UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner met the environment ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) on April 22 in Moscow to discuss a strategy for sustainability, competitiveness in a Green Economy and cooperation in tackling the threat of climate change. This was the first official meeting between the BRICS environment ministers, who also agreed on the sharing of the best environmental practices, the exchange of environmentally sound technologies and know-how with participation of public and private stakeholders. The ministers agreed to hold their meetings on a regular basis.The fruitful discussions showed that the Summit could play a critical role in ensuring a "low carbon future" for the entire world. Mr. Steiner noted that the discussion signalled that BRICS member states are “among the most actively reforming and innovative” when it comes to sustainable development efforts. "China is taking the lead in green technologies and renewable energy. They have contributed to the reduced prices of renewable energy technologies," the UNEP Executive Director underlined as an example. Furthermore, China has also been helping African countries deal with environmental challenges through its International Ecosystems Management Partnership - a joint initiative with UNEP - which has improved the use of scientific knowledge in handling issues such as climate change.

The BRICS meeting also served to prepare for the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties meeting in Paris later this year, at which efforts will be made to reach a binding agreement on tackling climate change. BRICS countries, according to data from 2010, contribute about 40 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions.

"We look forward to this Conference of Parties as a forum for collective response to climate change," said Steiner. "These types of conferences enable countries to move faster. We need accelerated efforts to stay within the 2 degrees Celsius limit. Countries must therefore act within their means."

For more information: Vladimir.moshkalo@unep.org

On 13 April 2015, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) co-hosted an International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) titled “Wildlife and Forest Crime: A Serious Crime”.

The high-level side event was organized in the margins of the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Doha, Qatar.

The event was opened by the President of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Sam Kutesa, and co-chaired by the UNODC Executive Director Mr. Yury Fedotov as well as by CITES Secretary-General Mr. John E. Scanlon. Representatives from five Member States together with the five agencies that make up ICCWC, namely the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL, UNODC, the World Bank and the World Customs Organization, all actively participated in the event alongside a number of other organizations.

The event provided a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the scale and nature of wildlife and forest crime, which has escalated to unprecedented levels in recent years as a result of the increased involvement of transnational organized crime groups and, on some occasions, rebel militia. Wildlife poaching and trafficking now poses a serious threat to the survival of some of the world’s most charismatic species, as well as many other lesser known species.

Mr. Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director, highlighted the destructive nature of wildlife crime: “Wildlife and forest crime is profoundly destructive, with far-reaching consequences – undermining development and stability, threatening biodiversity and endangered species, and contributing to climate change. And yet, too often the punishment does not fit the crime. Inadequate legislative frameworks remain far too commonplace.”

Mr. John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, stressed: “Well organized and well-resourced transnational organized crime groups are driving industrial scale illegal trade in wildlife. Combatting these groups requires wildlife crime to be recognized as a serious crime across source, transit and destination States and for States to deploy the same enforcement tools, techniques and penalties to fight illegal trade in wildlife as those used to combat other domestic and transnational organized crimes.”

“This week’s Congress in Doha on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is where such matters must be discussed. For the first time, wildlife crime is on the Congress agenda and we warmly welcome the adoption of the Doha Declaration,” added Scanlon. The Doha Declaration adopted at the Congress provides a further strong basis for States to put an end to the current high levels of illicit trafficking of wild fauna and flora.

For more information: juan.vasquez@cites.org

A high-level panel of experts met in Geneva on 28 April to discuss the interlinkages among trade, the environment and inclusive Green Economies to mark the launch of the Trade and Green Economy Handbook.

The panel - organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), a leading international think tank - featured Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, Arancha González, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC), and Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of IISD.

The Handbook, a joint publication by UNEP and IISD, covers a wealth of new information, including the emergence of the Green Economy concept, the latest World Trade Organisation jurisprudence and the increasingly important linkages between trade and inclusive Green Economy policies and practices. These developments are considered amid the changing dynamics of international trade with the increased importance of global value chains and the rise of regional trade agreements. The Green Economy presents a model for reversing these trends by altering economic structures and incentives in a way that supports growth, social equity and welfare through the preservation and sustainable use of natural resources and vigilant control of pollution.

The panel discussed ways to build synergies among the international trade, environment and investment regimes. 2015 is marked by a number of events and international agreements that will substantially shape the relationship between these regimes. In 2013, the financial volume of global trade amounted to US$ 23.4 trillion, roughly a third of global GDP, yet at the same time the world’s environmental indicators revealed that the pressure exerted by trade on the environment is taking its toll.

As the Handbook illustrates, if these trends are to be reversed, one of the key catalysts of these changes must be the harnessing of trade as a positive economic, social and environmental change, rather than as a driver of environmental degradation.

The Handbook is aimed at policy makers interested in the transition to a Green Economy who require a better understanding of the relevant trade rules as well as trade negotiators who want to learn about the environmental implications of their decisions. Its objective is to increase coordination and reduce tension between the international trade and environment agendas in order to open new pathways to achieve sustainable development.

The Handbook has been released in English, French, Spanish and Chinese and is now available online at unep.org/trade.

For more information: anja.moltke@unep.org

The CITES Secretariat was pleased to welcome the European Union as the 181st Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The European Union is a regional economic integration organization (REIO) with 28 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The third of March was also the day of adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973. The CITES Secretariat coordinated the WWD celebrations around the world.

The European Union became the first REIO to accede to the Convention since the coming into effect of the Gaborone amendment to the text of the Convention on 29 November 2013. This amendment allowed for the accession of REIOs, provided they are constituted by sovereign States competent in respect of the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of international agreements in matters transferred to them by their Member States and covered by the Convention.

The Convention will enter into force for the European Union on 8 July 2015.

For more information: juan.vasquez@cites.org