of delegation from El Salvador, Lesotho, South Africa, Canada at the high level segment of the eighth Conference of Parties of the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Curitiba, Brazil, 20–31 March 2006. Minister Silva was the president of the Conference.
In April 2002, Parties to the CBD, which is administered under UNEP’s aegis, agreed “to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the
current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all
life on earth”. © ISSD
global level, with more than 100,000 references to course on environmental law and diplomacy,
documents related to treaties, judicial decisions, implemented jointly with the University of
national legislation, literature available on the Geneva and the UN Institute for Training and
World Wide Web. In 2006, UNEP continued to Research (UNITAR).
maintain, refine and develop ECOLEX, with
the inclusion of 200 new court decisions on In recent years, several new developments have
environmental law from more than 30 countries taken place on environmental dispute avoidance
around the world, including 52 decisions from and settlement at the international, regional
international courts or tribunals. The partners and national level. Environmental disputes are
also created a new design for the database with increasing, as are the number of environment-
a revised and more dynamic interface, to make related subjects being considered by various
ECOLEX more user-friendly. judiciary and arbitration bodies. In cooperation
with the Permanent Court of Arbitration, UNEP
UNEP also provides education and training in organized an expert group meeting in November
environmental law. In 2006, training courses 2006 to examine these developments. Among
included the third annual course on international the recommendations were that UNEP should
environmental lawmaking and diplomacy, held develop guidelines on: access to justice on
in South Africa, a regional training seminar environmental matters, including public interest
on drafting environmental legislation for lawsuits to apply and implement environmental
Francophone African countries, in Mali, a regional laws; use of preliminary remedies in
seminar on the implementation and enforcement environmental disputes; and use of environmental
of environmental law in the Francophone African expertise in dispute settlement concerning
countries, in Gabon, and a six-month training environmental issues.

Managing change
SUPPORT FOR AFRICA At the subregional level, PADELIA supported

the development and harmonization of laws on
In Africa, the Partnership for the Development issues such as wildlife, forestry, environmental
of Environmental Law and Institutions in impact assessment, environmental crime,
Africa (PADELIA) project is supporting the environmental standards, dangerous installations,
development, implementation, compliance and the management of protected areas and river
enforcement of environmental law. PADELIA basins, biosafety, hazardous wastes, chemicals
also contributes to the Environment Initiative of and waste management. Environmental impact
the New Partnership for Africa’s Development assessment guidelines were also developed for
(NEPAD) and the programme of work of the transboundary shared ecosystems for the East
African Ministerial Conference on Environment African Community. As a result of the PADELIA
(AMCEN). During 2006, PADELIA supported project, environmental law has achieved a high
the development of more than 60 national rate of acceptance among relevant stakeholders,
environmental laws and regulations, five rates of enforcement of and compliance with
environmental law and policy publications, environmental law are up, as evidenced by the
and more than 10 training courses on general number of cases being brought to the courts,
environmental law and policy and on specific and levels of awareness of the dangers of
topics, such as environmental standards, the environmental degradation have increased, as have
role of the judiciary and legal practitioners, legal interventions to avert such dangers.
environmental litigation, international
environmental law and the implementation of Under the leadership of the United Nations
environmental conventions. The project also Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA),
contributed to the exchange of comparative clusters of UN agencies working in Africa have
experiences for specific countries with the been formed in the context of a coordinated UN
same legal system or background, such as the system approach in support of NEPAD. UNEP
Lusophone countries, the Francophone countries is the lead agency in coordinating environmental
and the Anglophone countries, and among target issues within Cluster 4: Environment, Population
groups such as industrialists, environmental law and Urbanization. UNEP continues to be closely
lecturers and government officials. involved in the NEPAD process, offering
Access to information is essential for decision making. UNEP is a partner with IUCN and the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization on the ECOLEX global database on environmental law. ECOLEX, at www.ecolex.org,
provides access to over 100,000 references to documents related to treaties, judicial decisions, national legislation
and relevant literature.

UNEP in 2006
technical, logistical and financial support. In 2006, Integrated planning and policy setting is needed
UNEP continued to work closely with African to achieve sustainable development goals. While
subregional organizations to finalize subregional environment agencies have been established in
action plans for the NEPAD Environment all countries in the region, many lack capacity
Initiative. In addition, UNEP, with support from and resources and remain in the margins of the
Norway, is providing support to Mozambique, mainstream planning process. At the request
Libya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Cameroon to develop of developing countries in the region, UNEP
their NEPAD National Action Plans on a pilot is implementing the National and Subregional
basis. These pilot projects will provide key lessons Sustainable Development Strategy and Action
for further implementation in other countries in Plans towards Mainstreaming Sustainable
Africa. Development in the Decision Making Process
project with the support of the Government of
UNEP also provides the secretariat for AMCEN, Norway. The project aims to assist 17 countries
for which it provided substantive support for the and three subregions.
11th regular session of AMCEN, in May 2006 in
Brazzaville, Congo, organized in collaboration One of the region’s growing problems is
with the national government and the African transboundary haze from forest fires, which has
Union (AU). The object of the meeting was become a yearly problem in Southeast Asia. The
so environment ministers could review the 1997–1998 forest fires destroyed about 10 million
implementation of the Action Plan for the hectares of Indonesia’s forests, exposing more
Environment Initiative of NEPAD. UNEP also than 20 million people to high levels of pollutants
supports the work of the African Ministerial and leading to economic losses of around $9.3
Council on Water (AMCOW), which was billion. The 2006 haze, while less severe, caused
established in 2002 to provide political, policy and damage to agricultural production and forests,
strategic leadership on water resources. disrupted transportation, affected tourism and
other economic sectors and had long-term health
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC effects in several countries, including Brunei,
Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
The Asia Pacific region is home to more than With support from UNEP, the ASEAN Agreement
half of the world’s population. It accounts for on Transboundary Haze Pollution has been in
more than 36 per cent of the global economy and place since November 2003. Six ASEAN member
has an estimated 70 per cent of the world’s poor. countries have ratified the agreement: Brunei,
Geographically, it ranges from fragile small island Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and
developing states of the Pacific to the populous Vietnam. Indonesia has signed the agreement but
and vast coastal and deltaic plains of South and has yet to ratify it. UNEP is providing support
Southeast Asia and the mountainous, landlocked for the implementation of the agreement and is
countries of Central Asia. Expanding populations considering providing technical assistance to
and dynamic economies are exerting considerable Indonesia on a legal framework and action plan to
pressures on environmental resources and services combat the problem.
of the region. Increased economic development
has also led to rapid urbanization, and the region MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL
now holds about 45 per cent of the world’s urban AGREEMENTS
population. While the region has vast water
resources, millions lack access to safe water, while Full implementation of multilateral environmental
more than half Asia’s drylands are affected by agreements (MEAs) is vital to ensure their
desertification. effectiveness and full value. UNEP provides
administrative support for seven global
In a region as large (46 sovereign states) and as environmental conventions, as well as a number
diverse as Asia and the Pacific, UNEP recognizes of regional seas agreements and subregional
the value of working at the subregional level. treaties. In 2006 UNEP continued to develop
Asia-Pacific has five sub-regions—Central various tools to strengthen the implementation of
Asia, Northeast Asia, South Asia, Southeast MEAs in close cooperation with MEA secretariats,
Asia and the South Pacific—each with its governments, NGOs and other stakeholders. A
own intergovernmental bodies and processes. ‘Handbook for MEA Negotiators’ was developed

Managing change
platform for independent experts, government

representatives and representatives from MEAs
and civil society to discuss further steps for
promoting better compliance with and enforcement
of MEAs.
Compliance and enforcement in the area of

environmental crime is a priority area for many
MEAs which have trade components. Illegal trade
of regulated items, for example ozone-depleting
substances, toxic chemicals or waste, and products
from endangered wild plants and animals and
products containing them, is highly lucrative and
undermines the effectiveness of those agreements.
The role of customs officials in monitoring and
controlling flows of regulated items at borders is
at the heart of the Green Customs Initiative, a joint
project of UNEP, the World Customs Organization,
Interpol, and MEA secretariats. In February 2006,
the first national Green Customs Workshop was
held in Mauritius, following a series of successful
regional workshops.
A ‘Training Guide for Customs Officers’ was also

UNEP’s support to MEAs includes capacity building on compliance developed and tested. This continuing initiative
and enforcement. Available as an online database and CD- covers several MEAs, including the Montreal
ROM, as well as in hard copy, the Manual supports the effective Protocol, the Rotterdam, Stockholm and Basel
implementation of MEAs.
conventions and CITES. Training provided by
the Initiative builds the capacity of customs
and tested during several workshops for Small officers to understand these different MEAs and
Island Developing States and, for NGOs, a it complements the specialized training provided
10-module ‘Training Manual on Negotiation and under the individual agreements. Recognizing
Implementation of MEAs’ was submitted to final this benefit, secretariats of the Convention on
peer review. Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons joined
In June, UNEP launched a ‘Manual on the initiative in 2006.
Compliance with and Enforcement of MEAs’.
The manual complements the 2002 ‘UNEP SUPPORT FOR CONVENTIONS
Guidelines on Compliance with and Enforcement
of MEAs’ by providing examples from around the The concept of thematic clustering or grouping
world on how governments, NGOs, the private of MEAs is being considered as a strategy for
sector, and other institutions have utilized the improving their implementation by reducing
various approaches set forth in the Guidelines. institutional fragmentation, promoting synergies
It also provides more detailed explanations, among related MEAs, and reducing overlaps.
checklists, and additional resources to give depth Clustering of MEAs is therefore proposed and
to the specific approaches. It is intended for a promoted by UNEP as a relevant mechanism to
wide audience of stakeholders who have a role to improve compliance with international law in a
play in ensuring the effective implementation of manner that ensures coordination, consistency
MEAs. in the application of policy, principles, rules and
practice, comprehensiveness and efficiency in the
The Manual is also available as a fully-searchable use of resources. Based on this concept, UNEP has
online database and on CD-ROM. UNEP also been working with the Secretariat of the Pacific
launched the Colombo Process on Compliance Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP)
with and Enforcement of MEAs, a working and the Government of Tonga on an initiative to

UNEP in 2006
improve the implementation of MEAs related to Various decisions of MEA governing bodies
chemicals and waste management. A similar effort have highlighted the importance of engaging all
has been undertaken by UNEP in partnership stakeholders, including the private sector, NGOs,
with Green Advocates, the Environmental youth, women, academia and the media, for the
Law Institute, the US Forestry Service and the successful implementation of MEAs. In order to
Government of Liberia for biodiversity-related identify and promote the application of practical
MEAs. approaches to ensure effective engagement of
local communities in MEA processes, UNEP
Through the Information Unit for Conventions, launched a project on MEAs and Communities
UNEP supports MEA secretariats in achieving in 2006. In October 2006, a brainstorming
public outreach goals, through the development meeting was organized where representatives
of public information materials and providing from communities, NGOs, research institutions,
media assistance to MEA meetings. The services governments, and international organizations
provided include formulating media strategies gathered to identify various challenges faced
and managing press relations, developing and by local communities relating to institutional
disseminating public information materials, mechanisms to ensure collaboration between
organizing campaigns, seminars and workshops; decision makers and communities, sustainable
and promoting the development of information financial mechanisms to support community-
programmes at the national level. In 2006, the unit based activities and awareness raising. Based
published two guides for general audiences: ‘Win- on the outcomes of the meeting, UNEP is
Win Solutions for the Climate and Ozone Layer’ currently planning follow-up activities, such as
a simplified guide to the IPCC Special Report demonstration projects on the implementation
on HFCs and PFCs, and ‘Can Carbon Dioxide of specific provisions of biodiversity-related
Storage Help Cut Greenhouse Emissions?’. conventions at the community level.
Effective implementation of MEAs means engaging a wide range of stakeholders,

from governments to the general public. UNEP supports the production of a variety of
information materials, ranging from specialized studies to simplified explanations of the
environmental conventions and the issues with which they deal.

Energy for change
ENERGY FOR
CHANGE
The world faces a host of often interrelated

environmental challenges. Paramount among
them is climate change. Failing to slow global
warming trends could hinder or prevent the
achievement of environmental sustainability and
other sustainable development goals adopted by
the international community. Reducing the rate
of biodiversity loss, combating land degradation
and desertification, restoring the health of ocean
ecosystems, alleviating freshwater scarcity and
reversing the incidence of malaria and other
vector-borne diseases all depend to some degree
on a stable climate.
The continent deemed most vulnerable to climate

change, and least equipped to adapt and cope with
its effects, is Africa. In preparation for the twelfth
Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol,
which was held at UNEP’s Nairobi duty station
in November 2006, UNEP organized an African
Climate Change Negotiators meeting. The object
of the meeting was to give African negotiators an
opportunity to prepare positions on key issues and
ensure that the outcomes of the climate change
meeting were in Africa’s best interests.
At the conference, the UNFCCC Secretariat

released a report on impacts, vulnerability and
adaptation in Africa, which indicated that the
continent’s vulnerability to climate change is even
more acute than had previously been supposed.
Based on data from organizations such as UNEP
and the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO), the report highlighted the importance of
helping the countries of Africa, as well as other climate change that is already affecting them and
developing countries, to adapt to the impacts of will increasingly affect them for years to come.
global warming. To that end, UNEP and the UN The aim is to help reduce the vulnerability of
Development Programme (UNDP) announced a poor countries and communities, and ‘climate
new global initiative to secure a greater share of proof’ their economies in areas ranging from
the international carbon finance market for the infrastructure development to agriculture and
world’s poorest countries at the November climate health. The initiative also responds to the need to
change meeting in Nairobi. The partnership is in build the capacity of countries to participate in
direct response to urgent requests from leaders in emerging carbon finance funds, such as the Clean
developing countries, particularly those in sub- Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto
Saharan Africa, for assistance in coping with the Protocol.

UNEP in 2006
CHANGING AWARENESS European Commission President Jose Manuel

Barroso (centre), European Energy Commissioner
Andris Piebalgs (left), and Environment
The UNFCCC New Delhi Work Programme on Article Commissioner Stavros Dimas at a joint news
6 (Education, Training and Public Awareness) requests conference in Brussels, 10 January 2007, on
a common energy policy for the 27-nation
intergovernmental organizations to help Parties in climate European Union (EU). Climate change grew as a
change outreach and to support their efforts to launch central issue for governments throughout 2006.
Moves to boost renewable fuels, cut energy
and implement national climate awareness programmes. consumption and curb dependence on oil and gas
UNEP has been a long-standing partner of the Convention are growing themes for governments round the
in outreach matters and 2006 featured a variety of world. © Yves Herman/Reuters/The Bigger Picture
initiatives to expand assistance to new countries and to

follow up with project proposals from existing partners.

Energy for change
UNEP strengthened collaboration with Kenya Non-governmental organizations were the prime
and Gambia for climate outreach to key groups, target group for a special newsletter commissioned
including parliamentarians, the scientific by Climate Network Africa on UNFCCC COP12/
community and the general public. Cambodia MOP2 and its implications for Africa. Lessons
conducted a national stakeholders workshop, learned from national projects and regional
and in Uzbekistan educational materials were workshops on Article 6 were summarized by
produced in local languages. UNEP also produced UNEP in a handbook entitled ‘Raising Awareness
an educational course on climate change for on Climate Change’, which was presented and
universities and higher schools in Central Asia, launched at a special event during UNFCCC at
in partnership with WWF. In Europe, Russia COP12.
produced a guidebook for decision makers and
conducted a high-level workshop, and Armenia AFFORESTATION AND ADAPTATION
started initial Article 6 activities. In the Caribbean,
St. Lucia is producing up-to-date information to Climate change awareness also lies at the core
assist in formulating sound climate policies. of the UNEP Billion Tree Campaign, launched
at the November climate change meeting by
Another important dimension of UNEP’s Article Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai,
6 programme is engagement with civil society UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, and
groups. Responding to the needs of youth, Dennis Garrity, Director General of the World
UNEP partnered with Scouts Canada and the Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). All sectors of
South African Scout Association to develop a society—from individuals to governments—can
‘Climate Change Programme Implementation enter tree planting pledges on the campaign
Guide’, and conducted an awareness workshop website www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign, with
for Scouts associations in sub-Saharan Africa. the goal of planting 1 billion trees worldwide
Working with the mass media, UNEP organized during 2007. The campaign encourages the
a training workshop for journalists in Georgia. planting of indigenous trees and trees that are
appropriate to the local environment. Advice is
available via the website, as well as information
The goal of the Billion Tree Campaign is to raise awareness of about reforestation and other tree-related
climate change and environmental degradation worldwide, and
encourage practical action to reverse it. issues, including links to appropriate partner
organizations, such as ICRAF, best equipped to
give locally tailored advice.
Despite the fact that tropical deforestation

accounts for between 20 and 25 per cent of global
greenhouse gas emissions, neither the UNFCCC
nor the Kyoto Protocol currently contain any
provisions for addressing this. However dialogue
started during 2006 and governments and
appropriate international experts are discussing
potential mechanisms. UNEP, and in particular the
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre,
are working to ensure that these discussions
take full account of the potential for multiple
benefits whereby governments addressing
climate change objectives by reducing tropical
deforestation are simultaneously addressing
biodiversity targets and objectives, as well as the
Millennium Development Goal of environmental
sustainability.
Climate change is also causing the retreat of

glaciers around the world, threatening regional
water security and increasing the likelihood of

UNEP in 2006
natural disasters. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan Brazil, China and India were also the focus of
region and the Central Asian mountains have a four-year UNEP/World Bank project aimed
been severely affected by regular Glacial Lake at removing barriers for energy efficiency
Outburst Floods in recent years. The UNEP lending and increase the capability of new
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood project aims to and existing financial institutions to package
enhance capacity in vulnerable communities in energy efficiency investment projects. The
the region to deal with environmental hazards project Developing Financial Intermediation
associated with mountain glaciers and glacial Mechanisms for Energy Efficiency Projects
lakes. The project is preparing an inventory in Brazil, China and India project helped to
of glaciers and glacial lakes, developing early develop energy service companies (ESCOs) and
warning systems and identifying adaptation and explored equity funding for energy efficiency
mitigation measures for each dangerous lake. projects and guarantee facilities for loans. The
project finished in June 2006.
CLEAN DEVELOPMENT
ENGAGING BANKS
Growing awareness and action related to climate
change is creating increasing opportunities to UNEP is working to remove market distortions,
develop new and cleaner alternatives to today’s provide access to energy markets, and
fossil fuel energy systems. Many of UNEP’s accelerate the development and dissemination
activities in this area are undertaken by URC— of technologies and processes to increase
the UNEP Risoe Centre on Energy, Climate energy efficiency. Changing the attitude of
and Sustainable Development—and targeted at mainstream financiers towards sustainable
helping developing countries to participate fully energy and helping them make investments in
in the CDM. Work includes regional and sectoral the sector are key components of this strategy.
initiatives and developing new tools, particularly The Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative
under the Capacity Development for the CDM (SEFI) is a starting point for UNEP’s energy
(CD4CDM) Project, a four-year initiative to finance work and a platform to provide
help twelve developing countries participate as financiers with the tools, support and networks
equal partners in the CDM. From June 2006 to needed to drive financial innovation that
the end of 2008 the project has added nine extra improves the environmental performance of the
countries. With a total grant of $12.5 million from world’s energy systems.
the Netherlands, UNEP and URC have jointly
become one of the major providers of capacity SEFI is managed jointly by the UNEP Energy
building support for CDM. Branch in Paris, the UNEP Finance Initiative in
Geneva, and the Basel Agency for Sustainable
Other projects include the Carbon Finance for Energy. During 2006, SEFI released several
Sustainable Energy in Africa, which is developing new publications including ‘Public Finance
carbon finance and institutional capacity in Ghana, Mechanisms to Catalyze Sustainable Energy
Zambia, Mali, Cameroon, and Mozambique, and Sector Growth’. SEFI is working to monitor
the UNEP Adaptation and Climate Vulnerability global renewable energy investment trends,
Project. This was a one-year effort during 2006 promote public capital innovation and
to help develop a methodological framework investment in the clean energy sector, and
for integrating climate change into national and assist local credit institutions to engage with
sectoral development programmes by linking the sustainable energy sector. A new initiative,
development goals and climate change to poverty the Seed Capital Assistance Facility (SCAF)
reduction, food production, water resources, is designed to help early stage sustainable
energy access, health issues and education. energy enterprises access start-up capital from
Balancing Development, Energy and Climate mainstream energy investors. Through SCAF,
Priorities in Large Developing Economies is the finance community will be able to play
a partnership with the International Energy a more direct role in accelerating growth in
Agency (IEA) to broaden the knowledge base on the renewable energy sector. SCAF should be
energy demand policies in the large developing operational by early 2007 and will be jointly
economies of China, India, Brazil and South managed with the Asian Development Bank and
Africa. the African Development Bank.

Energy for change
UNEP’s Indian Solar Loan Programme, supported and industrialized countries noted for their
by the UN Foundation and the UN Fund for outstanding work on energy, development, and
International Partnerships, provides an interest environmental issues. The GNESD has produced
rate subsidy for solar home loans through two of a series of targeted reports on energy access and
India’s largest banks, Canara Bank and Syndicate organized regional workshops with UNEP, UNDP
Bank, along with their eight associate Regional and the International Energy Agency (IEA). In
Rural Banks (or Grameen Banks—a concept that 2006, all participating centres finalized technical
won their founder, economist Muhammad Yunus, reports on local barriers to renewable energy.
the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006). The three-year A new GNESD theme is investigating the links
programme, which ran through to the end of 2006, between energy and the Millennium Development
has helped to finance 17,300 systems through Goals.
more than 2,000 participating bank branches,
giving 100,000 people access to clean, renewable The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the
energy, and prompting 20 other Indian banks 21st Century (REN21) is a global policy network
to develop similar credit offers. UNEP is also on renewable energy to promote the rapid
promoting renewable energy investments in the expansion of renewable energy in developing and
southern Mediterranean via MEDREP Finance, industrial countries. UNEP co-hosts the REN21
one of three elements of the Mediterranean Secretariat with the German technical cooperation
Renewable Energy Programme (MEDREP) enterprise, GTZ. During 2006, REN21 released a
supported by the Italian Ministry of Environment series of reports on the renewable energy industry,
and Territory. Under this partnership, MEDREP including an updated Global Status Report. One of
launched PROSOL Tunisia, a solar loan facility the key elements of promoting renewable energy
to help thousands of Tunisian households acquire is knowing where investments can be viable. The
solar water heaters. Since the launch in April Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment
2005, three partner banks have lent almost $6 (SWERA) is an international collaboration of
million for the installation of 8,000 solar systems. more than 25 institutions that is mapping the
A similar programme for hotels in Morocco has solar and wind energy resources of 13 developing
targeted 80 hotels for new solar water heater countries in South and Central America, Africa
systems. and Asia. After a successful initial phase,
SWERA is expanding its mapping and analysis
The Rural Energy Enterprise Development services, including a new Geospatial Toolkit
(REED) initiative nurtures new, clean energy that allows wind and solar maps to be combined
enterprises in developing countries by providing with electrical distribution grids and other data
enterprise development services and early stage to provide high quality information that supports
seed finance. REED programmes are operating energy planning and policy development, while
in five countries of West and southern Africa lowering the risk for renewable energy project
(AREED), northeast Brazil (B-REED) and China’s developers and reducing project lead times.
Yunnan Province (CREED). AREED is the most
advanced REED programme with debt and equity ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORT
investments in 32 clean energy enterprises. In
Brazil, B-REED has invested in eight enterprises Urban areas, which are now home to half the
that include PV irrigation, solar drying and world’s population, generate 80 per cent of all
solar hot water. CREED’s GreenVillage Credit greenhouse gas emissions, just one example of
project with The Nature Conservancy is a the far-reaching environmental impact that cities
separate initiative that provides local villagers have. Emissions from vehicles and transport
with household credit to purchase cleaner energy equipment are rising at a rate of 2.5 per cent
systems, such as solar water heaters, fuel-efficient each year. They contribute not only to CO2
stoves, and biogas digesters. emissions but also to local and regional pollution,
for example through the emission of particulate
POLICY NETWORKS matter from high sulphur levels in diesel.
Environmentally sensitive policies at city level
The Global Network on Energy for Sustainable can therefore help to preserve the ecosystems that
Development (GNESD) is a collaboration of more cities depend on and have a beneficial impact on
than 20 centres of excellence in both developing the global environment.

UNEP in 2006
UNEP’s Sustainable Transport Programme works currently working with the International Railway
to integrate environmental factors into transport- Union on joint initiatives to promote sustainable
related decisions from the global to personal levels development in the rail sector, and UNEP has also
to promote a progressive shift in transport systems joined forces with Daimler Chrysler to promote
and mobility options that are less polluting. To the use of biofuels. The UNEP/Daimler Chrysler
help Latin American countries create sustainable Biofuel Initiative is establishing standards for
transport networks, UNEP and URC created 10 per cent biofuel blends for biodiesel and
the Network for Environmentally Sustainable bioethanol, and developing criteria for the
Transport in Latin America and the Caribbean, sustainable cultivation of biomass for biofuels.
or NESTLAC. With support from the Global
Environment Facility (GEF), NESTLAC promotes UNEP hosts the Clearing-House of the Partnership
the benefits of sustainable transport to politicians, for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), the
decision makers and other stakeholders in Latin leading global initiative to improve urban air
America. The GEF is also working with the quality through reduced vehicular emissions.
Government of South Africa on a multi-million The partnership was instrumental in achieving
dollar Public Transport Infrastructure Fund to a complete phase-out of leaded gasoline in sub-
upgrade bus and rail services in time for the 2010 Saharan Africa by January 2006, for which it
FIFA World Cup. received the UN21 Award. The partnership is now
working on a global campaign to eliminate the use
UNEP has also teamed up with the International of leaded gasoline worldwide by the end of 2008.
Association for Public Transport to promote the It is helping the remaining 25 countries in Eastern
environmental and life-style benefits of public Europe, the Middle East and Asia that use leaded
transport in a media campaign. The Sustainable gasoline to design strategies to accomplish this
Mobility and Public Transport partnership is goal.
Members of UNEP’s Urban Environment Unit celebrating the phase-out of leaded fuel in sub-Saharan Africa.
UNEP is part of the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles, whose current challenges include a global
phase-out of lead in petrol, and drastic reductions in sulphur in diesel in developing countries. © UNEP

Energy for change
The next challenge for the partnership is to UNEP has also been implementing a campaign
reduce high sulphur levels in vehicle fuels. The on local-global linkages, linking local issues,
combination of high-sulphur fuels—in particular such as water and sanitation, air pollution,
diesel—with older vehicle technology is one sustainable energy and natural resources use,
of the leading sources of air pollution in cities, with global agendas such as climate change,
particularly in developing countries. In Africa, ecosystem services and coastal pollution. UNEP
sulphur levels in diesel fuels are as high as 11,000 has also produced tools and guidelines to assist
parts per million (ppm), whereas in Europe and cities to tackle environmental challenges.
the United States levels are between 10 and 50 Together with UN-HABITAT, UNEP has
ppm. Emissions of smoke, soot and very fine developed an interactive urban air quality CD-
particulate matter are extremely harmful to human ROM to help local authorities develop and
health. Low-sulphur fuels, combined with cleaner implement activities to reduce air pollution.
vehicle technology, can significantly improve air
quality, as well as lengthen engine life. In order to support a long-term paradigm change
in the way cities are managed, UNEP launched
The PCFV has started a campaign working with the Cities Alliance Environment Initiative under
developing and transitional countries to develop which UNEP and the Cities Alliance secretariat
action plans and timeframes for introducing ultra- commissioned a global study from ICLEI-Local
low sulphur fuels that will reduce harmful vehicle Governments for Sustainability to identify best
emissions by up to 90 per cent when combined practices, case studies and methodologies that
with modern vehicle technology. Meanwhile, show how environmental considerations can be
UNEP and the global transport company TNT incorporated in municipal strategic planning,
have signed a cooperation agreement to reduce management and budgets. During the past
emissions from vehicle fleets worldwide. A CD- year, UNEP has also improved cooperation
based toolkit has been developed that will be used with clients at local and national level, with 10
to reduce pollutants and CO2 emissions. It will Cities Alliance projects with an environmental
not only be used by TNT, but other organizations dimension now co-sponsored by different UNEP
with vehicle fleets, including humanitarian divisions.
organizations.
Direct interventions in cities have led to
GREEN CITIES environmental improvements on the ground.
One example of what can be achieved through
Urbanization is the mega-issue of regions such targeted inter-agency coordination is a project
Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, carried out in the industrial zone of Kigali,
and Africa. Urban land expansion, deteriorating Rwanda, by UNEP, UN-HABITAT and UNDP.
water quality, air pollution, increasing traffic It resulted in significant economic savings and
congestion, and increasing solid waste disposal environmental improvements, such efficient
and sanitation problems are all creating water utilization, energy efficiency improvement,
growing environmental burdens. With acute and materials and chemicals spillage control for
urban infrastructure deficiencies in peri-urban businesses that implemented cleaner production
and inner city sites, there is an urgent need to measures. Buildings and operations will be
focus on prevention, rather than ‘end of pipe relocated to a new site, allowing the former
solutions’. In the Asia-Pacific region, UNEP is location of the industrial zone to be restored. In
promoting sustainable transport and eco-friendly another example, the Government of Bhutan is
building. An expert network on eco-housing has working towards applying eco-housing standards
been established and demonstrations of good to all new government structures, following
practices have been initiated through national training conducted by UNEP.
consultations, training programmes and feasibility
studies. Generic guidelines for the construction URBANIZATION AND ECOSYSTEMS
of eco-housing guidelines and an eco-housing
demonstration project in Sri Lanka have been The impact of urbanization on ecosystem
completed. A feasibility study on the use of off- sustainability and the well-being of city dwellers
peak electricity to generate hydrogen has been continues to be a major area of UNEP´s work. In
completed for Nepal. Latin America, two metropolitan areas—Lima

UNEP in 2006
and Callao, in Peru, and the Metropolitan Area ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND

of Central Costa Rica—completed and launched TECHNOLOGIES
environmental assessments, and the process was
initiated for the cities of Rosario, Argentina, Many solutions to urban issues lie in the
Cartagena, Colombia, Asunción, Paraguay, and El application of environmentally sound technologies
Alto and Cobija, Bolivia. A regional seminar on (ESTs). UNEP started the year by hosting an EST
Ecosystems and Cities was held in May 2006 in Showcase at the Global Ministerial Environment
Santiago, Chile, in collaboration with the Faculty Forum in February in Dubai, with the support
of Architecture, Design and Urban Studies and of the Zayed International Prize, UNDP and the
Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y Terroritoriales of UN Global Compact. It allowed private sector
Pontificia Universidad de Católica de Chile. companies to showcase their innovations, and
included 42 technology booths. UNEP’s own
Among the most significant results of work in EST showcase is the International Environmental
the past year is the launching of an initiative Technology Centre (IETC), based in Japan. In
to strengthen cooperation between UNEP and 2006 IETC continued to promote ESTs in three
UN-HABITAT with the aim of providing a focus areas: water and sanitation; sustainable
wider range of services to local and national consumption and production, with a special focus
governments, such as technical assistance and on waste management; and disaster prevention
tools on environmental planning and management, and management. Among its main projects is
technical support and capacity building to the development of ESTIS, the Environmentally
local and national governments on global Sound Technologies Information System, which is
environmental challenges, and support to local a tool for establishing and maintaining an Internet
governments on environmental assessments. based network for sharing and disseminating
As part of the collaborative work between the information. In 2006, five new networks were
Latin America and Caribbean regional offices established on various themes. More than 550 sites
of UN-HABITAT and UNEP, under the Urban are hosted by ESTIS, which is now available in
Environment Strategy agreed in February 2004, Spanish as well as in Arabic, French and English.
a discussion panel on Urban Environmental
Planning was jointly led as part of the Third Other examples of UNEP’s promotion of ESTs
World Urban Forum in Vancouver, in June 2006. include a pilot project to improve water quality
UNEP and UN-HABITAT are also in discussion in Bocaina City, Brazil. Declining water quality
with the Technical Administrative Environment has become national concern as water availability
Department, the governmental environmental decreases and environmental and health problems
authority for the city of Bogota, Peru, for updating increase because of agriculture, forestry, tourism,
the GEO Bogota assessment. In Brazil, UN- and industrial and urban waste. With 80 per cent
HABITAT and UNEP are also working very of Brazil’s population in urban areas, this problem
closely on the GEO Cities/Local Agenda 21 is further exacerbated, particularly in small- and
initiatives. medium-size municipalities, by a chronic lack
of funds, technology and expertise. The project
Prompted by organizations in Sao Paulo, Brazil, constructed an artificial wetland to treat some of
decision and policy makers in Latin America have the effluent from a domestic water treatment plant
started a self-help ‘Healthy Metropolis’ network that was affecting the local river.
to share lessons learned and best practices for
creating sustainable large cities. UNEP is one of In August 2006, using lessons learned from the
the organizers of the First International Forum on development of eco-towns in Kawasaki and
Urban Health in the Americas in March 2007 and other eco-towns in Japan, IETC and supporting
the Third Americas Meeting of Healthy Metropolis foundation the Global Environment Center
in May 2007. Knowledge and contacts gained approached cities in the Asia-Pacific region.
through these initiatives have been extremely Discussions were held with the governments of
useful in shaping UNEP’s own programmes on Penang Island, Malaysia, Bandung, Indonesia and
health and environment, such as the Integrated Pune, India. In October 2006, in collaboration
Environment and Health Assessment (GEO with Kawasaki City, a 10-day training programme
Health). Pilot GEO Health projects have started in on eco-town development was conducted for 10
Argentina and Brazil with help of local partners. trainees from the target cities.

Changing business
CHANGING
BUSINESS
Environmental change is almost entirely caused

by, or exacerbated by, human activity, and
particularly society’s patterns of consumption
and production. The private sector therefore has
a hugely significant role to play in providing
solutions to today’s environmental challenges.
Increasingly, major private sector players are
taking a leadership role, by adopting socially
and environmentally responsible practices and
identifying the commercial advantages that those
strategies present. UNEP is working closely with
the private sector to support and build on this
momentum.
The area that presents the most risk, and

increasingly the greatest opportunity, to businesses
and financial institutions is climate change. In
November, at the UN climate change meeting
in Nairobi, expert members of UNEP’s Finance
Initiative (FI) warned that losses from extreme
weather events linked to climate change are
doubling every 12 years. Representing many of
the world’s most powerful financial institutions,
with assets worth trillions of dollars, the group
called for urgent public-private action to prepare
for the economic impacts of climate change,
integrating adaptation with sustainable economic
development and disaster management. Their events were organized to raise awareness and
report, ‘Adaptation and Vulnerability to Climate disseminate the Guide. Parts of the Guide were
Change: The Role of the Finance Sector’ was also translated into several Asian languages,
the latest from the UNEP FI Climate Change including Bahasa Indonesia, Bangla, Chinese,
Working Group. It includes case studies and Mongolian, Sinhala, Tamil, Vietnamese and Thai.
recommendations for the finance sector and At the global level, also with the aim of reducing
policy makers. The Working Group also initiated greenhouse gas emissions, the Sustainable
an online training project on climate change and Buildings and Construction Initiative (SBCI) was
carbon finance, which will be launched in 2007. launched in April 2006 as a partnership between
building sector stakeholders and UNEP.
In Asia-Pacific, a four-year project to reduce
industrial greenhouse gas emissions was SBCI promotes sustainable building practices, in
completed in 2006. Along with capacity building particular reducing climate change contributions,
of national institutes and industries, a major and developing policies and economic instruments
output was the launch of the ‘Energy Efficiency for a life cycle approach in design, construction
Guide for Industry in Asia’ to help industry reduce and use of buildings. In 2006 SBCI had 27
energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and costs. members from 14 countries, established two think
An international event and nine national launch tanks, three pilot projects, and published its first

UNEP in 2006
strategic report ‘Climate Change and Energy Computer monitors on the beach in Sai Kung, Hong Kong,
1 October, 2006. Hundreds of computer monitors, believed to
Efficiency in Buildings’. The initiative also have been dumped into the sea by recyclers, were found in the
welcomed its first North American member, the space of a few days. The growing use of electronic products,
such as mobile phones and computers, is creating a growing
U.S. Green Building Council. environmental challenge, especially in Asia and the Pacific,
where so-called ‘e-waste’ is one of the fastest growing areas of
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY waste production. © Paul Yeung/Reuters/The Bigger Picture
At the 23rd Annual Consultative Meeting on

Business and Industry, held in October 2006
in Paris with the International Chamber of
Commerce, representatives from business
organizations and industry associations, individual
companies, NGOs, including Greenpeace,
WWF and IUCN, as well as the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the
International Energy Agency, discussed ways
to address energy and climate challenges and
promote corporate responsibility in industrial

Changing business
the investment industry, intergovernmental

and governmental organizations, civil society
and academia gathered to support the process.
Coordinated by UNEP FI and the UN Global
Compact, the drafting process was conducted
between April 2005 and January 2006,
resulting in Six Principles for Responsible
Investment, which were launched in April 2006
at the New York Stock Exchange by Secretary-
General Annan. The Principles are open to all
institutional investors, investment managers
and professional service partners to support,
and are now supported by more than 90
institutions, representing more than $5 trillion
in assets.
As part of its contribution to the UN Global

Compact, UNEP also continued to represent
the initiative in the International Standards
Organization (ISO) process to develop a new
standard on social responsibility. An expert
meeting held in Lisbon in May was used to
remind participants of relevant management
tools promoted by UNEP and its partners
UNEP works with the private sector to promote corporate to advance the environmental dimension—
environmental responsibility. 30 Report Cards on environment and
sustainability were launched in the publication ‘Class of 2006’ at
sustainable consumption and production—of
CSD14, in May 2006. social responsibility. UNEP also presented a
workshop on business and climate change at
development, two themes that are also being the annual meeting of the Global Compact
examined by current sessions of the UN National Networks, in Barcelona in September.
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).
The meeting considered possible action plans In the field of sustainability reporting, UNEP
for different industry sectors, building on the 30 was involved in the launch of the third
Report Cards that were launched in the publication generation of the GRI Guidelines in October
‘Class of 2006’ at CSD14, in May 2006 in New 2006. The UNEP Executive Director spoke
York. Hosted with the governments of Norway at the opening plenary of the meeting, whose
and South Africa, the launch event at CSD14 high level speakers also included the Royal
debated progress with promoting life cycle Prince of Orange and former US Vice President
approaches and the effectiveness of voluntary Al Gore. At the event, UNEP and KPMG
initiatives in promoting corporate responsibility. launched the publication ‘Carrots and Sticks
for Starters’, which gives an overview of trends
Environmental responsibility is becoming and approaches in mandatory and voluntary
an increasingly important factor in business requirements for sustainability reporting, and
strategies, as well for consumers and investors. To is a valuable guide for government officials
strengthen the movement towards environmentally and company managers on legislative trends
sustainable business, UNEP works closely with in reporting in OECD and selected emerging
the UN Global Compact and Global Reporting market economies. UNEP also published
Initiative (GRI). In early 2005, UN Secretary- ‘Learning by Doing’, the UNEP Division of
General Kofi Annan invited institutional investors Technology, Industry and Economics 2004–
to develop a set of Principles for Responsible 2005 Sustainability Report. The result presents
Investment. Individuals representing 20 a model that can be considered by other
institutional investors from 12 countries came UNEP divisions and UN offices. It is the first
together to form the Investor Group, while a 70- sustainability report by a UN office based on
person multi-stakeholder group of experts from the GRI Guidelines.

UNEP in 2006
SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION ‘Creating Solutions for SCP’ with CSCP that

AND PRODUCTION gathered all the Marrakech Task Forces, and
implemented over 10 demonstration projects on
During 2006, UNEP continued its role in the SCP in cooperation with the Task Forces.
development of the 10-Year Framework of
Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Responding to the main request of the Marrakech
Production (SCP)—the Marrakech Process. Process, UNEP is carrying out a two-year project
Among the most important outcomes was the on National Strategies on SCP with the support
launch, in May 2006 in Ethiopia, of the African of the UK Department for Environment, Food
10-Year Framework of Programmes on SCP, and Rural Affairs. The main output of the project
which was endorsed by AMCEN, NEPAD and the will be a manual for national SCP strategies that
African Union. In Beijing, China, the Asia Pacific will include guidance on how to include SCP
Help Desk on SCP was established, and in China into existing sustainable development, poverty
and India two national roundtables were organized reduction and other strategies. In the area of
with the support of the European Commission. poverty reduction, UNEP has continued its
Two more roundtables are planned for 2007 in project on integrating SCP in Poverty Reduction
Brazil and South Africa. Strategies, developing a manual and implementing
two pilot projects in Ghana and Senegal, and
UNEP also continued to support the Marrakech strengthening the Marrakech Cooperation
Task Forces, together with the UNEP-Wuppertal Dialogue with development agencies. These
Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable activities will be supported by a two-year project
Consumption and Production (CSCP) and in on SCP and Poverty Alleviation funded by
cooperation with the UN Department of Economic Norway. The project includes sectoral approaches
and Social Affairs. Three more Task Forces were and demonstration projects in various regions of
launched in 2006, bringing their total to seven: the world that demonstrate the SCP contribution
Cooperation with Africa (led by Germany); to poverty reduction. UNEP’s Sustainable
Sustainable Products (United Kingdom); Consumption and Production Branch will also
Sustainable Lifestyles (Sweden); Sustainable be providing capacity building and technical
Procurement (Switzerland); Sustainable Tourism assistance over next four years, with European
(France); Sustainable Building and Construction Commission support, to promote eco-labelling
(Finland); and Education for Sustainable in China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya and
Consumption (Italy). UNEP also co-organized South Africa. Product categories include textiles,
an expert conference on the Marrakech Process footwear, appliances and paper.
UNEP promotes sustainable tourism that benefits local communities and the environment.

Changing business
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM Plan of Implementation. A Seed Partnerships Forum

was held in New York at CSD14 to launch the
One of the world’s largest and fastest growing first Seed Partnership Report. The report gives an
industries, tourism has the potential to boost overview of the first two-year cycle of the initiative,
national and local economies and, in some as well as special analysis of progress made by the
cases, help to protect important ecosystems, if five award winning partnerships. During 2006, the
it is developed and managed sustainably. At the second cycle of the Seed Initiative was launched,
February 2006 Governing Council meeting in and submissions for the 2007 Seed Awards received.
Dubai, UNEP presented its sustainable tourism From the more than two hundred entries, finalists
strategy, followed by the launch of the Sustainable have been selected and the new award winners
Tourism Task Force of the Marrakech Process will be presented at CSD15. In June 2006, UNEP
in September 2006. During the World Tourism also launched a Creative Gallery on Sustainability
Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development Communications. This online database features
2006, UNEP organized three workshops on hundreds of advertising campaigns from companies,
innovation for sustainable tourism, raising public authorities and NGOs all around the world.
consumers’ awareness for responsible travel The campaigns highlighted in the Gallery address
and integrating sustainability into the global sustainability issues through various themes, types
agenda for tourism development. UNEP has also of media and strategies. The object of the Gallery
started a collaboration with the UNDP Action is to foster more and better communications on
on Cooperation and Trust in Cyprus, focusing sustainability issues from all stakeholders. Since
on the implementation of the Global Compact its launch, the Gallery, which featured in UNEP’s
environmental principles, with an emphasis keynote presentation at the inaugural UK Green
on the tourism sector. In West Asia, UNEP is Awards, has received over 150,000 visits.
working with the Council of Arab Ministers
Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) and For youth, the youthXchange.net English website,
other regional stakeholders on an Arab approach which provides reliable, clear and entertaining
towards sustainable tourism. There are two key information on the meaning and challenges of
activity areas: development of policy guidelines sustainable consumption for youth, went live in
and a regional strategy for sustainable tourism; January 2006. The site now has more than 7,000
and capacity building within the tourism sector for visitors a month. A UNEP/UNESCO youthXchange
sustainable development. networking meeting, held in April 2006, saw
translating partners exchanging their experiences
At the Conference of Parties of the Convention for the first time. Participants asked UNEP to
on Biological Diversity, held in Curitiba, Brazil, intensify training on the youthXchange tool kit
in March, UNEP launched a new report ‘Wildlife and to activate regional hubs to further expand the
Watching and Tourism’ that listed the range of project and the network. As well as English, the kit
benefits that tourism can provide for biodiversity is available in Arabic, Chinese, Flemish, French,
conservation. Focusing on 12 case studies, the Hungarian, Italian and Norwegian.
report highlights the growing economic impact
of wildlife watching, as well as flagging some CLEANER PRODUCTION
of the pitfalls of insensitive management. In
November 2006, UNEP signed a Memorandum of Developing tools and approaches that support the
Understanding with the International Ecotourism development and adoption of cleaner production
Society. The two institutions will organize a worldwide is a key focus for UNEP’s Sustainable
Global Ecotourism Conference with Ecotourism Consumption and Production programme. During
Norway in Oslo in May 2007. 2006, UNEP undertook a global assessment of the
status, challenges and opportunities for National
DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS Cleaner Production Centres (NCPCs). Among the
year’s highlights were the production of a training
In the area of partnership development, UNEP resource kit CD-ROM on cleaner production and
continued its work with UNDP and the IUCN as multilateral environmental agreements; a training
core partners in the Seed Initiative, which supports programme on cleaner production and energy
local partnerships for implementing the goals of efficiency for nine NCPCs; and a new programme
the Millennium Declaration and Johannesburg on water conservation in Africa’s brewery sector.

UNEP in 2006
Also in Africa, UNEP continued implementing a November at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi.

project on enhancing the industrial environmental One of the key issues at the Basel meeting was
management capacity of Rwanda, as part of an the growing amount of e-waste worldwide.
inter-agency support programme provided by Generally containing a number of hazardous
UNEP, UNDP and UN-HABITAT on addressing materials, such as heavy metals, items such as
growing environmental problems in Kigali’s computers and mobile phones are often shipped
industrial zone. Training was given to industrial to developing countries for disposal or recycling,
experts on cleaner production methods, and a presenting considerable risks to workers and
document for the establishment of the Rwanda the environment. Much e-waste finds its way to
NCPC was finalized and submitted to relevant the Asia-Pacific region, where UNEP organized
ministries. A National Roundtable on Sustainable multi-stakeholder meetings in 2006 to accelerate
Consumption and Production was also held for national policy making in e-waste management.
decision makers and awareness programmes were A public awareness campaign was organized in
carried out for the general public. Mumbai, India, in collaboration with local NGOs
and the local government. At regional level, an
Together with the non-profit Society of information exchange network meeting is being
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry organized in the framework of the Asia Pacific
(SETAC), UNEP runs the Life Cycle Initiative, Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and
promoting practical tools for evaluating the Production. Also in the Asia-Pacific region, a
opportunities, risks and trade-offs associated knowledge hub on the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
with products and services over their entire life ‘3R’ strategy was launched, in collaboration
cycle to achieve sustainable development. In with the Asian Institute of Technology, the Asian
March, the Life Cycle Initiative launched a new Development Bank and the UN Economic and
web site offering an overview of the initiative’s Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
achievements and deliverables. Twenty-two of
28 proposals from developing countries (5 from
The second edition of ‘Vital Waste Graphics’, produced
Africa, 5 from Asia, 11 from Latin America and by UNEP/GRID-Arendal and the Secretariat of the Basel
1 from Eastern Europe) were chosen to receive Convention, looks at the life cycle of products and provides
the Life Cycle Assessment Award along with a wealth of data, text and graphics on types of waste that are
usually hidden to consumers.
free software licenses and access to a Life Cycle
Inventory database for 12 months. The award
honours outstanding contributions of individuals
and organizations in promoting life cycle
thinking and in improving life cycle assessment
approaches. UNEP is also working on sustainable
procurement, with a focus on capacity building.
A training session on sustainable procurement for
the Moroccan government in June 2006 led to the
development of a methodology for sustainable
procurement capacity building which will guide
UNEP’s future work.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Before a product reaches its point of sale, it will

already have created several times its own weight
in waste. To highlight global issues of waste
management and some of the creative options
available to reduce waste, UNEP supported the
production of the second edition of ‘Vital Waste
Graphics’, launched by the Basel Convention
on the Control of Transboundary Movements of
Wastes and Their Disposal at the Convention’s
Conference of Parties, which was held in

Changing chemistry
CHANGING CHEMISTRY
UNEP provides the main catalytic force in the components of SAICM. The plan focuses on
UN system to drive activities related to the sound capacity building in response to increasing global
management of chemicals. It supports access to production, trade and use of chemicals, with
and exchange of information on toxic chemicals growth patterns placing an increasing chemicals
and promotes chemical safety by providing management burden on developing countries
policy advice, technical guidance and capacity and countries with economies in transition.
building to developing countries and countries Activities already initiated include the Chemicals
with economies in transition. The beginning Information and Exchange Network, a training
of the year saw the adoption of the Strategic tool on ‘Sound Management of Pesticides and
Approach to International Chemicals Management Diagnosis and Treatment of Poisoning’, jointly
(SAICM) by the International Conference on developed with WHO, and a partnership with
Chemicals Management (ICCM), held in Dubai, UNDP on integrating the sound management of
4–6 February 2006. The Dubai Declaration on chemicals into poverty reduction strategies in
International Chemicals Management states that developing countries
the sound management of chemicals is essential
for achieving sustainable development, including One of the initial activities for SAICM
the eradication of poverty and disease, improving implementation in UNEP was a Symposium
human health and the environment, and elevating on Illegal International Traffic in Hazardous
and maintaining standards of living in all Chemicals organized by UNEP Chemicals
countries. and the Ministry of Environment of the Czech
Republic, with funding from the Federal Republic
SAICM will provide a global policy framework to of Germany. The purpose of the workshop was
achieve the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation to share information from different regions on
goal that, by 2020, chemicals are produced and the magnitude of the problem, to take stock of
used in ways that minimize significant adverse existing measures to address illegal traffic, and to
effects on human health and the environment. inform and guide future UNEP activities related to
Key features of SAICM are its multi-sectoral illegal international traffic in hazardous chemicals.
scope and its multi-stakeholder participation.
The development of SAICM was initiated by PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS
the UNEP Governing Council and endorsed by
Heads of State and Government in Johannesburg Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a group
in 2002 and in New York in 2005. The three- of chemicals which share four main properties.
year consultative process that led to SAICM’s They are stable and persistent, lasting for years
adoption was facilitated by UNEP in collaboration or decades before degrading into less dangerous
with 10 other intergovernmental organizations. forms. They are toxic and accumulate in the fatty
UNEP now hosts the SAICM secretariat, which tissue of humans and wildlife, causing adverse
supports SAICM implementation in all sectors by effects on human health and the environment.
servicing the ICCM and regional inter-sessional They biomagnify through the food chain, and
meetings, maintaining a network of stakeholders
and an information clearing-house, and facilitating
the Quick Start Programme. The latter assists
developing countries and those with economies In August 2006, thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste from
overseas were dumped at various sites around Abidjan, Cote
in transition in their initial implementation of d’Ivoire, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Residents affected by
SAICM, including through a UNEP-administered the toxic waste wait to consult doctors at the main hospital of
Cocody in Abidjan on 7 September 2006. The Joint UNEP-OCHA
trust fund. Environment Unit deployed environmental experts to join the UN
Disaster and Assessment Coordination team that was sent to help
UNEP Chemicals is also developing a programme national authorities deal with the situation. UNEP and the Basel
Convention, to which Cote d’Ivoire is a party, continue to support
of initial activities and a comprehensive plan follow-up activities. A trust fund was established by UNEP to assist
for implementing the environment-related with the clean-up. © Luc Gnago/Reuters/The Bigger Picture

UNEP in 2006

Changing chemistry
they can evaporate and travel long distances via With the availability and exchange of information
air and water. The global community has agreed such a high priority in sound chemical
on an initial list of 12 POPs for phase-out under management, UNEP has built a Chemical
the Stockholm Convention, a global treaty to Information Exchange Network (CIEN) in
protect human health and the environment from collaboration with the US Environmental
POPs through measures designed to reduce and Protection Agency. Since its inception, 43
eliminate their release. countries in Africa and Central America have
benefited from it. CIEN provides a platform
UNEP Chemicals provides technical support that countries can use to meet obligations under
to the secretariat and parties of the Stockholm various chemical-related agreements and has
Convention for its implementation, particularly strengthened the capacity of countries to manage
related to the management of polychlorinated chemicals in an environmentally sound manner.
biphenyls (PCBs), identification of sources and CIEN has been integrated into UNEP’s pilot
releases of dioxins and furans, and alternatives project to build capacity for the implementation
to and sound management of POP pesticides. It of the Stockholm Convention in Benin, Chad,
is implementing a Global Environment Facility Nigeria and Togo, and has received endorsement
(GEF) project to assess and meet capacity from focal points attending regional workshops in
building needs for analyzing POPs in developing Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
countries and is supporting the development of
GEF projects on POP pesticides. UNEP Chemicals HEAVY METALS
also established a searchable and web-accessible
databank of laboratories capable of analyzing In 2005, the UNEP Governing Council agreed
POPs. In collaboration with the Secretariat of to the implementation of partnerships as one
the Basel Convention, UNEP has supported the approach to reducing risks to human health and
development of national inventories of PCB and the environment from mercury. Working with
PCB-containing equipment on a regional basis. countries and NGOs, UNEP has developed
Examples include projects in fourteen countries partnerships in five sectors: artisanal and small
of the Southern African Development Community scale gold mining; coal combustion; mercury cell
(SADC) and in seven countries in Central chlor-alkali production; mercury in products; and
America, as well as national PCB inventories. air transport. Among the immediate priorities of
the mercury and other metals programme was
UNEP is also assisting countries to develop to work with partners to mobilize technical and
dioxin/furan release inventories and is financial resources to deal with mercury. UNEP
further improving the inventory development initiated a mercury small grants programme that
methodology outlined in the ‘Standardized Toolkit provides up to $50,000 for developing countries
for Identification and Quantification of Dioxin and and those with economies in transition to achieve
Furan Release’, the methodology used by almost mercury reductions. More than 20 proposals were
all developing countries. A Toolkit Expert Meeting received by UNEP. Among the expressed needs
was jointly held with the Stockholm Convention were technical assistance and capacity building
secretariat at the end of 2006. In collaboration on inventories, training, awareness raising and
with the World Health Organization (WHO) and information exchange, measures to reduce or
the Stockholm Convention secretariat UNEP eliminate releases from wastes, best available
Chemicals has also developed an information techniques and best environmental practices, and
system on DDT to facilitate the exchange of the development of policy and regulatory controls.
information and experience on issues related To address the requests relating to waste handling,
to the use of DDT for the control of vector- UNEP asked the Conference of the Parties to the
borne diseases such as malaria. Similarly, Basel Convention to consider including mercury
UNEP Chemicals worked with the Stockholm as a priority focal area. Work has now started
Convention Secretariat and the Global Expert with the secretariat of the Basel Convention to
Termite Group, established in 2000 by UNEP draft guidelines on handling mercury waste. A
and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization pilot draft of a ‘Toolkit for Identification and
(FAO), to develop an information system on Quantification of Mercury Releases’ has been
POP termiticides and termite management. Both completed and is ready in the six official UN
systems will be available online. languages for use by interested countries.

UNEP in 2006
The President of India, Dr. A.P.J.

Abdul Kalam (centre) with UNEP
Deputy Executive Director
Shafqat Kakakhel (left) and
Rajendra Shende, Chief of UNEP’s
OzonAction Programme, examine
a SolarChill vaccine refrigerator
in November 2006. Powered by Caption
photovoltaic panels, SolarChill
uses ozone- and climate-safe
hydrocarbons, and does not emit
greenhouse gases. © UNEP
Also in response to the UNEP Governing Deplete the Ozone Layer are an important
Council’s request, UNEP has prepared a draft example of what can be achieved when developed
report summarizing supply, trade and demand and developing countries work together under
information for mercury, which has been a the principle of common but differentiated
circulated among Governments and interested responsibility to protect the global environment.
stakeholders for consideration of possible further
actions on mercury at the 24th Governing Council A significant advance in protecting the ozone
session in February 2007. UNEP Chemicals has layer was achieved earlier in the year with the
also been looking at lead and cadmium, again announcement that more than 5,000 farms,
at the request of the Governing Council. In farmers associations, major supermarket chains
September 2006, the Lead and Cadmium Working and other organizations had joined forces with
Group prepared preliminary scientific reviews, UNEP in a new International Partnership to
with a special focus on long-range environmental Phase out Methyl Bromide. Methyl bromide is
transport. The reviews will be submitted to used by farmers to kill pests in the soil before
the 24th Governing Council to inform future planting crops such as tomatoes, strawberries,
discussions on the possible need for global action melons and flowers. In 1992 it was officially
in relation to these two metals. controlled as an ozone-depleting substances
(ODS), and is scheduled for phase-out under the
OZONE Montreal Protocol. However, phase-out is facing
some resistance with farmers maintaining that
An assessment released by UNEP and the World alternatives are too costly or unproven. UNEP is
Meteorological Organization in August put back working with scientists and the industry to make
the expected full recovery of the stratospheric information on alternatives to methyl bromide
ozone layer by between five and 15 years. widely available.
Nevertheless, international action to protect the
Earth’s fragile ozone layer in the past two decades UNEP provides the secretariat for the Vienna
remains one of the few truly successful examples Convention and the Multilateral Fund for the
of countries identifying and addressing a global Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, which
environmental problem. The Vienna Convention supports the phase-out of ODS by developing
and its Montreal Protocol on Substances that countries and countries with economies in

Changing chemistry
transition. Capacity building for ODS phase-out communication strategy for promoting compliance
and assistance for compliance with the Montreal with the Montreal Protocol, and is linked to the
Protocol is the focus of UNEP’s OzonAction UNEP Tunza Programme for children and youth
Branch. Primarily funded by the Multilateral and the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable
Fund, the programme also receives support Development.
from the Global Environment Facility. With the
Branch’s assistance, countries are able to make UNEP also launched a new video entitled ‘Return
informed decisions about alternative technologies of the Ozone Layer: Are We There Yet?’ that
and ozone-friendly policies. The Branch has a addresses the many challenges that remain in
portfolio of more than 1,000 projects that benefit saving the ozone layer. Released in the Asia
over 100 developing countries and 17 countries Pacific region in November 2006, the video
with economies in transition. was produced with TVE Asia Pacific. It focuses
on individual action that needs to be taken in
PRACTICAL ACTION developing countries to phase out production
and use of ODS. It highlights the successes
During 2006 UNEP continued its work to and remaining challenges of implementing the
implement the Millennium Development Montreal Protocol in Asia through the choices
Goals through practical partnerships. An made by three individuals and the significant role
example is the SolarChill partnership, which they and we all can play in determining the future
is addressing the interlinked issues of health, health of the Earth’s atmosphere.
environment and poverty by developing and
sharing environmentally sustainable vaccine COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE
and food refrigeration technology known as
SolarChill. Instead of cooling with CFCs or other UNEP’s Compliance Assistance Programme
ODS, SolarChill uses ozone- and climate-safe (CAP) helps countries to understand data
hydrocarbons. Powered by photovoltaic panels, it reporting requirements under the Montreal
does not emit greenhouse gases. Protocol, including reporting methodologies,
data collection, verification and submission
The partnership—which includes UNEP, the procedures. As of September 2006, the status
Danish Technological Institute, Greenpeace in 145 developing countries is that all Article 5
International, GTZ ProKlima, Programs for Parties, except one, which were declared to be in
Appropriate Technologies in Health, UNICEF non-compliance with data reporting requirements
and WHO—took two big steps forward in 2006. for 2001–2004 have submitted their missing
In October, it won the prestigious 2006 Cooling data to the Ozone Secretariat; 97 per cent of the
Industry Awards in the category ‘Environmental countries reported baseline data for all ODS; and
Pioneer’ for refrigeration, and in November 70 per cent of the countries reported their 2005
the President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, consumption data as per the deadline required by
became the first buyer of the SolarChill the Protocol.
vaccine refrigerator and installed two of these
revolutionary units in his estate’s medical clinic in To analyze underlying reasons for non-
New Delhi. compliance, and to help bring countries back to
compliance, UNEP’s CAP convened bilateral
In September 2006, OzonAction launched the meetings with countries, involving Implementing
OzonAction Education Pack with UNESCO Agencies, the Ozone Secretariat and the
and WHO. The pack provides a comprehensive Multilateral Fund Secretariat and assisted 43
teaching curriculum for primary schools to help developing countries to respond to requests from
sustain momentum to restore the ozone layer the Protocol’s Implementation Committee or
as well as protect the health of children. The to prepare their Plans of Action for returning to
Pack was launched in Nairobi, Kenya, New compliance. UNEP also undertook high-level
Delhi, India, and Santiago, Chile, on the 2006 joint missions with other agencies to facilitate
International Day for the Preservation of the the implementation of Institutional Strengthening
Ozone Layer. The partners are distributing it to projects, National CFC Phase-out Plans, and
15,000 focal points worldwide in English, French establishment of ODS import/export licensing
and Spanish. The Pack is part of UNEP’s global systems.

UNEP in 2006
CAP provides assistance to countries to establish

policy instruments for ODS management. In
2006 CAP assisted Afghanistan, Bhutan and
Indonesia with their policy instruments. The
Cook Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue,
Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu
were given help to establish licensing systems;
ODS legislation was reviewed in Chile, Haiti,
Dominica, Barbados and Guyana; and Botswana,
Lesotho, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania
received technical guidance on establishing ODS
regulations.
In addition, CAP cooperated with the Common

Market for Eastern and Southern Africa to
produce draft harmonized ODS regulations and
control measures for the region and the General
The theme of International Ozone Day 2006 was ‘Protect the
Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council to Ozone Layer: Save Life on Earth’. The Montreal Protocol on
enforce the recently adopted unified regulation Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer remains one of the few
for ODS control and monitoring. CAP also gives truly successful examples of countries identifying and addressing a
global environmental problem. Nonetheless, work is still unfinished
special attention to countries that recently ratified and the ozone layer will remain at risk for more than 15 years.
the ozone treaties. In 2006 this included providing UNEP is working to sustain public and political awareness about
the protection of the ozone layer until the task of restoring it is
Afghanistan, Bhutan and Eritrea with capacity fully accomplished.
building services, knowledge transfer, public
awareness and South-South cooperation. CAP
worked closely with the Ozone Secretariat to
assist specific countries to ratify the ozone treaties. ozone layer protection from a media, business
and technical perspective and included a field
COMBATING ILLEGAL ODS TRADE trip to the Thai Customs Department, where
participants learned about the work that goes on in
UNEP encourages the creation of institutionalized addressing illegal trade in ODS and cooperation
cooperation between key stakeholders involved with organizations like the World Customs
in the fight against illegal ODS trade. It facilitates Organization and Interpol. The workshop resulted
networking and twinning aimed at sharing in recommendations from the media to strengthen
intelligence on both licit and illicit ODS trade outreach and a media e-forum called ‘Ozoneorbit’,
between Parties. In 2006, the CAP organized joint set up by one of the participating journalists to
Ozone Officers–Customs Officers meetings, in facilitate networking among media and experts.
Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the
Spanish-speaking Caribbean. It also assisted the UNEP also launched an operation with Asia-
Regional Network for South Asia and the Pacific Pacific customs administrations against illegal
to develop information exchange mechanisms ODS and dangerous waste traffic in the region.
between major ODS-producing countries of the Project ‘Sky Hole Patching’ is designed to
region and importing countries, and assisted with monitor the movement of suspicious shipments of
the launch of a voluntary Prior Informed Consent ODS and dangerous commodities across several
procedure to enhance the monitoring of ODS customs territories in the region. It involves
movements in the Asia-Pacific region. customs administrations and environment
authorities, the World Customs Organization’s
Also in the Asia-Pacific region, UNEP’s CAP Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and
team, the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, UNEP’s Regional Office for Asia and
the Pacific and the Centre for Environmental Pacific, CAP, Basel Convention Regional Centres
Education brought more than 30 print and and other key international organizations. The
broadcast media representatives from 18 countries operation will be conducted in two phases, with
for a media and ozone layer protection workshop the first six months focusing on ODS. The second
in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop looked at phase will include hazardous waste.

Ecosystem change
ECOSYSTEM
CHANGE
How we rise to the challenges and seize the

opportunities presented by rapid environmental,
social and technological change will dictate the
kind of world we bequeath to future generations.
In the case of ecosystem change, the risks far
outweigh the benefits. The obvious example is
climate change, but it is not the only threat that
urgently demands attention. The accelerating
loss of biological diversity, land degradation,
impending water scarcity and deteriorating
marine ecosystems are also prominent issues.
Together, they threaten to undermine the many
technological, economic and social advances
human society has experienced in recent decades,
and represent an obstacle to the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
These challenges are commanding the growing

attention of governments, the private sector and
civil society. Last year’s Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment, in which UNEP was closely
involved, provided an unprecedented new level
of understanding of the role ecosystem services
play in human well-being. The question that
is therefore being increasingly asked is: why
do ecosystem services decline when they are
so demonstrably valuable and important? The
answer is that, until recently, governments and
international organizations have paid insufficient
attention to the importance of ecosystem
services in reducing poverty and improving UNEP, noted that the loss of wetlands around the
human well-being. A clear example of the globe is forcing many wild birds onto alternative
perils of undervaluing ecosystem services was sites, such as farm ponds and paddy fields,
the devastation of New Orleans in 2005 in the bringing them into direct contact with domestic
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Channeling the fowl, and promoting the transfer of pathogens
Mississippi river behind levees and draining among domestic and wild species. Confined solely
wetlands that would have significantly reduced to wild migratory species, the virus would have
storm surges ultimately left the citizens of the low- limited opportunities to multiply and mutate, but
lying city more vulnerable than if the ecosystems once in domestic flocks the hazards to livestock,
had been left intact. wild species and humans grows exponentially.
Wetland protection could also provide a key to ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

preventing the much anticipated and feared global AND NATURAL CAPITAL
spread of the avian influenza virus and its possible
mutation to a form that is easily transmitted In response to the need for a conceptual
among humans. In April 2006, ‘Avian Influenza framework that can help to define the link between
and the Environment’, a report commissioned by ecosystem services, natural capital and sustainable

UNEP in 2006
development, UNEP has brought together some Ecosystem services are capital assets, yet
traditional national accounting does not include
of the world’s eminent economists and ecologists measures of resource depletion or degradation.
to identify how the multilateral environmental A country could cut its forests and deplete its
agreements (MEAs) that deal with ecosystem fisheries, and this would show as a positive gain
in Gross Domestic Product without registering
services—such as the UN Convention to Combat the corresponding decline in assets. Currently,
Desertification (UNCCD), and the Convention on there are too few mechanisms and instruments
available to encourage ecosystem protection,
Biological Diversity (CBD) can be brought into and where there is an apparent conflict between
mainstream economics by making the link with economic and environmental imperatives, the
natural capital. The output will be in the form environment is often the loser. © Luo Hong
of a technical, policy-driven document with the

proposed title, ‘Beyond the Wealth of Nations’.
Knowing the true value of an ecosystem service

is important if policy makers are to make the right
decision on whether to degrade an ecosystem
service so that another ecosystem service can be
increased, for example by replacing an area of

Ecosystem change
coastal mangroves with an aquaculture project. The services by poor, marginalized and vulnerable
absence of this information is one of the primary groups. Activities include pilot projects to identify
reasons for the decline in ecosystem services pro-poor markets for ecosystem services, capacity
around the world and one of the main reasons building and partnership building, for instance by
MEAs have had limited success, as they have not facilitating networking among policy makers and
been able to effectively make their case in the face experts. For example, UNEP provided technical
of shorter-term imperatives. In 2006, UNEP started and financial support for the establishment of the
a valuation project in the Lake Victoria region South and East Africa Katoomba group, which is a
in East Africa, in collaboration with the World network of individuals and institutions working on
Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), national MEA focal the development and implementation of payments
points and other partners, to assess the values of for ecosystem services.
various ecosystem services and explore how this
knowledge can be strategically used to improve the The equitable use of ecosystem services is also
effective and equitable implementation of MEAs at the focus of UNEP’s Access and Benefit Sharing
the national level. (ABS) in Africa initiative. Some of the richest
countries in terms of biological diversity are also
PRO-POOR PAYMENTS the least developed. There are numerous examples
FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES where food or pharmaceutical companies have
made billions of dollars from genetic resources
Another effective tool for assisting countries from these countries with little or no return to the
to implement MEAs is the use of payments for originating countries or communities. One of the
ecosystem services, including the creation of CBD’s three objectives is the “fair and equitable
markets that can promote sustainable development sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization
and reduce inequalities by generating income, of genetic resources, including by appropriate
promoting environmentally friendly technologies, access to genetic resources and by appropriate
generating incentives for investment, and transfer of relevant technologies, taking into
increasing the involvement of vulnerable and account all rights over those resources.…” Pilot
socially excluded stakeholders in private sector studies in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Botswana,
initiatives in environmental protection. Ghana and Zambia are highlighting experiences
and challenges faced by African countries in
UNEP is helping to identify approaches that adapting their existing national regimes under
demonstrate how pro-poor market-based the CBD’s Bonn Guidelines on access to genetic
instruments for ecosystem services can be used resources and the fair and equitable sharing of
to advance the objectives of the MEAs, while the benefits. The initiative is helping to identify
ensuring equitable use of and access to ecosystem specific issues for inclusion in legislative,
This map displays UNDP Human Development Index data by country together with biodiversity hotspot regions. Some of the world’s least
developed countries are located in hotspot areas of high importance for biodiversity. Biodiversity is an essential resource for the world’s
poorest people, yet poverty is one of the primary forces driving environmental degradation. UNEP is working to break this vicious circle by
promoting economically sustainable incentives for environmental protection. Map © Hugo Ahlenius UNEP/GRID-Arendal

UNEP in 2006
administrative and policy measures, as well as for relate one to another. This is important because of
consideration by the CBD’s Ad Hoc Open-ended the importance of implementing these agreements
Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing. in an integrated and synergistic manner, rather
The next phase of the programme will focus on than as a series of independent activities. Over the
regional and subregional cooperation. past year UNEP has been developing and testing
a thematic or modular approach to understanding
UNDERSTANDING BIODIVERSITY and communicating interrelationships among
the biodiversity-related conventions, such as the
Since governments first adopted the target to Convention on International Trade in Endangered
achieve a significant reduction of the current Species (CITES), the Convention on Migratory
rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, discussion Species (CMS), CBD, and the Ramsar Convention
has been under way on how to assess progress. on Wetlands. Working with IUCN, UNEP-WCMC
Working closely with the CBD Secretariat, the and other partners, UNEP’s project on Issue Based
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre Modules for the Coherent Implementation of
(UNEP-WCMC) has created a 2010 Biodiversity Biodiversity-related MEAs has developed web-
Indicators Partnership, which brings together all based tools that demonstrate synergies related
the key stakeholders in developing and delivering to inland waters, invasive alien species, climate
global biodiversity indicators for use by policy change and sustainable use. These modules are
makers. The approach has also increased dialogue now being used by a number of governments
among MEAs on the use of indicators, and to look more closely at how they implement
between the conventions and those responsible for biodiversity-related agreements.
delivering indicators on the achievement of the
MDGs. DATA AND REPORTING
Any assessment of the effectiveness of efforts Each biodiversity convention also generates
to conserve biodiversity has to take into account large quantities of data, documents and
the contribution made by protected areas. UNEP- other information, much of which addresses
WCMC is the custodian of the World Database common themes and activities. Since it is
on Protected Areas, developed with IUCN and its neither interlinked nor organized in a consistent
World Commission on Protected Areas. During and harmonized manner, ensuring that the
2006, UNEP-WCMC started a major 18-month conventions are mutually supportive can be
redevelopment of the Database with the twin extremely difficult. A project on Knowledge
aims of delivering better information services Management for Biodiversity-related MEAs
and working more closely with information is promoting the strategic use of information
providers at the national level by using more and the interoperability of datasets through a
modern approaches to information management searchable list of Parties to each convention and
and supporting improved capacity at national and a system that interconnects related elements of
regional level. Knowing where protected areas each convention’s strategic plans, decisions and
exist is important both to conservationists and the resolutions.
private sector, which is increasingly concerned
to avoid environmentally damaging practices. Most multilateral environmental agreements
UNEP-WCMC’s development of relationships require Parties to report at regular intervals on
with multinational companies has resulted in the measures they have taken to implement the
increased commitment for its Project Proteus, a agreement. In recent years, there has been a
partnership with industry for increasing access growing recognition that the reporting burden
to biodiversity information. Resources from this has increased. As governments accede to more
partnership are currently being channeled into agreements, they are confronted with a multitude
redeveloping the World Database on Protected of reports to prepare. The reporting formats are
Areas. often complex, and many questions are similar
to those for other conventions, which often leads
One of the key problems faced by governments to duplication of work between the national focal
and conservation practitioners working on the points of different conventions. In order to address
ground is understanding how the breadth of these issues, UNEP is working with UNEP-
international agreements and associated decisions WCMC to undertake a project on Harmonizing

Ecosystem change
National Reporting for Biodiversity-related GRASP provided $30,000 to the Tayna Centre for
MEAs, which is facilitating dialogue among Conservation Biology to help build the capacity
Parties and convention secretariats on report of future Congolese scientists and raise awareness
formats and thematic reporting across conventions, on great apes and habitat conservation in the
and undertaking pilot projects in developing country.
countries on harmonizing national reporting.
Further east in Africa, UNEP has been
CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY working with key partners to support forest
conservation in East Africa by assessing the
The Great Apes Survival Project—a broad state of conservation of major montane forest
partnership of governments, UN entities, ecosystems and triggering policy responses for
conservation NGOs and the private sector, their long-term conservation. In Kenya, the five
coordinated by UNEP—has continued to ‘water towers’ have been the main focus. After
consolidate support to secure the long term successful achievements on Mount Kenya and the
survival of the great apes in Africa and Southeast Aberdare Range, UNEP is currently supporting
Asia by inviting more interested parties to sign government bodies and civil society in recovering
the 2005 Kinshasa Declaration on great apes. The and conserving the forests of the Mau Complex.
Declaration has now been signed by 21 of the 23 The Mau Complex is the largest closed-canopy
great ape range states and 52 other signatories. forest ecosystem of East Africa and the upper
UNEP-GRASP and the CITES secretariat catchment of key rivers feeding lakes Baringo,
undertook the first of many planned joint technical Nakuru, Natron, Turkana and Victoria, which
missions to great ape range and consumer states of support key economic sectors including cash and
Africa and Southeast Asia. The joint missions will subsistence crop production, tourism and energy.
be part of the implementation of the resolution on
the conservation of and trade in great apes adopted UNEP has also launched, with the Forest
by the Conference of the Parties to CITES in Department and Kenya Wildlife Service, the
2004. This first mission, undertaken to Indonesia first ever systematic aerial reconnaissance of
in May 2006, investigated the smuggling of all main gazetted forests in Kenya to identify
orangutans and existing measures put in place problems as soon as they arise and trigger early
by the Indonesian government. A report of the response. In addition, UNEP is finalizing a study
mission findings was subsequently tabled at the on ‘Global Change in Africa: The Case of Mount
54th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee Kilimanjaro’ that will be published in 2007. The
where Indonesia responded to the issues raised by study reviews ecological, economic and social
the mission. changes on and around Mount Kilimanjaro, as a
case study of changes taking place in many areas
Under the auspices of UNEP-GRASP and the of Africa.
CITES secretariat, wildlife law enforcement
officers from nine African great ape range states CONSERVATION IN ASIA-PACIFIC
and Indonesia met at UNEP headquarters in
Nairobi in November 2006 to form a network for The Asia Pacific region supports a high level
monitoring and controlling illegal wildlife trade, of species diversity, encompassing three of the
in response to a CITES Standing Committee world’s eight biogeographic realms, five out of
recommendation that a CITES Great Ape twelve megadiverse countries, two-thirds of the
Enforcement Task Force should be established. world flora, the world’s highest mountain system,
A scientific workshop was also convened to the second largest rainforest complex and more
establish priorities on great ape populations and than half of the world’s coral reefs. A quarter of
sites. The workshop’s deductions will be critical all terrestrial protected areas and one-fifth of all
in providing the scientific rationale for selections marine protected areas are found in this region.
and the strategy of monitoring; producing a Evidence shows significant biodiversity loss in
handbook on population survey methods, through the region as a result of unsustainable resource
collaboration with the Section on Great Apes use (mainly timber and marine resources), habitat
(SGA) of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group; and change, pollution (mainly freshwater and marine
the launch of a great ape monitoring database and ecosystems), climate change, rapid urbanization
map server. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the impact of invasive alien species.

UNEP in 2006
In 2006, UNEP began activities on biodiversity and a Brainstorming Meeting on MEAs and
conservation, with an emphasis on capacity the Role of Communities. Participants from
building, policy guidance and project development Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia,
related to market-based strategies for ecosystem Lao PDR, Maldives, Nepal, Timor Leste, Tuvalu
services. As part of the implementation of the as well as the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional
CBD, UNEP organized a workshop in Myanmar Environment Programme (SPREP) and the
for the development of a National Biodiversity ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity attended the
Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) with the workshop and meeting. Technical support on
National Commission of Environmental Affairs CBD priority topics, negotiation skills, guidance
and the Forest Department. This sector-wide, for accessing funds, opportunities for South-
multi-stakeholder workshop, the first of its kind in South Cooperation, and synergies between the
the country, generated awareness on the NBSAP five biodiversity conventions were discussed.
process. Three thematic working groups—Natural Countries highlighted the need for support
Resource Use, Conservation and Ecology, and from UNEP to mobilize resources, strengthen
Socio-Economic Aspects—were established to cooperation between international partners for
provide technical assistance on substantive issues policy development, and provide guidance on
and priorities, assist with data and stocktaking mainstreaming CBD and NBSAP across sectors
and review the NBSAP at different phases. A and ministries.
proposal is currently being finalized by the Forest
Department to explore funding from the Global UNEP has also begun discussions with
Environment Facility (GEF). governments and partner organizations in the
region to raise greater awareness and identify
UNEP also organized a workshop to enhance opportunities for pilot demonstration projects
the capacity of Least Developed Countries related to market-based strategies for ecosystem
(LDCs) for the implementation of the CBD services.
Migrating geese in Shanxi province, China, taken by Chinese billionaire and world-class environmental photographer Luo Hong. In
November 2006, Mr. Hong donated $250,000 to UNEP to assist UNEP with its work in greening the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and
support conservation at Lake Nakuru in Kenya. Preserving such important wetland habitats can not only ensure the survival of vulnerable
migratory species but protect people from the spread of emerging diseases such as avian influenza. © Luo Hong

Ecosystem change
PROTECTING THE CARPATHIANS improving the lives of mountain people and

protecting mountain environments around
In Europe, protection of one of the continent’s the world. UNEP provides the environmental
largest remaining wilderness areas received a focal point of the Mountain Partnership
boost in January with the entry into force of the Secretariat, which is hosted by the UN Food and
Carpathian Convention, whose development Agricultural Organization (FAO).
was supported by UNEP. The Carpathian region
contains Europe’s largest reserve of pristine DON’T DESERT DRYLANDS
forest, and is home to brown bears, bison, lynx,
eagles and some 200 endemic plant species. In recognition of International Year of Deserts
The region also plays a vital role in ensuring and Desertification in 2006, UNEP chose the
Europe’s freshwater supplies, with runoff from theme ‘Don’t Desert Drylands!’ for World
the mountains feeding the Danube, the Vistula and Environment Day, which is observed around the
other major rivers that flow into the Black Sea and world each year on 5 June. The host for 2006
the Baltic Sea. was Algiers, capital of Algeria. With the support
of Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and
To support decision making related to the county’s Minister of Environment, Cherif
the Carpathians, UNEP is developing the Rhamani, the whole country was mobilized.
‘Carpathians Environment Outlook’, focusing
on environmental and socio-economic status Among the highlights of the celebrations was
and trends, current policy responses, emerging the launch of the ‘Global Deserts Outlook’,
environmental issues and future development the first thematic report in UNEP’s Global
patterns, policy recommendations and alternative Environment Outlook (GEO) series of
policy options. The project should be complete by environmental assessments. Prepared by
mid-2007. UNEP has also prepared background experts from around the world, the report
documentation about the situation of large traces the history and astonishing biodiversity
carnivores in the Carpathians entitled ‘Where Man of deserts, and assesses future likely changes
and Beasts Share the Mountains’, which is part of due to human activities and climate change.
a ‘virtual environmental media tour’ featuring four It also flags policy options that could help
areas of special environmental interest in Eastern governments and relevant bodies provide a
Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. more sustainable future for deserts, as well as
exploit their untapped potential for generating
The Carpathian Convention covers seven solar power and supporting industries such
countries—the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, as pharmaceuticals, aquaculture and tourism.
Romania, Serbia, the Slovak Republic and UNEP also launched a publication on tourism
Ukraine. At the Convention’s first Conference in deserts which provides guidance to tour
of Parties in December 2006, the member states operators and tourism coordinators on how to
adopted a wide-ranging programme of work make their activities more sustainable.
containing immediate measures for promoting
environment-friendly tourism and a regional As well as focusing on deserts, UNEP used
network of protected areas. The meeting also World Environment Day to highlight the
decided to develop a Protocol on the Conservation growing problems of desertification and
of Biological Landscape Diversity and endorsed land degradation. The slogan ‘Don’t Desert
a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Alpine Drylands!’ emphasizes the importance of
Convention. protecting drylands, which cover more than 40
per cent of the planet’s land area and are home
The Alpine Convention and UNEP are supporting to one-third of the world’s people, the majority
regional cooperation for mountain protection of whom rank among society’s most vulnerable.
and sustainable development in southeastern
Europe and Carpathians, and the Caucasus, UNEP was also one of several partners involved
as well as in the Hindu Kush and Karakoram in the production of an eight-part documentary
ranges in the Himalaya region, as part of the series on Drylands and Desertification, entitled
Mountain Partnership. The Mountain Partnership ‘Villages on the Frontline’, which was broadcast
is a voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to around the globe on BBC World.

UNEP in 2006
One of UNEP’s contributions to the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, the ‘Global Deserts Outlook’ presents a panorama of
the environmental status of the world’s deserts: their location and extent, uniqueness and vulnerability, biodiversity and natural resources.
As part of its contribution to the International Year Without a scientifically rigorous understanding
of Deserts and Desertification, UNEP contributed of land degradation in drylands, including
to the organization of two international establishing baselines, it is hard to identify
conferences on desertification. The International priorities, target interventions and monitor the
Scientific Conference on the Future of Drylands, consequences of actions. Furthermore current
held in June 2006 in Tunis, Tunisia, and led by policies do not consider non-marketable
UNESCO, brought together over 400 experts from ecosystem services, such as erosion and
all dryland regions of the world to review current hydrological regulation.
knowledge of dryland ecosystems and the socio-
economics of dryland development and to identify To help address these issues, UNEP has been
important knowledge gaps for future research into implementing the project An Ecosystem
drylands. Approach to Restoring West African Drylands
and Improving Rural Livelihoods through
UNEP was also a member of the Organizing Agroforestry-based Land Management
Committee of the Joint International Conference: Interventions, funded by Norway, and conducted
Desertification and the International Policy in cooperation with the World Agroforestry Centre
Imperative, held in December 2006 in Algiers, (ICRAF), the University of Florida, and the
hosted by the Government of Algeria and led by governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania,
the UN University. The conference highlighted Niger and Senegal. The project conducted regional
the policy underpinnings necessary to enable training courses on land degradation surveillance
successful dryland strategies. and environmental accounting.

Sea change
SEA CHANGE
Following a year of development and various

reviews, governments have reached agreement
on a forward-looking policy and strategy that will
guide the UNEP programme of work in freshwater
for the next six years, subject to approval by the
Governing Council in February 2007. The policy
and strategy focuses on freshwater, but with strong
links to oceans and coasts through the Global
Programme of Action for the Protection of the
Marine Environment from Land-based Activities
(GPA) and the UNEP Regional Seas Programme.
Protecting the marine environment depends to

a large extent on addressing water management
issues inland, where more than 80 per cent of
marine pollution originates. Coastal and marine
ecosystems, which provide a wide range of goods
and services of significant economic and social
value, are under growing pressure. Thirty-eight
per cent of the world’s population lives along a
narrow fringe of coastal land, and 70 per cent of
megacities with populations over 8 million are
located on the coast. In some countries as much
as 90 per cent of sewage is dumped untreated
directly into the sea. The GPA is the only
integrated intergovernmental global programme
that addresses the natural interlinkages between
freshwater and coastal and marine management,
giving conceptual and practical guidance to
national and regional authorities to devise and
implement sustained action to prevent coastal and
marine degradation.
The framework for implementing UNEP’s

water strategy is the concept of integrated water
resources management (IWRM). UNEP will
focus on incorporating the socio-economic value
of water-related ecosystem services into national
development plans. Through its Collaborating DAMS AND DEVELOPMENT
Centre on Water and Environment (UCC) in
Denmark, UNEP is assisting developing countries A source of much debate related to water
to develop IWRM roadmaps to reach the WSSD resources management is the role of dams. The
target of national IWRM and Water Efficiency UNEP Dams and Development Project (DDP) was
plans in all countries. A roadmap is the first step established in November 2001, and the second
towards IWRM planning and implementation two-year phase currently under implementation
and identifies specific steps and capacity building was launched in February 2005. The goal of the
needs. The project is being implemented in North second phase is to promote improved decision
Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, Southern making, planning and management of dams and
Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Central their alternatives, building on the core values
America, the Caribbean and South America. and strategic priorities of the World Commission

UNEP in 2006
Caption
on Dams (WCD) report and other relevant Dead fish and rubbish in a polluted river in Haikou, southern
China’s Hainan province, 19 September 2006. With 80 per cent
materials. The core of the work programme is of marine pollution originating from land-based sources, UNEP’s
promoting global and national dialogues and strategy for protecting both freshwater and marine environments
is focused on integrated management of whole water catchments.
elaborating non-prescriptive practical tools for © Vito Lee/Reuters/The Bigger Picture
decision makers. It encourages the consideration
of the full range of options in the planning and
management of water and energy reources and
institutionalizing participatory and transparent
decision making processes to achieve sustainable
outcomes that benefit all stakeholders. The UNEP
DDP has supported national dialogue processes in
various countries, including Ghana, Mozambique,

Sea change
Nigeria, Togo and Uganda, and through

regional political groupings, such as the
African Ministerial Council on Water
(AMCOW). At the global level, dialogue
has been supported through the Dams
and Development Forum.
The fifth Dams and Development

Forum, and the final one within the
context of the DDP, was convened
in November 2006. It considered the
progress that has been made in the dams
and development debate and the way
forward. The dialogues have resulted
in widely accepted recommendations
for improving national and regional
regulatory frameworks and clarification
at global level of some emerging
environmental and social concepts raised
by the WCD Report. The Compendium
on Relevant Practices on dam planning
and management is another outcome of
the project.
HYDROPOLITICAL VULNERABILITY
Wherever a major river, lake or aquifer

system is shared by two or more
countries, the shared (international)
waters become vulnerable to
indiscriminate exploitation and
degradation. With rising populations and
increasing urbanization, industrialization
and environmental degradation, nations
that share these water resources also
become vulnerable to conflict. These
vulnerabilities are made more acute
by climatic variations. Hydropolitical
vulnerability and resilience along
international waters is becoming
an increasingly critical area of
study, requiring the development of
comparable databases and analyses.
‘Facing the Facts: Assessing the
Vulnerability of Africa’s Water
Resources to Environmental Change’,
released in early 2006, shows that
Africa’s water resources are at serious
and growing risk.
Another UNEP publication, ‘Africa’s

Lakes: Atlas of Our Changing
Satellite observation over decades is providing a wealth
of revealing information about how human activities are
Environment’, launched during World
changing the global environment. Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, in

UNEP in 2006
August 2006, contrasts satellite images of the Cooperation in the Caspian area also resulted
past few decades with contemporary ones. The in the reinstatement of quotas by CITES for the
publication, compiled by UNEP at AMCOW’s export of caviar and other products from sturgeon,
request, in cooperation with the US National except Beluga. The publication of 2007 quotas
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contrasts with the situation in 2006, when the
and the US Geological Survey, brings into sharp Secretariat did not publish caviar quotas for the
focus the environmental changes in Africa’s Caspian Sea’s sturgeon fisheries because the five
lakes, which in many cases can only be truly countries concerned did not provide sufficient
appreciated from space. For example the rapid information about the sustainability of their
shrinking of Lake Songor in Ghana, due to sturgeon catch. Recognizing that sturgeon stocks
intensive salt production, the extraordinary have declined in recent years, the countries
changes in the Zambezi River system as a result bordering the Caspian Sea agreed among
of building the Cahora Bassa Dam and the near themselves to reduce the combined catch quotas
90 per cent shrinkage of Lake Chad. The atlas for the Sea’s six sturgeon species by an average of
warns about the crucial importance of Africa’s 20 per cent compared with 2005, with reductions
lake ecosystems for poverty alleviation and of one third for some species.
meeting the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), as well as the dangers of increasing Elsewhere in Europe, the condition of Lake
tensions and instability as rising populations Balaton, also known as the Sea of Hungary,
compete for limited and deteriorating water is a high-priority issue for Hungarians, the
resources. government of Hungary and the millions of
foreign tourists who visit its unique habitat,
COOPERATING OVER WATER shorelines and upland protected areas. Following
With UNEP assistance, the countries bordering the Caspian Sea
On 12 August 2006, the Framework Convention are cooperating to reverse an impending environmental crisis
for the Protection of the Marine Environment brought about by habitat destruction, industrial pollution and
overexploitation.
of the Caspian Sea—the first legally binding
agreement on any subject to be adopted by the
five Caspian neighbours—entered into force.
The Convention, negotiated under UNEP
auspices, will coordinate efforts by the Republic
of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the
Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation
and Turkmenistan to reverse an impending
environmental crisis brought about by habitat
destruction, industrial pollution and the over-
exploitation of fish and other marine life.
The mildly salty Caspian Sea is the world’s largest

lake, fed by some 130 tributary rivers, most
importantly the Volga, which accounts for 75
per cent of the total inflow. Known as the Tehran
Convention after the city where it was adopted,
the treaty commits its member governments to
cooperate with one another and with international
organizations to protect the environment. To
mark the Convention’s entry into force, UNEP,
through its GRID-Arendal centre, together with
the Caspian Environment Programme, launched a
new publication entitled ‘Vital Caspian Graphics:
Challenges Beyond Caviar’. The report’s maps
and graphics examine key vulnerabilities as
well as solutions to the issues addressed by the
Convention.

Sea change
many years of water quality problems, a four-year include whole hydrological basins so that entire
water shortage starting in 2000 raised concerns associated marine and freshwater environments
about the sensitivity of Lake Balaton to climate are covered (for example in the Mediterranean
change. Lake Balaton’s vulnerability is the result Protocol, the Caribbean Protocol, and the Eastern
of its shallow profile. With the heavy reliance African Protocol). This shift reflects the increased
on tourism as a primary source of livelihoods, understanding that addressing impacts on the
the socio-economic consequences of ecological coastal environment requires broader, more
deterioration could be severe and immediate. integrated approaches, and supports the growing
Along with the Lake Balaton Development recognition of the importance of the ecosystem
Council and the International Institute for approach and integrated coastal area and river-
Sustainable Development, UNEP launched the basin management.
Lake Balaton Integrated Vulnerability Assessment,
Early Warning and Adaptation Strategies project MARINE AND COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS
to contribute to a better understanding of Lake
Balaton’s ecological and socio-economic Recent assessments of the status of the marine
vulnerability, and to build capacity for more environment as it relates to land-based sources
effective policy-making and adaptation measures of pollution suggest good progress in three
in response. As well as Balaton, there are many areas: persistent organic pollutants, radioactive
other shallow lakes and reservoirs of significant substances and oils (hydrocarbons); in the areas
economic and ecological importance in Hungary of heavy metals and sediment mobilization
and other regions that face similar vulnerability there have been mixed results; and conditions
and adaptation problems, where lessons from this have deteriorated in the areas of sewage,
initiative can be applied. nutrients, marine litter, physical alteration and
destruction of habitats. Progress has been made
GLOBAL PROGRAMME OF ACTION in providing technical guidance at a sectoral level
on GPA-related issues, including wastewater,
The UNEP GPA Coordination Office concentrated tourism, aquaculture, mining, ports and harbour
its efforts during 2006 on preparation for the development, and coastal rehabilitation. Key
GPA’s Second Intergovernmental Review principles and associated checklists have been
Meeting (IGR-2), which took place in Beijing, developed for environmentally sound management
China, in October. More than 500 participants— of these sectors, which have been widely
representing some 100 governments and the disseminated and applied on the ground through
European Commission, international and regional pilot projects.
organizations, international financial institutions,
and NGOs—renewed their commitment to Also useful for management and policy making
address land-based sources of marine pollution is ‘Marine and Coastal Ecosystems and Human
at the national, regional and global level, and Well-being’, a synthesis of the findings from
acknowledged the importance of national, regional the reports of the four Millennium Ecosystems
and international partnerships as critical for the Assessment (MA) Working Groups (Conditions
successful implementation of the GPA. and Trends, Scenarios, Responses, and Sub-
global Assessments) concerning marine and
During the year, UNEP continued to provide coastal ecosystems. The aim of the report is to
substantive support to national governments in contribute to the dissemination of the information
developing national programmes of action. More contained within the MA to decision makers and
than 60 countries are currently implementing stakeholders of marine and coastal ecosystems.
the GPA, either through specifically designed The report was launched in June 2006 at the UN
national programmes of action, or through related Open-ended Consultative Process on Oceans and
processes. In cooperation with the Regional Seas the Law of the Sea in New York.
Programmes, the UNEP-GPA Coordination Office
helps countries to identify and address barriers to Some of the nations most dependent on the coastal
the implementation of legislation. A comparison and marine environment, and the most vulnerable
of institutional frameworks found that early to it degradation, are Small Island Developing
protocols tended only to address coastal areas. States (SIDS). UNEP is implementing a number
In some cases now, this has been extended to of activities in SIDS, including examining the

UNEP in 2006
effects of climate of change, waste management,

the protection of freshwater, coastal and marine
resources, and capacity building in environmental
law and MEAs. To implement the GPA in SIDS,
UNEP is building municipal level capacity in
project identification, planning and financing for
water, sanitation and wastewater management.
Other activities include improving access to
drinking water and sanitation at the community
level in Jamaica and Guyana. UNEP is also
facilitating the implementation of the Coral Reef
Initiative for the South Pacific in partnership
with the Agence Francaise de Développement,
the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (which
hosts the coordination office), Conservation
International, WWF, the UN Foundation and
others. This regional initiative is promoting the
protection and sustainable management of the
coral reefs of Pacific island states.
REGIONAL SEAS
Mangrove ecosystems are important for coastline protection and for
UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme provides a inshore fisheries, where they act as breeding nurseries. Economic
comprehensive institutional and programmatic research is revealing that these and other ecosystems are often
framework for regional and global cooperation worth more left intact than when converted to other uses.
for the protection of coasts, oceans and seas.

2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the
Caribbean Environment Programme, which controlling marine litter. The Regional Seas
was commemorated with a special edition of Programme has launched a website devoted to
UNEP’s ‘Our Planet’ magazine. The year also marine litter that provides information and news
marked the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona on the initiative and additional resources.
Convention. The initial aim of the Barcelona
Convention and its Protocols was to protect the In cooperation with the GPA, UNEP also launched
Mediterranean Sea from pollution, but it was the publication ‘Financing the Implementation of
expanded in 1995 to contribute to the sustainable Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans: A
development of the region. The Convention serves Guide for National Action’. The report addresses
as a model regional partnership between a UN the different financial mechanisms available for
body and regional stakeholders, and has played implementing Regional Seas Conventions and
an important role in promoting peaceful dialogue Action Plans. Some of the issues covered are: how
among Mediterranean countries on environmental to determine financing needs; how to choose the
protection and sustainable development. most suitable financial mechanism; and potential
challenges Regional Seas Programmes might
The Regional Seas Programme supports the face in developing activities. Another report
sustainable management and protection of the ‘Financing for the Environmental Conservation
coastal and marine environment by helping to of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden’, published
develop common regional objectives, and by in January 2006, provides an example of how
promoting synergies, global programmes and financial mechanisms have been used to support
initiatives. It covers eighteen regions, which environmental activities. Two new publications
operate either through a Convention or an were also produced with the US National Oceanic
Action Plan. During 2006, the issue of marine Atmospheric Administration: ‘Accounting for
litter remained a priority. During IGR-2, UNEP Marine Economic Activities in Large Marine
launched its Global Initiative on Marine Litter, Ecosystems and Regional Seas.’ and a handbook
which provides a global platform for establishing on ‘Governance and Socio-economics of Large
partnerships and coordinating activities for Marine Ecosystems’.

Sea change
MARINE BIODIVERSITY priorities for responses to climate change

effects, considerations for developing a coastal
A joint UNEP-IUCN report ‘Critical Ocean Issues: planning and adaptive strategy, and regional and
Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and international initiatives.
High Seas’, released in June 2006 highlights the
need for ecosystem-based management measures Also in the Asia-Pacific region, the Indian
to help protect the biodiversity of the high seas, Ocean South-East Asia (IOSEA) Marine Turtle
and outlines options for progress. The Regional Memorandum of Understanding promotes
Seas Programme has also been contributing to collaboration among 25 governments and partner
biodiversity and ecosystem-based management organizations. The secretariat, which is co-located
issues by helping to support a study on methods to with the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and
reduce shark depredation and bycatch in longline the Pacific, coordinated a region-wide ‘Year of
fisheries. The project is collecting information the Turtle’ campaign during 2006 to increase
from a representative sample of longline fisheries awareness of the threats to marine turtles and
to investigate attitudes of the longline fishing of the actions needed to conserve them. Events
industry towards shark bycatch and identify and activities were organized in more than 20
effective and commercially viable methods to countries across the region, from Australia to
reduce it. Jordan and the Sultanate of Oman, where the
Fourth Meeting of Signatory States to the IOSEA
The eighth Global Meeting of the Regional MoU was held to review its implementation.
Seas and Action Plans held in Beijing, China, in UNEP also published ‘Assessment of the
October 2006, also focused on biodiversity and Conservation Status of the Leatherback Turtle in
its relationship with the regional seas. Partner the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia’, the first
institutions such as the Convention on Migratory of a series of comprehensive assessments, as
Species (CMS), CBD and the Global Invasive well as a review of the impacts of the December
Species Programme were among the participants. 2004 tsunami on turtles and turtle habitats.
The Regional Seas Programme and the Global Serving in a different capacity—as a CMS
Invasive Species Programme also organized regional office—the IOSEA secretariat was also
training courses on managing marine and coastal involved in the successful conclusion of a new
invasive species in four regions: the Black Sea, the regional agreement for dugong conservation,
Caribbean, Northeast Pacific, and the Benguela the promotion of other regional initiatives to
Current (West Africa) region. conserve migratory species and their habitat, and
to exchange information on various topical issues,
Earlier in the year, the Regional Seas Programme such as avian influenza. During 2006, Pacific
formed a partnership on Marine Protected Island countries also signed a new agreement
Areas (MPAs) with UNESCO, CBD and the under CMS umbrella to conserve whales and
International Coral Reef Action Network dolphins.
(ICRAN) to share information on current MPA
activities and to identify areas of cooperation. The COLD WATER CORALS
Programme also supported an IUCN workshop in
September, in Mahé, Seychelles, to train managers In 2006, the UNEP Coral Reef Unit operated
and practitioners involved in MPAs, fisheries and under the motto: ‘Cold-Water Corals; Building
forestry. The workshop used products co-produced the Momentum; Tropical Reefs: Maintaining
by UNEP, including a ‘Toolkit for Managing the Momentum’. In support of international
MPAs’, a ‘Workbook for MPA Management discussions and emerging action on cold-
Effectiveness’ and the Western Indian Ocean water corals and other vulnerable deep-water
Fisheries Database. or high seas environments, UNEP produced a
portfolio of reports and products. ‘Ecosystems
In cooperation with the Secretariat of the Pacific and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and High
Regional Environment Programme and Western Seas’, produced in collaboration with IUCN,
Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, summarizes current knowledge about the status of
UNEP also launched the publication ‘Pacific deep-water ecosystems and the threats they face
Island Mangroves in a Changing Climate and from the increase in human activities, especially
Rising Sea’, which looks at capacity building fishing, in these parts of the oceans.

UNEP in 2006
The ‘Cold Coral Deep’ Earth Report Priority issues in the sustainable management
documentary, produced by the Television Trust and conservation of tropical reefs and associated
for the Environment (TVE), was broadcast on marine ecosystems were the focus of the third
BBC World in October 2006 to raise awareness International Tropical Marine Ecosystems
of these unique ecosystems and the devastating Management Symposium, held in Cozumel,
effects of deep-water bottom trawling. The Mexico, in October. This major activity of
programme contains underwater footage of cold ICRI, coordinated in 2006 by ICRAN, gave
water corals never seen before, provided by opportunities for the tropical ecosystem
scientists from around the world. In the same management community to exchange experiences
month, a new Global Cold-Water Coral Database and develop communication networks. UNEP
and Geographic Information System (GIS) was produced ‘Case Studies of Coral Reef Monitoring
launched. Developed in close cooperation with and Management Projects’ for the meeting.
scientists, and using UNEP-WCMC’s interactive
map system, this tool provides a single entry UNEP also launched a new rapid report on coral
point to thousands of cold-water coral records. reefs, ‘Our Precious Coasts: Marine Pollution,
Climate Change and Resilience of Coastal
The report ‘Seamounts, Deep-sea Corals and Ecosystems’, at the GPA IGR-2. The report
Fisheries’, produced in collaboration with the highlighted the links between sustainability of
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission coastal ecosystems and levels of pollution in a
of UNESCO and the Census of Marine Life changing climate. The report was prepared by a
on Seamounts Programme, was submitted to Rapid Response Team at UNEP GRID-Arendal
the 61st session of the UN General Assembly and UNEP-WCMC as a broad collaborative effort
in support of discussions on sustainable across various UNEP programmes and activities,
fisheries and a moratorium on high seas bottom with contributors from UNEP Regional Offices,
trawling. In October 2006, UNEP also became GRID Sioux Falls, the GPA, Nature Seychelles,
an official partner in the European deep sea the Norwegian Institute of Nature Research, and
research project Hotspot Ecosystem Research the University of Life Sciences in Norway.
on the Margins of European Seas (HERMES).
The extent, biological diversity and ecological importance of deep
This gives UNEP direct access to the results sea ecosystems, such as cold water corals, is only now becoming
of these multidisciplinary and cutting-edge fully understood. Also becoming apparent is their fragility and the
damaging impact of industrial fishing practices.
investigations, so that UNEP can continue
to support and provide input to international
discussions and actions to conserve and manage
deep-water and high seas marine biodiversity.
TROPICAL CORALS
In order to slow the continued degradation of

tropical, warm-water reefs, UNEP continue to
support work and action under the International
Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). 2006 saw the
publication of the report ‘Status of Coral Reefs
in Tsunami Affected Countries’. UNEP’s Coral
Reef Unit is also working with ICRAN, in
collaboration with the South Asian Cooperative
Environment Programme, regional governments
and partners, to implement a project for the
long-term management and conservation
of marine and coastal protected areas,
encompassing warm-water coral reefs. The
project will assist nations to move forward with
commitments to develop networks of marine and
coastal protected areas in line with CBD, WSSD
and the MDG targets.

Changing the future
CHANGING THE FUTURE
Natural disasters and armed conflict continue oil pollution was found to have been largely
to devastate communities around the world. contained, and contamination levels appeared to
The support of the international community has be generally typical of coastal areas of that part
been generous, but increasing trends in risk and of the Mediterranean. Detailed field tests and
vulnerability suggest the need for new approaches. analysis of samples at laboratories in Europe have,
The year brought changes to the ways that UNEP in addition, found no evidence that missiles used
and the wider international community support during the conflict contained depleted uranium
crisis response, risk reduction and, in particular, or other kinds of radioactive material. However,
recovery, where the watchword is ‘Build Back war-related debris, cluster bombs on farmland,
Better’, a forward-looking process that aims toxic waste—the result of bomb damage and fires
towards the goals of sustainable development at industrial facilities—and widespread damage
rather than recreating prior vulnerabilities. to water and sewage systems were found to
present serious problems to the Lebanese people
When the humanitarian community mobilizes in and require urgent remedial action. UNEP’s
response to disaster or conflict, rapid deployment assessment work was conducted with funding
of environmental expertise is urgently needed from the governments of Germany, Norway and
as well, since the secondary effects of disasters Switzerland.
and conflicts often include damage to industrial
facilities and environmental infrastructure that In August, thousands of tonnes of hazardous
result in contamination of air, water and soil or waste from overseas were dumped at various
create additional risks. Rapid environmental sites around Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, leading to
assessments can help to identify these immediate a humanitarian crisis. The Joint UNEP-OCHA
threats and provide a preliminary indication of Environment Unit deployed environmental
environmental concerns that require attention in experts to join the UN Disaster and Assessment
early recovery and subsequent phases. Coordination (UNDAC) team that was sent to help
national authorities deal with the situation. The
In July, when the fuel depot of a power plant was team assessed the contaminated site, confirming
struck during hostilities in Lebanon, an estimated that the main chemicals in the waste were
10,000 to 15,000 tons of fuel oil spilled into the potentially harmful, and provided scenarios of the
Mediterranean and contaminated the Lebanese associated risks. UNEP and the Basel Convention
and Syrian coastlines. The Joint UNEP-OCHA on the Transboundary Movement of Toxic Waste,
Environment Unit, together with the Lebanese to which Cote d’Ivoire is a party, continue to
Ministry of Environment, the European Union support follow-up activities. A trust fund was
and IUCN, coordinated the massive clean-up established by UNEP to assist with the clean-up.
effort by donors, and international, regional and
local organizations. For more than five weeks in
the aftermath of the spill, the Joint UNEP/OCHA
Environment Unit provided direct support to the
Ministry of Environment in Beirut. In addition,
at the request of the Ministry of Environment,
UNEP conducted a post-conflict environmental
assessment in September and October to
investigate the wider environmental impacts of the A boy drinking water from the Akuem River, near the village
July–August 2006 conflict. of Malual Kon in Bahr el Ghazal State, in southern Sudan.
Only about one-third of the population has access to safe
drinking water, and the threat of water-borne disease has
An international UNEP team of 12 experts increased as towns swell due to the return of displaced
assessed the environmental risks from hazardous people and refugees following decades of civil war. UNEP is
working with governments in post-conflict situations to ‘build
waste and the weapons used, as well as impacts back better’ and ensure the environmental foundation of
on marine and freshwater ecosystems. The sustainable development. © Georgina Cranston/UNICEF

UNEP in 2006

Changing the future
A UNEP expert collecting a soil sample in South Beirut. The conflict in Lebanon between July and August 2006 caused significant damage.
On the request of the Lebanese Ministry of Environment, UNEP undertook a post-conflict environmental assessment.
NEW APPROACHES TO OLD CHALLENGES back even better than before—and ideally to
ensure that pre-existing environmental problems
Humanitarian emergencies disproportionately are not re-created.
affect the poor, and other vulnerable populations,
who rely on natural resources and the physical Throughout 2006, UNEP worked with
environment for their livelihoods. If not properly partners to establish, inform and implement an
managed, post-crisis recovery can have long- environmental agenda for recovery. Following
term consequences on the environmental goods the devastating tsunami of December 2004,
and services that support the survival of affected the Maldives Post-Tsunami Environmental
populations. In the wake of major events, Building Assessment carried out by UNEP drew attention
Back Better requires the engagement of most to approximately 290,000 cubic metres of waste,
sectors. Until recently, the role of environmental including hazardous waste, healthcare waste,
authorities has been largely misunderstood. oil spilled from generators and leakage from
Addressing environmental concerns is not a septic tanks. In 2005, UNEP cleared 89 islands
luxury, but essential to protecting the well- of hazardous waste; the three remaining affected
being of affected communities and providing islands were cleared in 2006. In March the UNEP
the physical basis for a sustainable recovery. Executive Director received a special medal from
Contaminated sites must be cleaned, debris the President of the Maldives in recognition of
must be removed and waste managed. Where UNEP’s post-tsunami assistance. In September,
environmental infrastructure has been damaged or UNEP undertook additional site investigations
ecosystem services compromised, remedial actions to determine the nature and scale of oil
must be taken. In many cases, the institutions that contamination in shallow soils and groundwater
govern the environment must be re-established. In at two tsunami-affected islands, which revealed
all cases, there are unique opportunities to build significant contamination.

UNEP in 2006
Environmental concerns are not limited to waste The UN Trust Fund for Iraqi Reconstruction
and contamination. UNEP’s Post-Tsunami is also behind the Support for Environmental
Environmental Assessments published in 2005 Management of the Iraqi Marshlands project. The
identified damages to mangroves that threatened second phase of the project started in 2006, with
vital ecosystem services, including coastal bilateral funding from the Governments of Italy
protection and the maintenance of fisheries. and Japan, and involving the Iraqi Ministries of
In 2006 UNEP worked to restore these coastal Environment, Water Resources, and Municipalities
habitats with its Indonesian project partner, and Public Works, local community groups, and
Wetlands International Indonesia Programme, other stakeholders. The positive impacts of the
and IUCN at a site in Aceh Besar. Training in project were featured prominently in a BBC Earth
seedling preparation and rehabilitation techniques Report documentary, broadcast around the world
was conducted, two nurseries were built and a re- in November 2006.
vegetation project was launched with community
groups. The programme also included training in Data released by UNEP in December revealed
design and implementation of local rehabilitation that almost half the Iraqi Marshlands, considered
programmes. A report, ‘A Study of Lessons by some as the original biblical ‘Garden of Eden’,
Learned from Mangrove/Coastal Ecosystem and an ecosystem of global importance, has
Restoration Efforts in Aceh since the Tsunami’, is recovered to its former 1970s extent. At the same
in preparation. time, up to 22,000 people living in the area are
now getting access to safe drinking water through
In collaboration with UN-HABITAT, UNEP the implementation of environmentally sound
has also prepared a ‘Sustainable Construction technologies and the training of operators at water
Guidance Manual’ for use by NGOs and UN treatment and distribution facilities. In addition,
agencies in Banda Aceh. The manual will approximately 300 Iraqis have been trained in
provide information on sustainable construction marshland management techniques and policies.
materials and techniques, energy efficiency In late 2006, work started to expand water
and conservation, alternative water supply provision in another community, with additional
and sanitation systems, and waste recycling funding from Japan.
and composting. The manual will also focus
on environmental management goals, such as Further west, UNEP conducted an independent
secondary containment of fuel tanks and the assessment at the request of Palestinian
minimization of dust and noise emissions. Environment Quality Authority of the
environmental status of the 21 disengaged Israeli
POST-CONFLICT WEST ASIA settlements in Gaza. The findings, released by
UNEP in Jerusalem in March 2006 concluded that
In Iraq, UNEP continued to support and follow- no significant environmental impacts were caused
up on assessments of post-crisis environmental by the settlements. However, risks to groundwater
conditions. A $905,000 award from the UN Trust were identified from mismanaged chemicals at
Fund for Iraqi Reconstruction allowed UNEP to the Erez Industrial Estate. Clean-up of asbestos
implement recommendations in the November in demolition waste was also recommended to
2005 ‘Assessment of Environmental Hot Spots’ protect public health.
report by conducting pilot clean-up activities of
two highly contaminated sites at Al Qadissiya and The information generated by the assessment
Al Suwaira. established a valuable baseline for longer-term
planning of various resource uses, including land
Under very difficult security circumstances, use planning, agricultural use and solid waste
nearly 600 50-litre drums of hazardous chemicals, management systems in the area. As an initial step,
including cyanide, chromium and mercury, were an asbestos training workshop for Palestinians was
collected and safely stored away from public held in Cairo in April to prepare participants for
access, thereby removing an important public clean-up work. In March, UNEP and the Applied
health hazard and security risk. The work included Research Institute, Jerusalem, agreed to develop
training employees and government staff on the an environmental information system for Gaza
methodologies and health safety protocols for and to train approximately 20 members of the
hazardous waste collection and storage. Palestinian Authority in its use.

Changing the future
SUPPORT TO AFRICA establishment, management, closure and the

return process. The programme culminated in the
With renewed hope for political stability and UNEP publication ‘Environmental Considerations
development in Sudan, which suffered protracted of Human Displacement in Liberia: A Guide for
armed conflict and two civil wars between 1955 Decision Makers and Practitioners’ released in
and 2005, UNEP’s post-conflict assessment report Liberia in October. The IDP Consultative Forum
will give a comprehensive analysis of the current (ICF) for the first time incorporated environmental
status of the environment for all of Sudan with an considerations into the assessment of closed IDP
emphasis on current conflicts, peace building and camps, and recommendations from the assessment
post-conflict recovery. The field work component are currently being implemented by the Office
of the assessment, consisting of 10 separate of the United Nations High Commissioner for
field missions in 2005-2006, was completed in Refugees (UNHCR).
September.
GOVERNANCE AND RECOVERY
Among the consequences of conflict—as well as
natural disasters—is the large-scale displacement Addressing environmental concerns in post-
of communities. When people are settled in crisis situations requires good governance and
transitional locations, attention to the environment institutional capacity, often in situations when
is essential for the quality of life of the displaced the environmental management infrastructure has
people, as well as the permanent inhabitants of itself been compromised as a result of disaster
the area. In Liberia, almost 15 years of civil war or conflict. In Afghanistan, UNEP has been
resulted in a considerable number of Internally helping to build the environmental management
Displaced Persons (IDPs). UNEP has developed a capacity of the National Environmental Protection
methodology to map environmental vulnerability Agency (NEPA) since 2003. In November 2006
and launched a campaign to promote awareness the Afghan parliament approved the Afghanistan
of the environmental implications of camp Environmental Law—the country’s first
environmental law. It was drafted by NEPA with
UNEP is helping UN partners to mainstream environmental technical assistance from UNEP and IUCN. Other
considerations into their work, such as providing safe living UNEP-supported legislative and policy initiatives
conditions for refugees and internally displaced people.
include: Forestry Law, Rangeland Law, Parks and
Protected Areas Regulations, EIA Regulations and
the Pollution Control Policy.
In parallel with law development, UNEP has been

working to support a comprehensive civil service
reform and reorganization of NEPA. A 390-staff-
NEPA has been created through this process
and UNEP will continue to provide training and
technical assistance to the staff throughout 2007
and 2008. UNEP’s support to the UN country
team in Afghanistan has included participation
in the UN Development Assistance Framework
(UNDAF) as well as in the national development
strategy and Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper. UNEP has also supported NEPA in
accessing international support from various
multilateral environmental agreements, in
particular the Convention on Biodiversity, the
RAMSAR Convention, the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change, and the Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer. The work is supported with funding from
the European Union, the Government of Finland
and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

UNEP in 2006
In Iraq, to lay the foundation for good disaster—global climate change, for instance,
environmental governance and expedite the is expected to result in new patterns of disaster
development of environmental laws, UNEP risk. Some communities have greater capacity
provided an environmental law expert to work to withstand the effects of hazards, the poorest
with the Ministry of Environment. UNEP also communities less so. Proper management of
provided the methodological tools used by the natural resources can improve community
Ministry of Environment’s special task force resilience.
to assess institutional capacity at all levels.
Recommendations for institutional change and Throughout 2006, UNEP strengthened its
further capacity building requirements were engagement in the UN International Strategy for
formulated and presented to the Environment Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The activities have
Minister. An Environmental Information Center been guided by the internationally agreed Hyogo
and an Environmental Monitoring Laboratory has Framework for Action, and have addressed
been established in Baghdad, with Ministry staff disaster risk reduction through strengthening
receiving specialized training. institutional capacity for addressing risk
and vulnerabilities, generating and applying
In Indonesia, UNEP continued to provide environmentally-informed risk information,
the Ministry of Environment, the Aceh-Nias improving preparedness for effective response
Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency and recovery, and introducing programmes that
(BRR) and the UN Recovery Coordinator with directly address underlying risk factors.
technical and capacity building assistance. UNEP
developed an Environmental Impact Assessment In Africa, UNEP ISDR and UNDP launched
Tracking Database System to coordinate an initiative to mainstream disaster risk
activities related to environmental screening reduction into development practice, including
and the review of proposed rehabilitation and environmental management. The guidelines will
reconstruction projects. UNEP also developed a serve as a keystone in the implementation of the
Strategic Environmental Framework to ensure that Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy designed by
reconstruction activities contribute to improved African Ministers of Environment and adopted
environmental conditions in Aceh and Nias, and by the Africa Union in 2005. In Indonesia, UNEP
carried out the Environmental Aspects of Post- carried out two missions to identify disaster-
Tsunami Recovery and Reconstruction in Aceh related capacity and developed a Strategic
assessment in September 2006. Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and
Recovery to assist the Ministry of Environment
Another initiative was support for the Indonesian to understand its strengths and capacity needs so
Ministry of Environment on eco-house design, it can better participate in national disaster risk
with the construction of a pilot eco-house in reduction efforts.
Labuy Village in Banda Aceh. At the BRR’s
request UNEP also prepared a ‘Comprehensive UNEP has also worked to build awareness and
Master Plan’ that includes the development of mobilize political support for the integration
infrastructure, public meeting facilities, and eco- of environment and disaster concerns within
houses in the village. The BRR plans to build the international community. UNEP leads the
more than 1,000 houses in the area based on Environment and Disaster Working Group
different types of demonstration eco-houses that in the ISDR system. In August, UNEP and
will be designed and constructed with additional the Working Group convened the plenary
support from UNEP. session on Environment and Vulnerability
at the International Conference on Disaster
RISK REDUCTION Reduction in Davos, Switzerland. Following the
recommendations of the working group, UNEP
‘Building Back Better’ also means reducing the prepared a policy paper which identifies key
risk of future disasters. Again, the environment issues in environment and disaster reduction,
has an important part to play. Coastal vegetation, which will be launched at the first meeting of
forests and wetlands all help to buffer the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
communities from natural hazards. In extreme which coincides with World Environment Day in
cases environmental change can itself trigger a June 2007.

Changing the future
RISK INFORMATION UNEP also continued to provide support to other

international partners working to identify risk.
Access to information is important for all aspects Following the success of the Disaster Risk Index
of disaster risk reduction and related management developed by UNEP for UNDP, and published in
activities. In 2006, UNEP drew on environmental the report ‘Reducing Disaster Risk: a Challenge
information acquired through earth observations for Development’, a new collaboration between
and other sources to identify and monitor disaster UNEP and the UNDP Bureau of Crisis Prevention
risk. It also promoted more rigorous attention and Recovery was established. The Global Risk
to the role of environmental change in risk Identification Programme (GRIP), was initiated
assessment methodologies. UNEP continued in 2006 to improve coordination between
to support the Project for Risk Evaluation, international initiatives and to share knowledge,
Vulnerability, Information and Early Warning information, expertise and resources. UNEP also
(PREVIEW) which was initiated in 1999 to assist worked with UN University and other partners
in the dissemination of global datasets related to to produce ‘Measuring Vulnerability to Natural
hazards and is used and supported by the ISDR for Hazards Towards Disaster Resilient Societies’.
generating country profiles.
Monitoring risks is not the exclusive domain of
high-tech instrumentation. UNEP is conducting
a study on ‘Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster
Management in Africa’. Based on case studies in
Following the disengagement by Israel from Gaza in 2005 it was Kenya, Tanzania, Swaziland and South Africa,
agreed that UNEP would carry out an environmental assessment. the work will draw attention to indigenous
UNEP sent a team of eight UNEP staff members, plus external
environmental experts experienced in asbestos, contaminated
knowledge in these countries and will issue strong
land, hazardous waste, marine and coastal environment, and water recommendations for incorporating traditional
resources. The assessment report, published in 2006, concluded and indigenous knowledge in national policy
that no significant environmental impacts were caused by the
settlements or the disengagement. The information generated and development documents and in disaster
established a valuable baseline for longer-term planning. UNEP preparedness and risk reduction efforts.
and the Applied Research Institute, Jerusalem, have agreed to
develop an environmental information system for Gaza and to train
approximately 20 members of the Palestinian Authority in its use. AWARENESS AND PREPAREDNESS
In order to reduce overall vulnerability of

ecosystems and people, preparing for emerging
threats is as critical as addressing existing threats.
In 2006, UNEP helped the Mexican government
to develop a proposal to establish an Early
Warning Centre for Mesoamerica and the Hispanic
Caribbean, which was approved at the VI Forum
of Iberoamerican Ministers of Environment in
October. UNEP also expanded its working the
region related to conflict around environmental
issues. In July, the Regional Consultation on the
Environment and Conflict Prevention Initiative,
in Mexico City, reviewed the Mesoamerican
Biological Corridor as a means for conflict
prevention and mediation. Subsequently, experts
agreed to form a region-wide network of experts
on environment and conflict prevention.
Industrial facilities, too, can be a source of

hazard, either through human error or through
damage to facilities triggered by natural events.
UNEP promotes community awareness of
associated risks and broad-based participation
in preparedness planning to address the unique

UNEP in 2006
challenges of responding to environmental October, UNEP joined the ISDR Management

emergencies. In Sri Lanka and Morocco, UNEP Oversight Board. UNEP also continued to lead
carried out training for national and local the thematic Working Group on Environment and
authorities on disaster preparedness based on a Disaster Risk Reduction, which aims to establish
newly revised training kit. Local demonstrations an environmental framework for disaster reduction
are ongoing at sites in both countries. At efforts, mobilize political support, and strengthen
the request of the government of Indonesia, the knowledge base required to support work in
Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies this field.
at the Local Level (APELL) concepts were
introduced in a workshop on industrial accidents UNEP has also been a key member of an
in Surabaya attended by local authorities and initiative led by the ISDR and the Office of the
industry representatives. Special Envoy, President Clinton, to strengthen
tsunami early warning systems. Not only does
In July 2006, the European Commission this initiative aim to directly support national
Delegation in Bangkok concluded a partnership aspirations to establish effective multi-hazard
with UNEP to implement a new project: Disaster warning systems, it also establishes a precedent
Reduction through Awareness, Preparedness and for inter-agency cooperation in the design and
Prevention Mechanisms in Coastal Settlements delivery of services to national governments, fully
in Asia: Demonstration in Tourism Destinations. in line with the UN Coherence Policy adopted by
The project aims to minimize casualties as well as the UN General Assembly in November 2006.
property and environmental damage from natural
and man-made disasters in tsunami-affected UNEP also works with the UN Inter-Agency
tourism destinations in India and Thailand. Standing Committee (IASC), established in
UNEP also organized training on APELL and 1992 as the primary vehicle for inter-agency
on environmental emergencies for the NATO coordination of humanitarian assistance. The
Partnership for Peace course run by the Swedish ‘cluster approach’ was endorsed at the end of
Rescue Services Agency in Romania. The course 2005 as part of a wider reform process to improve
provided participants with strategies to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian response by
preparedness for international rescue and relief ensuring greater accountability, predictability
operations in response to environmental disasters. and partnership. The primary objective of the
cluster approach—and what distinguishes it
NEW PARTNERSHIPS, NEW MECHANISMS from traditional sector-based coordination—is
to ensure accountability by designating a lead
Linking emergency response, early and long-term agency for each cluster. To date, nine clusters
recovery, disaster risk reduction and development have been established, namely: Nutrition; Water
requires coordination across a broad spectrum of and Sanitation; Health; Camp Coordination and
actors, including national governments, the UN Management; Emergency Shelter; Protection;
system, international financial institutions and Logistics; Emergency Telecommunications; and
civil society. 2006 has seen wide-reaching changes Early Recovery.
in the approach to delivering support to affected
and vulnerable communities. UNEP has been The Early Recovery Cluster, led by UNDP, covers
active in supporting these advances and engaging both post-conflict situations and natural disasters.
in new partnerships. In this regard, to further It aims to improve strategic planning for early
enhance UNEP’s capacity in crisis management, recovery from the immediate period following
the Executive Director decided to merge UNEP’s the onset of a crisis. It is also critical in linking
Post-Conflict and the Disaster Management immediate responses to disasters with medium
expertise into a single new branch. and long-term recovery efforts. UNEP is an active
member of the cluster, and throughout 2006
The ISDR system, which is comprised of national worked to ensure that tools and mechanisms are in
governments, UN agencies, international financial place to ensure that environmental considerations
institutions and civil society, works together to are adopted as early as possible in the recovery
support the growth of national capacity to address process. UNEP also started work to mainstream
disaster risk. Throughout 2006 UNEP played an environmental issues within the response
active role in strengthening the ISDR system. In approaches of the other clusters.

Partners for change
PARTNERS
FOR
CHANGE
Civil society pressure, allied with sound

scientific data, helped to create many of
today’s environmental agreements and
institutions, and provides the foundation
for global efforts to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals. During 2006, UNEP
continued to strengthen its collaboration
with civil society to facilitate its greater
involvement in intergovernmental decision
making and to enhance UNEP’s own
effectiveness in fulfilling its mandate to
provide environmental leadership.
Each year, UNEP organizes a Global Civil

Society Forum (GCSF), held just prior to
the Governing Council or its special session,
in the same venue. The 7th GCSF was held
in Dubai in February 2006 before the 9th
Special Session of the Governing Council/
Global Ministerial Environment Forum
(GC/GMEF). Chemicals management,
tourism and energy were key policy issues
considered during the GC/GMEF ministerial
consultations, and were central subjects for
the GCSF and its associated preparatory
regional meetings. About 120 participants
from around 48 countries attended the Dubai
meeting, including more than 30 civil society
organizations from the West Asian region.
In preparation for the 24th UNEP Governing

Council and the 8th GCSF, to be held in
February 2007 in Nairobi, UNEP organized
six Civil Society Regional Consultation
Meetings for Africa, Asia and the Pacific,
Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, GENDER ISSUES
North America and West Asia. The preparation
included the launch of five web-pages on Women comprise more than half the world’s
subjects that were debated at the regional population. Often in the front line in terms of
consultations and scheduled for discussion at poverty, sustaining communities and managing the
the GC/GMEF, including environment and earth’s biodiversity and natural resources, women
globalization, ecosystem services and human are also uniquely vulnerable to environment-
well-being, water, chemicals management, the related health issues. Despite their role and
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and their know-how, women’s contribution is often
gender and the environment. undervalued and ignored. When UNEP’s new

UNEP in 2006
Executive Director took over in June he made it UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner and Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Wangari Maathai at the launch of the Plant for the Planet:
plain that he would continue to prioritize gender Billion Tree Campaign, 8 November 2006, during the UN climate
issues, both in UNEP’s programme of work change meeting in Nairobi. The idea for the Billion Tree Campaign
and in its own internal management culture. To was inspired by Professor Maathai, founder of Kenya’s Green Belt
Movement, which has planted more than 30 million trees in 12
that end, UNEP organized a senior management African countries since 1977. When a corporate group in the United
workshop on gender mainstreaming to address States told Professor Maathai it was planning to plant a million
trees, her response was: “That’s great, but what we really need is
outstanding and strategic challenges at UNEP.
to plant a billion trees.” Professor Maathai is the co-patron of the
The facilitators introduced a UNEP Draft Gender campaign, along with Prince Albert of Monaco. © UNEP
Plan of Action, jointly produced by IUCN and
the Women’s Environment and Development

Partners for change
The UNEP ‘Who’s Who of Women in the Environment’ website, launched on International Women’s Day, 8 March
2006, pays tribute to women’s contribution to environmental conservation and management. It provides a database
of influential women who UNEP believes should be honoured and whose work should be emulated.
Organization (WEDO) in close collaboration with LABOUR AND THE ENVIRONMENT

UNEP, including interviews with senior managers
and Regional Office directors. Participants made a UNEP is also forging stronger links with
plea for the inclusion of gender in their respective workers and their trade unions. Workers are
areas of responsibility, through concrete measures, often the very first victims of environmental
and for UNEP to make a significant and visible hazards. Their working conditions are therefore
breakthrough on gender mainstreaming to achieve at the core of both the environmental and social
gender equality. In addition, UNEP launched a dimension of sustainable development. On
qualitative survey targeting ministries responsible the other hand, environmental sustainability
for the environment on the incorporation of gender is still too often seen as being in competition
perspectives in environmental programmes and with economic progress, an issue which affects
policies at national level. employees as much as their employers. By
enlisting the support of organized labour, UNEP
Earlier in the year, UNEP launched the highly hopes to open one more front in the battle for
successful ‘Who’s Who of Women in the hearts and minds as it seeks to articulate the
Environment’ website on the occasion of argument that environment and economics
International Women’s Day, 8 March 2006, are partners not adversaries, and that natural
on the theme ‘Women in Decision Making: capital is the foundation for economic and social
Meeting Challenges, Creating Change’. progress.
Through the website UNEP is paying tribute to
the contributions of women to environmental In January 2006, UNEP hosted the first
conservation and management. The website Trade Unions Assembly on Labour and the
provides a database of influential women in the Environment. Over 150 representatives of labour
field of the environment who UNEP believes organizations, trade unions, governments, the
should be honoured and whose work should be private sector and UN bodies discussed the
recognized. synergies between labour and the environment

UNEP in 2006
and ways to establish partnerships and framework CHILDREN AND YOUTH

agreements for joint environmental policy design
and implementation. The Assembly adopted a UNEP’s programme for children and youth
Workers Initiative for a Lasting Legacy which goes under the brand name ‘Tunza’, a word in
confirmed unions’ commitment to taking practical the Kiswahili language of East Africa, where
steps to advance sustainable development and the UNEP is based, that means ‘to treat with care and
MDGs. It also endorsed strengthened cooperation affection’. The goal of the programme is both to
between trade unions and organizations such as educate children and youth, and to involve them in
UNEP, the International Labour Organization UNEP’s programme of work and the deliberations
(ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), of UNEP’s governing body. Each year UNEP
and mapped out steps for joint follow-up action holds a global conference, either for children or
by UNEP, ILO and WHO. for youth, at which they have the opportunity to
choose their representatives to UNEP’s annual
To pursue the implementation of the Assembly’s Governing Council meeting.
resolution, UNEP participated in regional
conferences on labour and the environment in
Latin America and in Africa. In both regions,
substantive areas of focus included issues of
chemicals management as well as climate change
mitigation and adaptation and equitable transition
measures. The Trade Union Regional Conference
on Labour and the Environment in Latin America
in April 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil, which was
attended by delegations from 13 countries, aimed
to establish a framework for discussion, adoption
and extension of common strategies in the work
of trade unions on sustainable development
and the environment in Latin America. The
African Trade Union Conference on Labour and
Environment, in Johannesburg, South Africa,
in July, was attended by participants from 22
countries. The meeting provided UNEP with
an opportunity to present key environmental
challenges and messages outlined in the second
Africa Environment Outlook (AEO-2). Case
studies on actions undertaken by trade unions
in the workplace were presented, including
on hazardous substances, corporate social
responsibility and financial transparency. The
Conference resulted in a regional action plan
to integrate environmental issues into the trade
union agenda.
Further to the regional meetings, UNEP is

currently working on establishing a conceptual
framework on labour and the environment in
a publication on the subject and establishing a
partnership to assist trade unions to replicate the
successful case studies presented at the January
Assembly. UNEP is also looking at other areas of
mutual interest, including training and educating
on the latest developments in international
environmental law in areas such as the chemicals U NEP
treaties.

Partners for change
Putrajaya, Malaysia, was the location for the Mexico in 2006, the youth groups worked to raise
August 2006 Tunza International Children’s awareness about this vital resource. Key events
Conference for the Environment, with the theme included the Third Water Fair in Mexico City,
‘Save a Tree, Save our Lungs’. Two hundred and in February, a special session on Empowerment
fifty children between the ages of 10 and 14 from of Young People for Water Management and the
more than 67 countries attended the conference. Strengthening of the Appropriate Use of Water
The children, all members of environmental clubs and the Tlalocan International Meeting of Water
in their schools or communities, were selected Experiences, both within the framework of the
based on the creativity and the inspirational 4th World Water Forum that was held in Mexico
qualities of environmental projects they are City in March. Youth representatives from
involved in at home. Several of the best projects Argentina, Barbados, Colombia and Honduras,
were presented at the conference, including a joined Mexican youth at the Forum, sharing their
project to restore native species of trees to their experience of water conservation work. The
natural habitat in Colombia, a ‘sacred forest’ that momentum for work on water conservation was
highlights the healing qualities of trees and their maintained throughout the rest of the year through
role in community rituals in South Africa, and a a series of training workshops on water and other
scheme to save damaged trees on a street in South environmental themes using the Action Guide of
Korea. the GEO for Youth LAC Training Manual as a
base.
Much of the conference’s planning and
organization was done with the help of a Junior INSPIRATION
Board of 11 children, elected during the Children’s
World Summit, in Aichi, Japan, in 2005. The UNEP also organized the first Africa Youth
Junior Board helped tailor the conference Conference on the Environment in Brazzaville,
to children’s concerns, making decisions on Congo, in May 2006, in the margins of the
everything from the conference agenda to 11th regular session of the African Ministerial
workshops and field trips. During the Conference Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). The
the children elected a new Junior Board which conference was aimed at promoting networking
will help to organize the next Tunza International among young people and youth organizations
Children’s Conference in Stavanger, Norway, in in Africa, in order to maximize strategic youth
2008. Among the outcomes of the Conference participation in environmental issues. The
was the adoption of the Tunza Environmental ‘Africa Environment Outlook for Youth’ report
Contract, whereby participants pledged to take was also launched during the Conference. In
concrete action to protect the environment and the Asia-Pacific region, there are active Tunza
raise awareness about the environment and the youth networks for Southeast Asia, Central Asia,
UNEP Tunza programme. Each child pledged Northeast Asia, South Asia and the Pacific islands.
to plant a minimum of 20 trees each year, help In Latin America and the Caribbean, TUNZA
organize a tree planting week in their schools activities were promoted through four subregional
or communities, promote recycling and say ‘no’ meetings: Southern Cone, Andean Region, Central
to plastic bags. UNEP’s obligations included America and the Caribbean. Within the reporting
establishing an online network and bulletin board period, four Tunza magazines for youth were
for the Tunza 2006 participants and providing a produced: ‘Oceans and Coasts’, ‘Deserts and
certification scheme for participants who fulfil Drylands’, ‘Energy’ and ‘Forests’.
the environmental contract. The Junior Board
also expressed their desire to encourage the One of the highlights of the UNEP year is the
development of Tunza environmental clubs in annual Children’s Painting Competition on the
their respective countries. Environment, which each year reflects the theme
of World Environment Day (WED). For 2006,
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), children from 100 countries contributed more
new national networks of youth activists from than 8,000 paintings on the theme ‘Don’t Desert
Chile, Colombia and Panama joined UNEP GEO Drylands’. The Children’s Painting Competition
for Youth environmental assessment activities. on the Environment is presented on WED as
Taking advantage of a number of international part of the host city’s celebrations. Observed
and national events on water that took place in annually on 5 June, WED is one of the principal

UNEP in 2006
vehicles through which UNEP engages partners in UNEP online bookshop, www.earthprint.com,
environmental activities. The impact of WED is make UNEP publications easily available to the
evidenced by the increasing number of voluntary public at large. Sales continue to be strong with
initiatives and actions that governments, the annual figures reaching $150,000 by December
private sector, children and youth organizations, 2006. UNEP’s various atlases continue to sell
NGOs and civil society take every year around the well, with ‘One Planet Many People: Atlas of
world on the day. In 2006, a total of 294 individual Our Changing Environment’ still generating
initiatives and celebrations were registered, from the highest sales figures, while ‘Planet in Peril:
100 countries around the globe. Africa was the Atlas of Current Threats to People and the
most active continent with 94 initiatives, and India Environment’ is a new popular favourite. Written
recorded the most initiatives for a single country by an international team of specialists, the Atlas,
(40) for the second year in succession. WED also the result of a long-standing cooperation between
continues to generate considerable traffic on the Le Monde diplomatique and GRID-Arendal,
UNEP website www.unep.org, with 12.7 per cent illustrates through text and maps, graphics and
of the site’s total hits for the year. diagrams the interplay between population and the
world’s ecosystems and natural resources. UNEP
NEW AND OLD MEDIA publications are also now featured on Google
Books which provides access to new groups and
Traffic on the UNEP website as whole continues markets.
to rise, with visits up 46 per cent in the past year,
112 per cent over two years, and 154 per cent The rise of broadband also provides a new avenue
over three years. The most popular sites are GEO for UNEP’s audiovisual products. UNEP is a
and the News Centre. It is also encouraging to founding partner of www.green.tv, an online
see that the number of visitors from developing broadband broadcast platform for environmental
countries is steadily increasing, with Asia rising films launched in 2006 which reaches 40,000
from 16.9 to 21.9 per cent and Africa from 3.5 users a month. The site features UNEP’s own
to 5.4 per cent. Downloads are also up, due to broadband TV channel. UNEP’s longstanding
the provision of greater bandwidth after the TV programming vehicle Earth Report came
relocation of the mirror servers to the Hague in back on the air for the last quarter of 2006 with
June 2006. Sales of UNEP publications via the 13 programmes co-sponsored by UNEP. First
UNEP’s website, www.unep.org, is an increasingly important tool for reaching out to a global audience.

Partners for change
broadcast on BBC World, Earth Report is shown Press Service news agency and published in more
5 times a week, reaching 270 million TV sets than 20 Latin American newspapers.
worldwide. Two UNEP-sponsored 3D movies on
marine issues, ‘Ocean Wonderland’ and ‘Sharks As well as receiving awards, UNEP also presents
3D’ continue to screen in IMAX cinemas around them. In April, in Singapore, UNEP honoured
the world with audience figures now in the region seven Champions of Earth, at a gala event
of 57 million viewers. hosted by UNEP, the Singapore Ministry of
the Environment and Water Resources and the
Whether dealing with new or old media, Singapore Tourism Board. The annual award is
collaboration with the world’s journalists is presented to leaders who have made a significant
essential for getting the environmental message and recognized contribution globally or regionally
out to an increasingly interested and informed to the protection and sustainable management of
audience. In 2006, 62 UNEP news releases were the Earth’s environment at the policy level through
distributed from UNEP headquarters and by their leadership, vision and creativity. The seven
UNEP’s regional information officers to a total of UNEP Champions of Earth for 2006 were:
984 journalists worldwide (221 based in Kenya
and 763 internationally). Targeted information is • Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher from
also distributed to a number of specialized lists, Ethiopia, for campaigning against the
and geographically or linguistically specialized patenting of life forms and for community
groups. rights in Africa;
• Singapore’s Tommy Koh, for dedicating
In order to strengthen the capacity of journalists much of his life to key environmental treaties,
in developing countries and countries with including the UN Convention on the Law of
economies in transition, UNEP conducts a range the Sea;
of journalists’ workshops and other training. In • Mikhail Gorbachev of the Russian Federation,
Africa, UNEP continued to support the African for working to encourage shared water as
Network of Environmental Journalists (ANEJ). In a source of cooperation among Israelis,
2006, ANEJ, in collaboration with the government Palestinians and Jordanians, and engaging in
of Mauritania and UNEP, organized the workshop efforts at the highest level;
Poverty and Environment: What Role African • Rosa Elena Simeon Negrin, for raising the
Media Can Play? in Nouakchott, Mauritania. environmental awareness of Cubans;
Other activities included two workshops for • June Zeitlin and eight women leaders from
French and English speaking journalists on the WEDO, which advocates for women’s
Africa Environment Information Network/Africa empowerment and gender equality in global
Environment Outlook in Brazzaville, Congo, policy-making forums;
in the margins of the AMCEN meeting, and in • Mohamed El-Ashry for his 12-year role
Nairobi, Kenya, during the launch of AEO-2. in re-structuring and managing the Global
Environment Facility (GEF); and
SPECIAL EVENTS • Massoumeh Ebtekar, Iran’s first woman vice-
president, who influenced the integration of
In Latin America, UNEP received the Silver environmental considerations into the industry
Shell award in Mexico in October. The and energy sectors in Iran.
award recognizes Ibero-American initiatives
in communications about issues of social UNEP’s other environmental award, the UNEP
responsibility. Awarded annually since 2000 to Sasakawa Environment Prize, saw its relaunch
advertising agencies, communications media in 2006. Designed to nurture environmental
and social organizations, it was given in 2006 to innovation, research, initiatives and ideas, the
UNEP for its support for environmental libraries prize will be awarded annually to individuals with
and video collections, film and art festivals related an established track record of achievement and
to ecology, as well as journalism workshops. the potential to make outstanding contributions
Special mention went to UNEP’s sponsorship to the protection and management of the
of information services such as Tierramérica, environment related to the theme for World
a weekly independent publication on the Environment Day, which for 2006 was ‘Deserts
environment and development, produced by Inter and Desertification’. For 2006, the prize was

UNEP in 2006
awarded jointly to the Tenadi Cooperative Group of the environment and the importance of thinking
of Mauritania, and Rodrigo Vivas Rosas, leader of globally by acting locally. Information materials
the Inter-institutional Consortium for Sustainable distributed by the Clean Up the World campaign
Agriculture in Colombia, for their achievements in to its members in more than 100 countries around
combating desertification and land degradation. the world also highlight information about UNEP
and the chosen theme for World Environment
Also linked to the theme of World Environment Day. The theme for 2007 is ‘Melting Ice: A Hot
Day is the global campaign Clean Up the World, Topic?’, highlighting the effect of climate change
which is closely allied to UNEP. Each year, on the on polar regions and billions of people who rely
third weekend of September, Clean Up the World on meltwater supplied from glaciers in the world’s
members round the world work to raise awareness great mountain ranges.

Partners for change
SPORT AND ENVIRONMENT The Torino Sustainability Report and the FIFA
Green Goal Legacy Report were both launched
Climate change was a major theme in UNEP’s at the fourth Global Forum for Sport and the
sport and environment programme during 2006. Environment (G-ForSE), held in Lausanne,
Dating back to 1994, UNEP’s links with the Switzerland, from 30 November to 1 December
world of sport are getting stronger each year, with 2006. Organized every two years by UNEP and
event organizers and the sporting goods industry the Japan-based Global Sports Alliance, G-ForSE
increasingly keen to incorporate environmental brings together international sports organizations
sustainability into their planning, and to involve and federations, sports clubs, sporting goods
UNEP to help them do so. Two major sporting manufacturers, civil society organizations, the
events took place in 2006: the XX Olympic Winter media and sports personalities to review sport’s
Games in Torino, Italy, and the FIFA World Soccer impact on and contribution to the environment.
Cup, which was held in Germany in summer. Participants also discussed the integration of
UNEP collaborated closely with the organizing environmental issues in the development of
committees of both events and environmental sports facilities and equipment and the running
reports published late in 2006 indicated that both of sports events. Also in 2006, UNEP signed
events were the most environmentally friendly of agreements with the Organizing Committee
their kind ever, achieving significant reductions for the XXIX Olympic Games, Beijing 2008,
in carbon emissions, waste and freshwater use. and with the Fédération Internationale de
Both organizations released sustainability reports Motocyclisme.
listing their achievements, which will serve as a
benchmark for other event organizers. As well as EDUCATION FOR LEADERSHIP
significant achievements in waste reduction and
recycling, the Torino Games offset nearly 70 per The growing movement for change that the
cent of carbon emissions related to the Games world is witnessing in all sectors is evidence of
through its Heritage Climate Torino (HECTOR) the success of the efforts of organizations such
initiative, while the FIFA World Cup’s Green Goal as UNEP to inform, educate and work with
programme achieved the first carbon neutral event. private sector and civil society partners. One of
the important recipients of UNEP’s outreach and
partnership to effect further change is the world
of education itself. Two publications designed to
motivate, build capacity and equip educators to
mainstream environmental ethics and sustainable
development issues into their research and
teaching were launched in 2006: ‘Environmental
Education, Ethics and Action: A Workbook to
Get Started’ and the ‘Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD) Innovations Programme for
Universities in Africa’.
The first book, published in French, English,

Spanish and Italian, and produced in partnership
with Lakehead University, Canada, and Rhodes
University, South Africa, links ethics to everyday
activities, taking it out of philosophy departments
and putting it squarely onto the streets. The
publication on ESD Innovations supports
university teachers and managers in Africa who
are planning and implementing programmes that
will bring environment and sustainability into
the mainstream of learning and research. It has
become a key text for ESD in 47 universities
in Africa and is currently being translated into
French with funding from UNESCO.

UNEP in 2006
In May 2006, 85 university professors and technology in the design, development and
lecturers in various academic fields from 29 delivery of its environmental education
African countries attended the first series of programmes and products, for example the
ESD Innovations Short Courses under the establishment of the MESA Forum and the course
Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability on incorporating ESD into online education.
in African (MESA) Universities Partnership.
The MESA programme has been developed UNEP’s engagement with partners on
by UNEP and its partners to mainstream environmental education and the UNDESD also
environment and sustainability concerns into continued in 2006 with the development of a new
university teaching, research, community programme on Sustainable Communities with
engagement and management in Africa and UN-HABITAT and the University of Helsinki,
to enhance the role of African universities in Finland. Existing programmes also continued,
the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable such as the 29th UNEP/UNESCO/BMU Post
Development (UNDESD) and the achievement Graduate Course on Environmental Management
of the MDGs. for Developing and Emerging Countries, which
was held at the Technical University of Dresden,
So far, the MESA Universities Partnership has Germany, between January and June 2006, and
reached out to over 70 universities from 41 the third University of Joensuu-UNEP Course
countries in Africa through training programmes on International Environmental Lawmaking and
and the use of the MESA Innovations Toolkit. Diplomacy, which was held for the first time
The third phase of MESA was launched in in Africa at the University of KwaZulu-Natal,
December in Nairobi, where e-learning for Pietermaritzburg campus, South Africa. In Asia-
teaching environment and sustainability issues Pacific, the UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment
was introduced. UNEP’s partnership with the for Sustainable Development (IESD) officially
Global Virtual University has enhanced the launched the IESD International Master’s
integration of information and communications Programme in September.
‘Burned Trees’, a comment on ecological vandalism and a plea for environmental respect by artist Philippe
Pastor, was installed at the UN compound in Nairobi in March 2006. UNEP has joined forces with the
Natural World Museum in San Francisco to generate environmental awareness through the Art for the
Environment initiative, using the universal language of art as a catalyst for individuals, communities and
leaders to focus on environmental values. © Georgina Goodwin

UNEP funding
Partners 2006
for change
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT FUND
Governments remain the most important of UNEP’s contribution to the Environment Fund in 2006.
donors. The emphasis in resource mobilization is As a result, and in spite of increased payments by
on securing adequate and increasing voluntary more than 60 countries, the total income of the
contributions from all UN Member States. It is Environment Fund is expected to be nearly $12
important that the donor base broadens. During the million below the target of $72 million for 2006.
past four years of using the voluntary indicative scale
of contributions (2003–2006), close to 150 countries As of December 2006, UNEP received contributions
have made payments to the Environment Fund. from 108 countries and payments continue to arrive.
With few anticipated delayed contributions UNEP is
Following decisions of the Governing Council/ expected to receive approximately $59,200,000, with
Global Ministerial Environment Forum, the UNEP a zero estimate contribution from one of the top ten
Executive Director extended a pilot phase of the donors. This is about $400,000 less than 2005.
voluntary indicative scale of contributions into the
current biennium 2006–2007. The new scale took GROWTH OF SUPPLEMENTARY FUNDS
into consideration an increased level of annual AND EARMARKED SUPPORT
contributions from $65 to $72 million, which was
equal to half of the Environment Fund budget of While mobilizing adequate contributions to the core
US$144 million approved by the Governing Council Environment Fund remains a top fund raising priority
for 2006–2007. for UNEP, supplementary funds, including trust funds,
trust fund support and earmarked contributions, are
To sustain the stability of financial support to UNEP, vital to the organization as they allow UNEP to fully
many countries were invited to increase their implement the work programme approved by the
payments or maintain high annual contributions. Governing Council.
The majority of the main donor countries, about
90 per cent of the top 30 donors, increased In 2006, UNEP continued its work within existing
their contributions, mostly by small amounts, or partnership agreements with Belgium, Ireland,
maintained the same high level of contributions. Norway and Sweden and concluded a new long-term
A few countries increased their payments by partnership with the Government of Spain by signing
two and even more than three times in order to a Framework Agreement in November 2006. This
come closer to or above their voluntary indicative cooperation will focus mainly, but not exclusively,
level of contributions and that of the UN scale of on support for the achievement of the Millennium
assessment. Unfortunately, at the same time there Development Goals, especially Goals 1 and 7.
were a few cases where major donors decreased Another long-term partnership agreement with the
their voluntary annual payments, including one Netherlands ended in mid-2006 and is currently
major donor country which did not make any being evaluated.
Environment Fund contributions 2004–2006: Top 20 donors

Country 2004 2005 2006 TOTAL
United Kingdom 7,672,560 7,986,720 7,875,000 23,534,280
Germany 6,945,516 6,641,934 7,005,762 20,593,212
Netherlands 6,020,352 6,003,878 6,269,453 18,293,683
United States 5,910,100 6,571,368 5,750,000 18,231,468
France 4,614,262 4,000,000 4,340,000 12,954,262
Finland 3,364,760 3,601,026 3,648,788 10,614,574
Japan 3,400,000 3,230,000 3,020,198 9,650,198
Switzerland 2,827,216 2,997,548 2,914,219 8,738,983
Sweden 2,800,532 2,883,512 2,677,818 8,361,862
Denmark 2,658,662 2,441,717 2,603,511 7,703,890
Norway 2,134,259 2,370,305 2,221,597 6,726,161
Italy 3,072,800 2,886,960 -*** 5,959,760
Canada 1,984,890 2,058,894 792,088 4,835,872
Spain 950,902 709,500 1,836,940 3,497,342
Belgium 758,920 730,195 776,741 2,265,856
Ireland 381,795 396,187 1,001,039 1,779,021
Austria 509,543 520,953 497,438 1,527,934
Russian Federation 500,000 500,000 500,000 1,500,000
Australia 424,600 428,450 413,050 1,266,100
Luxembourg 165,718 189,180 416,745 771,643
TOTAL 57,097,387 57,148,327 54,560,387 168,806,101
WORLD TOTAL 59,538,474* 59,639,599* 59,200,000** 178,378,073
*includes pledges
**includes estimates
***pledge not yet made

UNEP in 2006
CONTRIBUTIONS TO UNEP’S ENVIRONMENT FUND 2000–2006
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 * 2005 * 2006 **
Contributions and pledges USD 41 mil 44.1 mil 48.3 mil 52.6 mil 59.5 mil 59.6 mil 59.2 mil
* includes pledges
** includes pledges and estimates, without estimate for Italy
Environment Fund: Countries increasing contributions/pledges 2005–2006
Contributions and Contributions and

Country Increase
pledges in 2005 pledges in 2006
US$ US$ US$

1 Andorra 25,522 31,800 6,278
2 Belgium 730,195 776,741 46,546
3 Brunei Darussalam 9,980 10,000 20
4 Bulgaria 6,000 6,600 600
5 Burkina Faso - 1,000 1,000
6 Cambodia 1,000 8,484 7,484
7 Chile 10,000 20,000 10,000
8 China 200,000 250,000 50,000
9 Colombia 17,630 62,000 44,370
10 Croatia 11,000 23,000 12,000
11 Cyprus 15,000 22,000 7,000
12 Czech Rep. 197,949 219,116 21,167
13 Denmark 2,441,717 2,603,511 161,794
14 Egypt 9,000 17,000 8,000
15 Estonia 6,000 7,500 1,500
16 Ethiopia - 1,000 1,000
17 Fiji - 4,478 4,478
18 Finland 3,601,026 3,648,788 47,762
19 France 4,000,000 4,340,000 340,000
20 Germany 6,641,934 7,005,762 363,828
21 Greece 175,000 200,000 25,000
22 Grenada - 600 600
23 Guatemala - 4,300 4,300
24 Guinea-Bissau - 700 700
25 Haiti - 49,351 49,351
26 Hungary 72,000 80,000 8,000
27 Iceland 20,000 25,000 5,000
28 Indonesia 15,049 25,000 9,951
29 Iran 30,000 35,000 5,000
30 Ireland 396,187 1,001,039 604,852
31 Israel 10,000 20,000 10,000
32 Kazakhstan - 10,000 10,000
33 Latvia 6,000 9,500 3,500
34 Lesotho 10,000 10,165 165
35 Lithuania 7,179 7,200 21
36 Luxembourg 189,180 416,745 227,565
37 Malaysia 30,000 40,000 10,000
38 Malta 9,000 10,000 1,000
39 Mauritius 4,800 5,000 200
40 Mexico 100,000 383,053 283,053
41 Monaco 12,000 20,000 8,000
42 Myanmar 1,000 1,500 500
43 Netherlands 6,003,878 6,269,453 265,575
44 New Zealand 155,000 160,000 5,000
45 Panama 8,000 10,000 2,000
46 Philippines 2,349 5,792 3,443
47 Romania 20,000 32,000 12,000
48 Rwanda - 700 700
49 Slovakia 20,000 30,000 10,000
50 Slovenia 48,600 50,000 1,400
51 Spain 709,500 1,836,940 1,127,440
52 Suriname - 700 700
53 Swaziland 6,000 8,000 2,000
54 Syria - 7,000 7,000
55 Trinidad & Tobago 3,362 10,000 6,638
56 Tunisia - 14,000 14,000
57 Turkey 100,000 125,000 25,000
58 Tuvalu - 600 600
59 Uganda - 1,659 1,659
60 United Rep. of Tanzania 1,175 1,200 25
61 Venezuela 20,000 30,000 10,000
TOTAL 26,109,212 30,005,977 3,896,765
Number of new contributors:14

UNEP around the world
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Longum Park, Service Box 706
All UNEP Divisions are located at UNEP Headquarters with the exception of DTIE. N-4808 Arendal, Norway
Internet access to all UNEP Divisions and additional e-mail addresses Phone: +47 3703 5650
are available from the UNEP web site www.unep.org. Fax: +47 3703 5050
E-mail: [email protected]
UNEP HEADQUARTERS Web: www.grida.no
P.O. Box 30552
Nairobi 00100, Kenya United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR)
Phone: +254 20 762 1234 Vienna International Centre
Fax: +254 20 762 3927 / 3692 P.O Box 500
Telex: 22068 / 22173 A-1400 Vienna, Austria
E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +43 1 26060 4330
Web: www.unep.org Fax: +43 1 26060 4330
UNEP DIVISIONS AND BRANCHES Web: www.unscear.org
DIVISION OF EARLY WARNING AND ASSESSMENT (DEWA) DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IMPLEMENTATION (DEPI)
Early Warning; Environmental Assessment Capacity Building; Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine
Environment (GPA); Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans; Post Conflict
Division Headquarters Assessment; Disaster Management; Implementation of Environmental Law, Dams and
P.O. Box 30552 Development Project
Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Phone: +254 20 762 3231 or 762 4028 Division Headquarters
Fax: +254 20 762 3943 P.O. Box 30552
E-mail: [email protected] Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Web: www.unep.org/dewa Phone: +254 20 762 3508
Fax: +254 20 762 4249
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) E-mail: [email protected]
219 Huntingdon Road Web: www.unep.org/depi
Cambridge CB3 0DL
United Kingdom Global Programme of Action
Phone: +44 1223 277 314 P.O. Box 16227, 2500 BE
Fax: +44 1223 277 136 The Hague, The Netherlands
E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +31 70 311 4460 / 1
Web: www.unep-wcmc.org Fax: +31 70 345 6648
International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Web: www.gpa.unep.org
Designated Administrative Authority (for Japan and Seychelles Secretariat)
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre Post-Conflict Assessment Unit
219 Huntingdon Road International Environment House
Cambridge CB3 ODL 11 chemin des Anémones,
United Kingdom CH-1219 Châtelaine,
Phone: +44 1223 277 314 Geneva, Switzerland
Fax: +44 1223 277 136 Phone: +41 22 917 85 30
E-mail: [email protected]. Fax: +41 22 917 80 64
Web: www.icriforum.org E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.postconflict.unep.ch
UNEP Global Environment Monitoring System/Water (GEMS/Water)
National Water Research Institute UNEP/OCHA Environmental Emergencies Section
Environment Canada OCHA-Geneva
P.O. Box 5050, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington Palais des Nations
Ontario L7R 4A6, Canada CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +1 905 336 4919 / 4935 or +1 905 319 6908 Phone: +41 22 917 11 42
Fax: +1 905 336 4582 / 6230 Fax: +41 22 907 02 57
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.gemswater.org Web: www.reliefweb.int/ochaunep
Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA) UNEP Collaborating Centre on Water and Environment (UCC-Water)
SE - 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden Agern Alle 5
Phone: +46 480 44 73 53 2970 Hoersholm, Denmark
Fax: +46 480 44 73 55 Phone: +45 45 16 92 00
E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +45 45 16 92 92
Web: www.giwa.net Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ucc-water.org
UNEP/DEWA/GRID-Europe
International Environment House Regional Seas Coordinating Office
11 chemin des Anémones UNEP-administered Regional Seas Programmes: Mediterranean (Barcelona
CH-1219 Châtelaine Convention); West and Central Africa (Abidjan Convention); Wider Caribbean
Geneva, Switzerland (Cartagena Convention); Eastern Africa (Nairobi Convention); North West Pacific;
Phone: +41 22 917 82 94 / 95 Asian Seas; North East Pacific (interim/partial administration by UNEP); Caspian Seas
Fax: +41 22 917 80 29 (Tehran Convention—interim administration by UNEP)
Email: [email protected] P.O. Box 30552
Web: www.grid.unep.ch Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +254 20 762 4544 or 762 4033
UNEP/GRID-Sioux Falls Fax: +254 20 762 4618
USGS EROS Data Center E-mail: [email protected]
47914 252nd Street , Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001, Web: www.unep.ch/seas
USA
Phone: +1 605 594 6117
Fax: +1 605 594 6119
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.na.unep.net/index.php3

UNEP in 2006
DIVISION OF TECHNOLOGY, INDUSTRY AND ECONOMICS (DTIE) Liaison Office with the African Union
Sustainable Consumption and Production; Energy; OzonAction; International ECA New Building
Environmental Technology Centre (IETC); Chemicals; Economics and Trade 4th Floor, No. 4NC4-4N13
P.O. Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Division Headquarters Phone: +251 11 544 3431
39-43 Quai André Citroën Fax: +251 11 552 1633
75739 Paris Cedex 15, France E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +33 1 4437 1450
Fax: +33 1 4437 1474 Regional Office for Europe (ROE)
E-mail: [email protected] International Environment House
Web: www.unep.fr 15 chemin des Anémones
CH-1219 Châtelaine,
International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) Geneva, Switzerland
2-110 Ryokuchi Koen Phone: +41 22 917 8276 / 8291
Tsurumi-ku, Osaka 538-0036, Japan Fax: +41 22 797 3420
Phone: +81 6 6915 4581 E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: +81 6 6915 0304 Web: www.unep.ch/roe
Web: www.unep.or.jp Liaison Office with the European Union
14 rue Montoyer, 2nd floor
Chemicals Branch B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
International Environment House Phone: +32 2 213 30 50
11-13 chemin des Anémones Fax: 32 2 213 30 51
CH-1219 Châtelaine, E-mail: [email protected]
Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 917 81 92 UNEP Moscow Office
Fax: +41 22 797 34 60 28, Ostozhenka str.
E-mail: [email protected] 119034 Moscow, Russia
Web: www.chem.unep.ch Phone: +7 495 787 2156
Fax: +7 495 787 7763
Economics and Trade Branch E-mail: [email protected]
International Environment House
11-13 chemin des Anémones UNEP Vienna Office
CH-1219 Châtelaine, Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention
Geneva, Switzerland UNEP, Vienna/ISCC – Room L-339
Phone: +41 22 917 82 43 Vienna International Centre
Fax: +41 22 917 80 76 P.O. Box 500
E-mail: [email protected] A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Web: www.unep.ch/etb Phone: +43 1 260 60 4545
Fax: +43 1 260 60 7 4545
UNEP/UNCTAD Capacity Building Task Force E-mail: [email protected]
on Trade, Environment and Development (CBTF)
International Environment House Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP)
11-13 chemin des Anémones 2nd Floor, United Nations Building
CH-1219 Châtelaine, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue
Geneva, Switzerland Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Phone: +41 22 917 82 98 Phone: +66 2 281 6101 or 288 1870 / 1893
Fax: +41 22 917 80 76 Fax: +66 2 280 3829
Web: www.unep-unctad.org/cbtf Web: www.roap.unep.org
UNEP Collaborating Centre on Energy and Environment (UCCEE) UNEP China Office
Risoe National Laboratory, Bldg. 142 2 Liangmahe Nalu Road
Frederiksborgvej 399 Beijing 100600, P. R. China
P.O. Box 49 DK 4000 Roskilde, Denmark Phone: +86 10 853 20 921
Phone: +45 46 32 22 88 Fax: +86 10 653 22 567
Fax: +45 46 32 19 99 E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.uccee.org Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA)
Villa 2113, Road 2432
DIVISION OF REGIONAL COOPERATION (DRC) Block 324 – Al Juffair
Coordination of Regional Activities; Poverty and Environment Centre; South-South P.O. Box 10880
Cooperation; Major Groups and Stakeholders; Regional Offices: Africa; Europe; Asia Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
and the Pacific; West Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; North America Phone: +973 17 812 755
Fax: +973 17 825 110 / 825 111
Division Headquarters E-mail: [email protected]
P.O. Box 30552 Web: www.unep.org.bh
Phone: +254 20 762 3519 Arab League Liaison Office (ALLO)
Fax: +254 20 762 4270/3695 28 Adly str., 7th Floor
E-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 22
Web: www.unep.org/drc Cairo, Egypt
Phone: +20 2 393 4046 or 392 9733
Regional Office for Africa (ROA) Fax: +20 2 395 0119
P.O. Box 30552 E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +254 20 762 4284 Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC)
Fax: +254 20 762 3928 Edificio No. 132, Ciudad del Saber,
E-mail: [email protected] Clayton, Ancon
Web: www.unep.org/roa Panama City, Panama
Phone: +507 305 0700
Fax: +52 55 5202 0950
Web: www.rolac.pnuma.org
Note: after March 2007, DTIE’s Paris office will move to 15 rue de Milan, 75009,
Paris

UNEP around the world
UNEP Brazil Office Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund

SCN Q.2 Bloco A 11 andar for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol
Brasilia DF, Brazil 1800 McGill College Avenue, 27th Floor
Phone: +55 61 30 38 92 33 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 3J6
Fax: +55 61 329 21 19 Phone: +1 514 282 1122
E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +1 514 282 0068
Regional Office for North America (RONA)
UNEP, 1707 H St. NW, Suite 300 Secretariat of the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol (Ozone Secretariat)
Washington D.C. 20006, USA Located at UNEP HQ
Phone: +1 202 785 0465 Phone: +254 20 762 3851
Fax: +1 202 785 2096 Fax: +254 20 762 3601 / 762 3913
Web: www.rona.unep.org Web: www.unep.org/ozone
UNEP New York Office Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation

Two United Nations Plaza, Room DC2-803, of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
New York, NY 10017, USA United Nations Campus
Phone: +1 212 963 8210 Hermann-Ehlers-Str.10
Fax: +1 212 963 7341 53113 Bonn, Germany
E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +49 228 815 2401 / 2
Web: www.nyo.unep.org Fax: +49 228 815 2449
DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND CONVENTIONS (DELC) Web: www.cms.int
Policy Analysis, Development and Partnerships; Environmental Law; Policy
Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs; Environmental Management Group; Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of Bats in Europe (EUROBATS)
Global Environmental Conventions United Nations Campus
Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10
Division Headquarters 53113 Bonn, Germany
P.O. Box 30552 Tel: +49 228 815 2420 / 1
Nairobi 00100, Kenya Fax: +49 228 815 2445
Phone: + 254 20 762 4011 E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: +254 20 762 4300 / 3926 Web: www.eurobats.org
Web: www.unep.org/dec Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans
of the Baltic & North Seas Accord (ASCOBANS)
Information Unit for Conventions (Geneva) United Nations Campus
International Environment House Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10
11 chemin des Anémones 53113 Bonn, Germany
CH-1219 Châtelaine Tel: +49 228 815 2416
Geneva, Switzerland Fax: +49 228 815 2440
Phone: +41 22 917 82 44 E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: +41 22 797 34 64 Web: www.ascobans.org
Secretariat of the African-Eurasian Waterbirds Agreement (AEWA)
Secretariat of the Environmental Management Group United Nations Campus
International Environment House Hermann-Ehlers-Str.10
11-13 chemin des Anémones 53113 Bonn
CH-1219 Châtelaine, Tel: +49 228 815 2413
Geneva, Switzerland Fax: +49 228815 2450
Phone: +41 22 917 86 93 E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: +41 22 797 34 20 Web: www.unep-aewa.org
Secretariat of the Basel Convention
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Secretariat International Environment House
C/o WMO 7bis, Avenue de la Paix 11-13 chemin des Anémones
C.P. No 2300, 1211 CH-1219 Châtelaine
Geneva 2, Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 739 8208 8254 Tel: +41 22 917 82 18
Fax: +41 22 739 8025 or 8013 Fax: +41 22 797 34 54
Web: www.ipcc.ch Web: www.basel.int
UNEP-ADMINISTERED CONVENTION SECRETARIATS Interim Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent
Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) International Environment House
413 St Jacques Street, Suite 800 11-13 chemin des Anémones
Montréal, Québec, H2Y 1N9,Canada CH-1219 Châtelaine,
Phone: +1 514 288 2220 Geneva, Switzerland
Fax: +1 514 288 6588 Phone: +41 22 917 81 83
E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +41 22 797 34 60
Web: www.biodiv.org E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.pic.int
Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Interim Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
International Environment House International Environment House
11-13 chemin des Anémones 11-13 chemin des Anémones
CH-1219 Châtelaine, CH-1219 Châtelaine
Geneva, Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 917 81 39 / 40 Phone: +41 22 917 81 91
Fax: +41 22 797 34 17 Fax: +41 22 797 34 60
Web: www.cites.org Web: www.pops.int

UNEP in 2006
DIVISION OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION (DCPI) UNEP/GEF Liaison Office, Washington DC
Media Services; Audio-visual and Graphics; Outreach and Special Events; Children 1707 H Street, NW Suite 300
and Youth / Sports and the Environment; Library and Documentation; Publishing Washington, DC 20006
Phone: +1 202 974 1312
Division Headquarters Fax: +1 202 223 2004
Phone: +254 20 762 3293 UNEP/GEF Project on Development of National Biosafety Frameworks
Fax: +254 20 762 3927 / 3692 International Environment House
E-mail: [email protected] 11-13 chemin des Anémones
Web: www.unep.org CH-1219 Châtelaine
Geneva, Switzerland
UNEP Publications Phone: +41 22 917 84 10
SMI (Distribution Service) Ltd Fax: +41 22 917 80 70
Stevenage Web: www.unep.ch/biosafety
Herts SGI 4TP United Kingdom
Tel: 44 1438 748111 UNEP/GEF Project on Reversing Environmental Degradation Trends in the South
Fax: 44 1438 748844 China Sea and Gulf of Thailand
Email: [email protected] UNEP/GEF Project Co-ordinating Unit
Web: www.earthprint.com United Nations Building 2nd Floor, Block B
Rajdamnern Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
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UNEP 2006 Annual Report-2007755

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UNEP 2006 Annual Report-2007755

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Contents

Knowledge for change 14

Energy for change 28

Changing the future 64

Partners for change 72

Unep funding 2006 82

Unep around the world 84

Bureau Members of the UNEP Governing Council

Bureau Members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives

Algeria ** Costa Rica * Pakistan **

* Members whose terms expire on 3l December 2007.

 United Nations Environment Programme

The UNEP annual report for 2006 is as much

For my first term in office, I have set out four

Environment for Development 

 United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development 

UNEP entered a period of transition in 2006.

Mr. Steiner, who had previously served as

 United Nations Environment Programme

where members of the UN General Assembly integration of environmental activities in the

Environment for Development 

the UNEP Governing Council in 2005 to help

Caption One of UNEP’s increasingly important partners in

Just prior to the February 2006 Governing Council/

 United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development 

10 United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development 11

UNEP and the UN Conference on Trade and

UNEP has also partnered with several MEA

12 United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development 13

Following the release of the MA synthesis reports

During 2006, UNEP continued consultations

14 United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development 15

16 United Nations Environment Programme

or is being considered as the official national

Environment for Development 17

Freshwater availability and quality

18 United Nations Environment Programme

is completing a single global assessment and ASSESSING RISK

Environment for Development 19

20 United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development 21

The purpose of UNEP’s environmental

Throughout 2006, UNEP continued its

22 United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development 23

SUPPORT FOR AFRICA At the subregional level, PADELIA supported

24 United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development 25

platform for independent experts, government

Compliance and enforcement in the area of

A ‘Training Guide for Customs Officers’ was also

26 United Nations Environment Programme

Effective implementation of MEAs means engaging a wide range of stakeholders,

Environment for Development 27

United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development

United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development

United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development

United Nations Environment Programme

Environment for Development