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United Nations Environment Programme
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The second session of UN Environment’s Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific from 5-8 September 2017 in Bangkok is an opportunity for the Member States in Asia-Pacific to bring an Asia Pacific perspective, including the region’s emerging and priority environmental issues, to discussions at the world's highest-level decision-making body on the environment, the UN Environment Assembly, which will meet in December this year to look at ways to end pollution of our air, land, waterways, and oceans and to safely manage our chemicals and waste.

More specifically, at the Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific, Member States1 will:

  • be updated on progress on resolutions made at the 1st and 2nd sessions of the UN Environment Assembly;
  • discuss and identify priority and emerging issues from the region to be reflected in preparations for the upcoming UN Environment Assembly;
  • have an opportunity to contribute towards the theme of the Assembly, “Towards a Pollution-Free Planet”;
  • weigh in on draft resolutions around a pollution free planet that have been submitted to the Secretariat of Governing Bodies of the United Nations Environment Programme; and
  • be invited to provide regional inputs to the draft declaration of the United Nations Environment Assembly at its third session.

The Forum is also an occasion for UN Environment partners, UN agencies, private sector representatives, scientists, academia, and civil society to bring their perspectives and ideas to achieve a pollution-free planet by 2030.

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1The geographical coverage of the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific includes: Afghanistan; Australia; Bangladesh; Bhutan; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; China; Cook Islands; Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; Fiji; India; Indonesia; Iran (Islamic Republic of); Japan; Kiribati; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Micronesia (Federated States of); Mongolia; Myanmar; Nauru; Nepal; New Zealand; Niue; Pakistan; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Republic of Korea; Samoa; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Sri Lanka; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu; and Viet Nam.

 

Background

The Twenty-seventh session of the Governing Council /Global Ministerial Environment Forum of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) at its first universal session held in Nairobi in 2013 (UNEP/GC.27/2) stressed the importance of the Regional Ministerial Environment Forums, for which UN Environment serves as secretariat, and invited these forums to contribute, as appropriate, to the work of the governing body of UN Environment. The first Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific held in May 2015 requested the Executive Director of UN Environment to hold regular sessions of the Forum, convening every two years. The 2nd Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) in May 2016 adopted Resolution No. 2/2 ‘Role and functions of the regional forums of ministers of environment and environment authorities’ in which it requested the Executive Director, within the mandate of UN Environment, to support and to facilitate convening and/or strengthening the existing regional forums of ministers of environment and environment authorities. The decisions and recommendations of the Forum feed directly into the sessions of the subsequent UN Environment Assembly; in 2017, UNEA-3 will be held in December.

Chair’s Summary, First Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific, May 2015

06 Sep 2017

Time & Place
Event Details
08:00
Registration Registration
09:00
Venue: Conference Room - 2
Agenda item 6: Opening of the senior officials segment of the second Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific (Member States primarily served by the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific)
09:30
Conference Room 2
Election of the Bureau and adoption of the agenda Election of the Bureau and adoption of the agenda
09:45
Tea/coffee break Break
10:00
Conference Room 2
Agenda item 7: Review of implementation in Asia and the Pacific of the resolutions adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly at its second session, in 2016, and discussion of regional priorities for the United Nations Environment Programme in Asi Introduction by the secretariat
Country and stakeholder statements
11:00
Conference Room 2
Agenda item 8: Regional input to outcomes of the third session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (2017) UNEA Theme: Towards a pollution free planet
Introduction by the secretariat

Country and stakeholder statements

Draft resolutions of the United Nations Environment Assembly at its third session
Introduction by the secretariat

Country statements
12:30
Lunch break and side events 13:00-14:00 Side event - Astana Green Bridge Initiative: Towards Intra Regional Partnerships for Sustainable Development
14:00
Agenda item 8 (continued) continuation of agenda item 8
15:30
Conference Room 2
Agenda item 9: Discussion regarding institutional arrangements for the Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific Introduction by the secretariat

Country statements
16:15
Conference Room 2
Agenda item 10: Adoption of the draft outcomes of the second Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific. Introduction by the secretariat

Endorsement of the draft report
16:45
Agenda item 11: Adoption of the report of the senior officials of the seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific Introduction by the secretariat

Endorsement of the report, including the declaration
18:30
Dinner reception event Side event - Is the Asia-Pacific ready for Climate Geoengineering? Dinner reception and side event

07 Sep 2017

Time & Place
Event Details
08:00
Registration Registration
09:00
Agenda item 12: Opening of the ministerial segment of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment Welcome address
Inaugural address
Election of the Bureau and adoption of the agenda
10:00
Break, photo session and Pavilion of Partnerships Break
10:20
Agenda item 13: Ministerial dialogue: “Towards a resource-efficient and pollution-free Asia-Pacific region” Ministerial panel
12:00
Lunch break and side events Ministerial Lunch
12:30-14:00 Side event - Impactful Investments in Water Efficient Infrastructures: Inputs to the 3rd Asia-Pacific Water Summit
Venue: Conference Room - 3
12:30-13:30 Side event - Solutions towards an Air-Pollution Free Planet”
Venue: Conference Room - 4
17:00
Dinner reception event Side event - Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards 2017

08 Sep 2017

Time & Place
Event Details
09:00
Agenda item 15: Matters pertaining to the second United Nations Environment Programme Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific Review of the first United Nations Environment Programme Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific and recommendations of the second Forum
Country statements
10:30
Ministerial dialogue: Policy perspective on a pollution free planet This agenda item will provide an opportunity for the ministers and heads of delegations and other stakeholders to engage in an interactive dialogue to share their perspective on how to achieve a pollution free planet by 2030.

Interactive session
12:00
Lunch break and side events 12:50-14:00 Side event - Towards Resource Efficient Asia-Pacific Through Seoul Initiative Network on Green Growth
Venue: Conference Room - 4
12:00-13:00 Side event - Gender, the Environment and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific
Venue: Conference Room - 3
14:00
Special event - Strengthening regional ocean governance and partnership towards ‘clean Seas’ Special event
15:30
Agenda item 16: Adoption of the outcomes of the second United Nations Environment Programme Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific Adoption of the outcomes, including draft report of the senior officials meeting as well as draft Chair’s summary of the Ministerial segment
16:00
Agenda item 17: Adoption of the Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Development for Asia and the Pacific and of the report of the seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific Introduction by the secretariat
Adoption of the declaration and report
16:30
Agenda item 18: Closing of the Summit Closing session

UN Environment, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) on behalf of Asia-Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (AP-RCEM) will host CSO Forum on the Environment on 4 September 2017 as a preparatory meeting to the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment on 5-8 September 2017.

The Ministerial Summit will bring together two regional ministerial-level conferences on the environment convened by UN agencies, the 7th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development (MCED-7) by UN ESCAP and the 2nd Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia-Pacific by UN Environment Asia and the Pacific Office. The Ministerial Summit aims to provide “a unified platform for the Member States to review trends and identify regional perspectives and priorities in environment and development and to bring issues to the attention of the parent bodies of both secretariats.” It will carry the theme: “Towards a resource-efficient and pollution-free Asia-Pacific”.

The CSO Forum is intended to provide a platform for civil society and social movements to organize their positions and strategic inputs and ensure that voices of marginalized sectors and grassroots are included in the Ministerial Summit. The outcome of the CSO Forum will present a collective CSO input to the Ministerial Summit and a regional CSO input to the 2017 UN Environment Assembly.

The CSO Forum will aim to:

  1. Ensure the effective and meaningful participation and engagement of civil society and social movements in the Ministerial Summit;
  2. Organize and provide a platform for CSO deliberation on the issues in the agenda of the Ministerial Summit and how to advance Ecological Justice;
  3. Facilitate the formulation of common CSO positions and inputs to be presented in the official sessions of the Ministerial Summit and of 2017 UN Environment Assembly, in consultation with grassroots communities;
  4. Ensure adequate representation and active strategic engagement in official sessions at the Ministerial Summit to strongly present the voices and views of civil society and social movements; and
  5. Enable civil society and social movements to optimize the engagement with Member States and UN agencies in realizing Ecological Justice.

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