UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

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ABOUT THE UNEP:

THE ORGANISATION Organisation Type:

PROGRAMME

Acronyms: UNEP Head: Achim Steiner Status: Active Established: 1972 Headquarters:

Nairobi, KENYA
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ABOUT THE UNEP:

TheUnited Nations Environment

Programme(UNEP) co-ordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environm *in June 1972 and has its headquarters in Nairobi,Kenya. UNEP also has six regional offices and various country offices.

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*UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT: Also known as the STOCKHOLM CONFERENCE
Convened under UN auspices in Stockholm,

SWEDEN

The meeting was held on the 5th to the 16th

of June 1972
It was the UN's first major conference on

international environmental issues

It marked a turning point in the development

of international environmental politics.

3/22/12 The meeting agreed upon a Declaration

ABOUT THE UNEP:

Its activities cover issues regarding the

atmosphere, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions, promoting environmental scienceand information and illustrating the way those can work in conjunction with policy, working on the development and implementation of policy with national governments and regional institutions and working in conjunction with environmental Non-Governmental 3/22/12

ABOUT THE UNEP:

TheWorld Meteorological Organizationand

the UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. UNEP is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global Environment Facility(GEF) and is also a member of the United Nations Development Group

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FAMOUS WORLD PROJECTS:

UNEP has sponsored the development of solar

loan programs, with attractive return rates, to buffer the initial deployment costs and entice consumers to consider and purchase solar PV(PHOTO VOLTAIC) systems. solar loan programsponsored by UNEP helping 100,000 people finance solar power systems inIndia similar projects in other parts of developing

The most famous example is the

Success in India's solar program has led to

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FAMOUS WORLD PROJECTS:

Middle East Middle East

UNEP sponsors the Marshlands project in It helps to protect the largest marshland in In 2001, UNEP alerted the international

community to the destruction of the Marshlands when it released satellite images showing that 90 percent of the Marshlands had already been lost The UNEP "support for Environmental Management of the Iraqi Marshland" 3/22/12

ON GOING PROJECTS:
Electric vehicles At the fifth Magdeburg Environmental Forum

held from 34 July 2008, in Magdeburg, Germany, UNEP and car manufacturer Daimlercalled for the establishment of infrastructure for electric vehicles

At this international conference, 250 high-

ranking representatives from industry, science, politics and non-government 3/22/12 organizations discussed solutions for future

ON GOING PROJECTS:
In order to ensure full participation of global

communities, UNEP has a vibrant programme for young people known as Tunza. Within this program are other projects like the AEO for Youth.

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AEO FOR YOUTH:

The Africa Environment Outlook for

Youth, also known as AEO for Youth, was a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) project that established Africa's first ever youth environmental network. This network worked with young people from at least 41 African countries and mobilised them to write a vibrant youth-oriented book known as AEO for Youth. The book captured the views and perspectives of young people from all over Africa.

3/22/12 It targets young people between the ages of

AEO FOR YOUTH:

In 2006 an image-intensive, vibrantly

designed book was launched at the Africa Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Congo Brazzaville

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HOWEVER

Shrinking of Glaciers

Glaciersare
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FACTORS LIMITING THE FULFILLMENT OF THE UNEPS MANDATE:ESTABLISH THE UNEP AS A DECISION TO
PROGRAMME: The UNEPS performance was influenced due to the fact that it was not a SPECIALISED AGENCY like the WHO. In the UN hierarchy, Programmes have the least independence and authority, and this has made it difficult for UNEP to establish authority over subsequent UN bodies dealing with the environment. Additionally, born out of a General Assembly Resolution, its mandate was 3/22/12

FACTORS LIMITING THE FULFILLMENT OF THE UNEPS MANDATE: UNEPS LOCATION:

The UNEP has been handicapped by its location in Nairobi, Kenya. The first UN body was headquartered in theGl obal South. The move was supposed to ease tensions between the developed and developing world. However, its location in Kenya has led to an isolation from other international environmental power structures, as well as a physical 3/22/12 fragmentation of the governance structure due

FACTORS LIMITING THE FULFILLMENT OF THE UNEPS MANDATE: FUNDING:

Many of UNEP's struggles can be traced back to a lack of funding, and that lack of funding can be traced back to the UNEP's unique funding system. Unlike other international organizations, the UNEP does not have mandatory assessments, instead is reliant on the voluntary contributions of UN member states. UNEPs unreliable and highly discretionary 3/22/12 financial arrangement compromises the

UNEP's Failure as an Anchor Institution*:

*ANCHOR INSTITUTION:

Anchor institutions are non profit institutions that once established tend not to move location. Emerging trends related to globalizationsuch as the decline of manufacturing, the rise of the service sector, and a mounting government fiscal crisis suggest the growing importance of anchor institutions to local economies.
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UNEP's Failure as an Anchor Institution:

The UNEP was created to perform the tasks of

an anchor institution in the system of Global Environmental Governance (GEG).

the role of UNEP was to be the leading global

environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the Environmental dimension of sustainable development within the UN system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environmentAccording to the Nairobi Declaration on the 3/22/12 and Mandate of the United Nations Role

UNEP's Failure as an Anchor Institution:

Maria Ivanova (Director of the Global

Environmental Governance Project at the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy) Assessing UNEP as Anchor Institution for the Global Environment: Lessons for the UNEO Debate

She wrote in a working paper called

In the paper she debates that anchor

institutions are the primary, though not the only, international organizations in certain global issue areas and typically perform three 3/22/12

UNEP's Failure as an Anchor However, Maria Institution:

Ivanova states that while the UNEP was chartered to perform those 3 primary functions, it has failed in many ways
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THE THREE FAILED TASKS:

1) Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting

Monitoring, assessment, and reporting is the

area in which the UNEP has had the most success

the UNEP is thought to do relatively well in

the area of global environmental assessment, and publishes the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) which is highly respected issues at the state level, and

Unfortunately, it fails to analyze

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THE THREE FAILED TASKS:

2) Agenda Setting
Another important function critical to the

effectiveness of an anchor institution is agenda setting and management of intergovernmental processes to gain agreement on standards, policies, and guidelines or even just serving as the central forum for deliberation and debate.
While UNEP has had considerable success in

the creation of treaties and multilateral environmental agreements 3/22/12

THE THREE FAILED TASKS:

2) Agenda Setting
The UNEP has struggled to co-ordinate the

efforts of the numerous international environmental regulatory bodies after their initiation

UNEP has not succeeded in becoming the

central forum for debate and deliberation in the environmental field, like the WTO for trade or the WHO for health.
This lack of a central co-ordinating authority
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to an erosion in the efficacy of Global

THE THREE FAILED TASKS:

3) Capacity Development
The UNEP has struggled to establish its role in

the International system and this has led to it also having difficulty in Capacity Development
(defined by Ivanova as Education and

Training, Financing, Technical Assistance, and Institution and Network Building)

The UNEP mandate calls for the UNEP to play

a primarily instructive role in GEG, however ,the organization now views 3/22/12 implementation as its primary strategy.

THE THREE FAILED TASKS:

3) Capacity Development
This shift has been necessitated by a desire

from states for less treaties and more concrete action and the need for the UNEP to provide tangible results for potential governmental and private sources of funding, upon which the UNEP is dependent role, the UNEP has moved away from its strengths:

However, in moving away from a instructive

3/22/12 information provision, development of

THE CREATION OF UNEO:

UNEO: UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION
After the 58th meeting of the UN General

Assembly, a proposal was made by the member states of the European Union to transform the UNEP into the United Nations Environmental Organization
. In 2007 at UNEP's Governing Council

meeting, the EU repeated its call for a :

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THE CREATION OF UNEO:

significant strengthening of UNEP, along the

lines sketched out in Cartagena as well as in the recent announcements of the Executive Director, which will help UNEP to become more effective in catalyzing action to address major environmental threats

Also, that an upgrade of UNEP into a UNEO,

with stable, adequate and predictable resources and with the appropriate international standing, would enable the organization to fully fulfill its mandate and to 3/22/12 up to the expectations of developed and live

THE CREATION OF UNEO:

Supporters of a UNEO argue that it would play

a vital role in increasing the political importance of environmental issues in the UN environmental challenges the earth currently faces. out by the international community, but certain basic aspects of a UNEO would likely include:

Therefore, play a vital role in solving the many

Specifics of a UNEO would need to be worked

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A SPECIALIZED AGENY STATUS:

While still working within the UN system and

reporting to ECOSOC, (Economic and Social Council ), designation as a specialized agency would allow UNEO to enjoy budgetary autonomy and determine most details of their programming.

Additionally, the creation of a UNEO would not

require consensus among the members of the UN, and membership in a UNEO and the UN could differ 3/22/12

THE UNEO STRUCTURE:

As with other Specialized Agencies, the

institutional structure of a UNEO would consist of a plenary body, an executive organ, and a secretariat plenary body would elect the members of the executive organ, appoint the Director General and approve the budget and work programme.

Proponents of a UNEO suggest that a UNEO

The plenary body would also likely include a

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wide-range of observers from other

THE UNEO STRUCTURE:

Specialized agencies have an executive organ

which ensures that the agency achieves its operational goals and manages the budget the budget and work programme of the UNEO. for all the agencys activities

A UNEO executive organ is likely to prepare

The Secretariat would act as the focal point However, there is considerable variety in the

organization of the Secretariats of various 3/22/12 Specialized Agencies

THE UNEOS PURPOSE AND TASK:

The exact mandate and function of a UNEO

would be determined by the states involved, but they are likely to be similar to those of the UNEP to systematically pool the scientific knowledge on environmental issues and help to define global environmental strategic guidelines to promote coordination and associations.

It has been argued that a UNEO should help

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THE UNEOS PURPOSE AND TASKS:

However, unlike other specialized agencies

like the WTO, it would not have the power to arbitrate environmental disputes. as an umbrella organization, helping to coordinate the

Proponents suggest that a UNEO could serve

over 500 multilateral environment

agreements (MEA) and numerous international organizations and for dealing in an unco-ordinated way with the environment and make them more efficient and less 3/22/12

UNEOS FUNDING:
A UNEO would likely rely on assessed

contributions, which would alleviate UNEPs problems that stem from a reliance on voluntary contributions. able to determine the assessment scales of members separately from the UN general budget.

As a specialized agency, a UNEO would be

Voluntary contributions would likely be used

for specific projects, but, assessed contributions would pay for the operating 3/22/12

OPPOSED THOUGHT S: While many

countries who favor the creation of a UNEO has grown, there remain fears among some states that the creation of a UNEO would:

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Favour

UNEPS AND UNEOS FUTURE(?):

that UNEP needs to be strengthened

There is a consensus among policy-makers In November 2006, the Secretary-Generals

High-level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance, and the Environment recommended that UNEP should be upgraded and have real authority as the environmental policy pillar of the UN system.
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UNEPS AND UNEOS FUTURE(?):

And while disagreement remains over

whether the creation of a UNEO is necessary, according to a French embassy statement, support is growing. of Friends of the UNEO was set up and now has 52 States, bringing together, besides the European Union, countries from every geographical area.

Following the Paris Call for Action, the Group

Many hope that a new administration in the

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United States will make the creation of a