By Suzannah Goss, UNEP
The inaugural UN Environmental Assembly which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, (June 23-27) represented the coming of age of the environment as a world issue, placing environmental concerns on the same footing with peace, security and finance.
UNEA delegates promote the Sustainable Development Goals through global political guidance combined with a science policy interface – for resolving universal environmental challenges. Participants at this first meeting singled out three key challenges: Environmental rule of law, combatting the illegal trade in wildlife, and financing a Green Economy. In the opening address Achim Steiner, UNEP’s Executive Director and United Nations Assistant Secretary General, welcomed over 1065 participants, from 163 member states, including 113 ministers to the ‘Environmental Capital of the World’. Judy Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary of the Environment, Kenya, spoke of addressing growth side by side with environmental sustainability, resonating with the UN-REDD Programme organised Media Round Table on ‘REDD+ in the Green Economy’.
Panellists, Tim Christophersen, Team Leader for the UN-REDD Programme, together with Charles Anderson of UNEP Finance Initiative, Ms. Lineth Arcia representing Panama, and Mr Solomon Berhanu of Ethiopia, discussed the potential of REDD+ to accelerate the transition towards a green economy. Panelists agreed that all sectors need to work towards environmental sustainability: partnerships between the private sector, government and communities can work in some cases while changing the way business operate is also crucial.
The Panamanian experience is that however difficult the stakeholders’ consultation process is; it is seen as an essential step, especially to reach out to indigenous groups. Agreement and new understanding is achieved mostly through education, information and transparency, at the same time as addressing community priorities.
The government of Ethiopia has recognised that business as usual is not sustainable. While the country is only responsible for 0.3 per cent of global GHG emissions, Ethiopia has huge potential as a terrestrial carbon sink through improved agriculture and forestry. The ambitious Climate-Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) Strategy, aims to reconcile the objective of a more efficient and productive economy while reducing pressure on forests. Ethiopia is implementing sustainable forestry practices, increasing forestry /developing the Forestry sector, with REDD+ calculated into the Green Economy strategy as a catalyst for rural development.
