Ahead of the third Environment Assembly, which will be held in December under the theme 'Towards a pollution-free planet', it is vital that as wide a range of stakeholders as possible prepare for and contribute.

That is why UN Environment is convening a Regional Consultation  for Major Groups and Stakeholders in the pan-European region, on 1-2 June in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Assembly will focus on key pollution risk areas - air, marine, land/soil, fresh including nutrients, chemicals, and waste including electronic and radioactive. It will also show case promising solutions, practices, as well as make the case for transformative actions and commitments from governments, business and civil society.

The June meeting with stakeholders is expected to result in a draft civil society statement being issued ahead of the Assembly, which will be shared with all UN member states, as well as the election of regional representatives.

An informal Regional Consultation will also be held for ministers on 13 June in the margins of the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health held in in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

For more details please contact wondwosen.asnake@unep.org

Following World Migratory Bird Day, countries are preparing for the twelfth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals to be held under the theme ‘Their future is our future’.

Every three years, the international wildlife conservation community gathers to make decisions and agree on actions to ensure the survival of endangered species.

At the 2017 edition, it is expected that Parties will put forward a number of proposals to add species, including lions and giraffes, to the Convention’s Appendices. The first list covers species that cannot be hunted, except for in very rare cases, while the second list requires countries to take measures that promote transboundary conservation.

The meeting will be held in Manila, the Philippines, from 23 to 28 October and will be preceded by a High-Level Panel. Decisions made will translate into policy actions needed to prevent the alarming decline of migratory species.

Over time, migratory animals’ natural habitats have been degraded – such as through land converted to agriculture, seas being overfished and forests being felled. Yet migratory species are a vital part of our world, contributing through pest control, pollination, medicine, food and tourism, in addition to their immeasurable cultural and aesthetic value.

For more information write to veronika.lenarz@cms.int

¹https://orexca.com/artsandcrafts4.shtml

The Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health will take place in Ostrava, Czech Republic, from 13–15 June 2017. Almost one and a half million deaths per year in the pan-European region are currently caused by environmental risks that could be avoided and/or eliminated.

Ministers and stakeholders will therefore gather to shape actions and policies on topics such as air pollution, hazardous chemicals, water, waste and climate change. 

The conference is the latest ministerial meeting to take place under the European Environment and Health Process founded in the late 1980s. 

To view the conference agenda and for more information please click here or write to wondwosen.asnake@unep.org

Countries are invited to apply for support in ensuring they can develop, adopt, monitor and enforce legislation that ensure chemicals conventions take effect on the ground.

The Special Programme aims to support institutional strengthening for countries to implement the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, the Minamata convention and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management.

The deadline for all applications to be submitted to the Special Programme secretariat is Wednesday 20 June 2017 at midnight.

For more information and to download an application form click here or write to mijke.hertoghs@unep.org