Third forum of ministers and environment authorities of Asia Pacific

Major Groups and Stakeholders’ Forum on the Environment

The Third Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of the Asia Pacific will take place from 24th to 25th of January 2019 in Singapore, with a one-day Major Group and Stakeholders’ Forum on 23rd January 2019. The meeting is jointly organized by Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) Asia and the Pacific Office. The meeting also serves as a platform for Member States and Major Groups and Stakeholders to contribute regional perspectives to the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) that will be held in March 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. It will carry the theme: “Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production.” The proposed focus areas are:

• Environmental challenges related to poverty and natural resources management, including sustainable food systems, food security and halting biodiversity loss;
• Life-cycle approaches to resource efficiency, energy, chemicals and waste management;
• Innovative sustainable business development at a time of rapid technological change.

The Major Group and Stakeholders’ Forum is intended to provide a platform for major groups and stakeholders and social movements to organize their positions and strategic inputs, and ensure that voices of marginalized sectors and grassroots are included in the Third Forum of Ministers. The outcome of the Major Group and Stakeholders’ Forum will present a collective Major Group and Stakeholders’ input to the Forum of Ministers and a regional Major Group and Stakeholders’ input to UNEA-4 in 2019.

The Major Group and Stakeholders’ Forum will aim to:

• Enable major groups and stakeholders and grassroots representatives to prepare their collective views and positions on the issues at UNEA-4 and on the agenda of the 3rd Forum of Ministers and to ensure equitable opportunities to present those during the official sessions;
• Ensure that the voice and views of major groups and stakeholders and grassroots movement in the region on the various issues in the UNEA-4 theme will be adequately and fairly presented and reflected in the Asia-Pacific regional inputs to UNEA-4;
• Provide opportunities for major groups and stakeholders and grassroots representatives from across the region to understand and deliberate on the issues in innovative solutions to environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production relevant to the specific situation and experiences in Asia-Pacific.

The format of the one-day Major Group and Stakeholders’ Forum will also enable active participation and productive deliberation among the participants. Plenary sessions will involve interactive processes while illuminating issues on the agenda, and offer contributions based on on-the-ground experiences and lessons from across Asia-Pacific. Workshops/group discussions will also be organized to allow opportunities for participants to focus on specific topics that will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Major Group and Stakeholders’ Forum.  A collective Statement from Major Group and Stakeholders summarizing the key inputs and positions of the participants on the agenda of the Third Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of the Asia Pacific will be adopted as main outcome document.

Agenda

Note: The geographical coverage of the UN Environment Asia-Pacific office includes 41 Member States: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Kiribati, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Korea (the Republic of), Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam.

Videos

• Transforming Asia Pacific
• How Innovation in culture can spur sustainable consumption and production
• How Innovative business models can spur low-carbon consumption and production
• How Innovative technologies can spur sustainable consumption and production
• How Innovative finance solutions can spur low-carbon consumption and production
• How Innovative Policies Can Spur Low Carbon Consumption
• 2018: Year of Climate Action
• Behind our Sustainability Desk

Stories

• Meet the Samoan businesswoman who’s making sanitary products more sustainable
• How trade helped Cochin International become the world’s first solar powered airport
• Young Champions help stem marine plastic
• Capitalism is not suitable for the future, says inventor and designer Philippe Starck
• Why trade can save the planet, if we do it better
• Sustainability standards provide benefits for trade in timber products
• Green is gold: China’s remarkable revival project
• Tackling the world’s most urgent problem: meat
• Seeing the light: LEDs power India’s drive for household energy-efficiency

EMPOWER WOMEN IN RENEWABLE ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND CLIMATE ACTION TO #SOLVEDIFFERENT ASIA PACIFIC

12:15 to 13:45, Wednesday, 23 January 2019, Room 4102, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore

Across Asia and the Pacific, women are leading innovative solutions in various sectors that contribute to sustainable living, environmental management and climate action. There is a wealth of new knowledge, innovative experiences and useful lessons to be shared such as women’s entrepreneurship in renewable energy, leadership in driving sustainable consumption solutions and governments’ commitment for the role of gender in addressing climate change.

This side event will explore the opportunities to #SolveDifferent by making women agents of change in environmental management, technology transfer and climate action in Asia Pacific. It will reflect on the role of gender in environmental management, address the benefits and trade-offs and how this region can drive the transition to more equitable and sustainable solutions.

Speakers' bios Flyer

UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUTH IN ASIA PACIFIC FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 

12:00 to 13:45, Wednesday, 23 January 2019, Room 4103, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore

The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) provides a comprehensive picture of the world’s environmental trends and challenges. It is a series of products that informs environmental decision-making for governments and various stakeholders, and enhances the interaction between science and policy.

The Global Environment Outlook for Youth in Asia-Pacific report aims to inspire and empower students and young professionals to integrate environmental considerations in their lifestyles, occupational disciplines and professional practices. Developed by a group of young scholars from regional partner institutions, the report will be available in multiple languages.

The side event will showcase the findings of the report and provides a platform for young leaders and professionals to share insights on sustainable behavioural change and practices. The side event will also highlight existing initiatives in Asia Pacific that drive actions towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

ELECTRIFYING THE TRANSPORT SECTOR TO BEAT AIR POLLUTION

12:25 to 13:45, Thursday, 24 January 2019, Room 4102, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore

The Asia Pacific region is at the center of a public health crisis, with over 4 million people dying prematurely each year due to air pollution. Electric mobility is one of the most effective 25 measures identified by UN Environment and its partners to help beat air pollution in the region. Asia-Pacific is already a showcase for electric mobility, yet many countries and cities are not yet able to fully mainstream and maximize benefits from electric mobility.

This side-event aims to:

• Highlight electric mobility as a measure to beat air pollution in Asia Pacific;
• Inform Asia-Pacific Environment Ministers and senior officials on the state-of-the-art of electric mobility and benefits for environment; and
• Identify opportunities to mobilize technical and financial support for electric mobility.

CATALYSING A GLOBAL AGENDA ON ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: EXPLORING TRANSBOUNDARY RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION

12:30 to 13:45, Thursday, 24 January 2019, Room 4103, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore

Paris Climate Change Agreement has recognised adaptation as a “global challenge” and framed almost exclusively as a national-to-local concern, while the broader international dimension of climate risk has received little attention in negotiations and pragmatic planning for adaptation. In an increasingly globalised world, it is important to understand how climate change and adaptation will affect interdependent relationships, adaptation measures and responses including understanding cross-border climate risks and informing adaptation planning and communication under the Convention. This side event will explore the transboundary risks that result from both the impacts of climate change and the effects of adaptation interventions (positive and negative). It will focus on the following aspects: (a) the state of knowledge on transboundary climate risks and the transboundary consequences of adaptation interventions (both planned and unintended) and build a common understanding among the target audience of adaptation as a global challenge; (b) highlight examples and case studies of transboundary risks within the Asia Pacific region, and the broader inputs and measures required to move this agenda forward, including the benefits to national-level actors; (c) encourage shared learning on relevant cross-border initiatives, projects and platforms within the region, to highlight the incentives that could be harnessed to better account for transboundary climate risk (across sectors, geographies and communities) and illustrate possible/appropriate policy responses; and (d) assess subsequent actions, roles and responsibilities (for different actors within policy and practice) and concrete opportunities to bring such grounded evidence to bear in the UNFCCC negotiations and/or other legal frameworks/conventions (highlighting common agendas and promoting policy coherence).

INCENTIVIZING ACTION TO BEAT PLASTIC POLLUTION 

12:45 to 14:00, Friday, 25 January 2019, Room 4103, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore

An environmental threat that has attracted unprecedented level of attention in recent years is plastic pollution. In March 2017, UN Environment Programme launched the Clean Seas campaign to clean up the world’s oceans and forge global commitments against marine litter and plastic pollution. The global awareness has since turned into action; with commitments from 57 nations approaching 70 percent of the world’s coastlines, the global Clean Seas campaign is now the largest global compact for combatting marine litter. The Call for Action adopted at the 2017 high-level UN Ocean Conference - to address marine plastic litter through partnerships and leveraging action by all stakeholders – continue spreading across Asia and the Pacific.

Now that stakeholders’ attention has since shifted from “pledges” to “implementation”, incentivizing the society – including individuals, businesses, local governments, civil society groups – to plough ahead to beat plastic pollution is crucial. This side event will bring together prominent players in the transition to share experience in taking actions to beat plastic pollution; and introduce debates on incentives that are necessary for Asia and the Pacific to become Plastic Pollution Free.

Speakers' bios

MAKING THE MONEY FLOW: POLICY LEVERS AND FINANCING VEHICLES FOR CIRCULAR AND GREEN ECONOMIES

13:00 to 14:00, Friday, 25 January 2019, Room 4102, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore

PAGE was conceived at Rio+20 in 2012 to promote the transition to green economy. With a focus on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8 (inclusive and sustainable economic growth) and 17 (global partnership for sustainable development), PAGE and other partnerships can help unlock the flows of finance needed to make the 2030 Agenda a reality.

The session will explore best practices and raise awareness in the Asia Pacific region about innovative financing and how it is being used to tackle environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production. This session particularly will showcase successful PAGE projects and other initiatives to promote spill-over effect around the region. The side event will also provide opportunities to exchange different policies and enabling conditions already in place to promote the transition to green economy, for example, by mobilizing both public and private finance for infrastructure, technology and productive capacity needed to make economies greener and more circular.