Italy has announced an important boost to the Environment Fund and co-hosted a major meeting of scientists to identify top environmental priorities as it takes over the baton of the G-7 Presidency.

Efforts to design a sustainable financial system, improve resource efficiency and the sustainable management of natural resources and the marine economy are to receive a boost thanks to the €5 million commitment.

The country’s Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti announced the funding in the margins of a meeting with UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim in Rome on 6 February, where an agreement was signed to further cooperation on pressing environmental matters. The donation brings Italy's total contributions to the Fund to over €10.5 million - or $11.2 million - since 2014.

“This generous contribution is yet another signal of Italy's unwavering commitment to a clean, safe and healthy planet. We look forward to working with the Italian government to build the green future we all deserve,” said Mr Solheim.

On January 1, Italy took over the Presidency of the G7 group of countries, offering a major opportunity to ensure the environment remains high on the multilateral political agenda. The country will host the G7 Environment Ministers summit in June in Bologna, with UN Environment is supporting preparations.

In the run-up to the summit, UN Environment gathered 130 scientists from 40 countries to shed light on current top environmental priorities and ways that they can be addressed.

Titled ‘Environmental Security in a changing world,’ the roundtable was held on 21 February together with Italy at the European Space Agency in Frascati. The meeting gathered scientists responsible for producing the sixth edition of UN Environment’s Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6). High-level panelists including UN Environment’s Director of Science Jacqueline McGlade and Paul Ekins, Co-Chair of GEO and the UK Energy Research Centre.

“Science is being questioned by many, but this is not a new phenomenon,” noted Ms McGlade, when opening the discussion. “I put it to you that we have witnessed a renaissance of science and policy,” she observed, pointing to the Global Goals and Paris Agreement being underpinned by scientific facts.

As in the past, “it is up to the practitioners to ensure science makes a difference to our lives,” she stressed. Furthermore, science cannot now pass directly to those in power, but must also pass by wider society, Ms McGlade underlined, revealing how the GEO-6 report will follow this approach and inform policymakers. Panellists discussed the uncertainties, challenges and opportunities ahead for the environment, the economics of sustainability and curbing climate change, as well as food security, air quality and achieving gender equality.

For more details and to watch the high-level roundtable please click here or contact shereen.zorba@unep.org. For more information on Italy’s Environment Fund contribution please get in touch with isabelle.valentiny@unep.org