From 14-18 March 2015 representatives from 187 UN Member States gathered in Sendai, Japan to adopt the first major agreement on the post-2015 development agenda, a far-reaching new framework for disaster risk reduction.

The Sendai Framework for Action outlines seven global targets to be achieved over the next 15 years: a substantial reduction in global disaster mortality; a substantial reduction in the number of affected people; a reduction in economic losses in relation to global GDP; substantial reduction in disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, including health and education facilities; an increase in the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020; enhanced international cooperation; and increased access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments.

The Sendai Framework also, for the first time, recognizes the environment as a cross-cutting issue in disaster risk reduction. A major milestone is the recognition of the sustainable management of ecosystems as a way to build disaster resilience. Environmental impact assessments are also cited as important tools to achieve risk-sensitive public and private investments. The Sendai Framework further acknowledges the need to tackle environmental drivers of disaster risk, including ecosystem degradation and climate change, as well as the environmental impacts of disasters.

UNEP, together with the Partnership of the Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR), actively engaged throughout the World Conference on Disaster risk Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai, co-organizing several plenary working sessions and side events on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, as well as supporting a number of Member States during the negotiations for the post-2015 disaster risk reduction framework. Recognizing the environment as a cross-cutting issue, ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction, as well as the need for a multi-hazard approach to disaster risk reduction, comprised the core messages of UNEP at the WCDRR, which have now been largely adopted in the new Sendai Framework.

UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner also attended the WCDRR, where he moderated a high-level event with UN Chief Executives, who collectively called for disaster risk sensitive programming as key to achieving sustainable development in countries. Mr. Steiner also highlighted the importance of ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction as solutions that are already being widely adopted in both developed and developing countries.

The World Conference was attended by over 6,500 participants including 2,800 government representatives from 187 governments. The Public Forum had 143,000 visitors over the five days of the conference making it one of the largest UN gatherings ever held in Japan.

For more information: cassidy.travis@unep.org

An ongoing decline in overall elephant numbers remains likely as the poaching of African elephants continued to exceed population growth rates throughout 2014, according to the latest figures released by the CITES programme for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants, commonly known as MIKE.

Poaching rates still exceed natural elephant population growth rates, meaning a continued decline in elephant numbers overall is likely. The latest CITES MIKE figures presented at the African Elephant Summit in Kasane (Botswana), show no increase in the overall poaching trends in 2014, with levels dropping and then levelling off since the peak in 2011. However, with overall killing rates exceeding natural birth rates, poaching trends remain far too high and at a level that cannot be sustained.

"African elephant populations continue to face an immediate threat to their survival from high-levels of poaching for their ivory, especially in Central and West Africa where the situation appears to have deteriorated. We are however also seeing some encouraging signals in parts of East Africa where the overall poaching trends have declined, which shows us all what is possible through a sustained and collective effort” said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General.

In its report, CITES identifies 22 countries that are most heavily implicated in the illegal trade in ivory, with areas such as Bangassou, in the Central African Republic; Garamba, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Niassa, in Mozambique; Pendjari, in Benin; and Selous-Mikumi, in Tanzania, remaining of “particular concern.”

“The momentum generated over the past few years is translating into deeper and stronger efforts to fight these crimes on the front line, where it is needed most - from the field, to police and customs, to illicit markets - and this enhanced front line effort gives us confidence that if we persist with, and deepen this collective effort, we will reverse the devastating poaching trends of the past decade” added Scanlon.

For more information: juan.vasquez@cites.org

On March 6, the UNEP participated in a full-day Discussion on Human Rights and Climate Change, and delivered a statement. During this dialogue, the various speakers agreed on the need to integrate climate change concerns in all human rights issues and on the need for funding to help developing countries, in particular small Island developing states, as they are the most affected by climate change. A strong plea for a legally binding agreement to come out of the UN Climate talks to be held in Paris next December was made.

On March 9, the UNEP participated in the Interactive Dialogue on Human Rights and Environment, where Prof. John Knox, the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, presented his report entitled “Compilation of good practices.” A statement was made on behalf of Mr. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director. Prof. Knox thanked the UNEP for its good collaboration in supporting him in his mandate, including on identifying good practices on human rights obligations of States related to the environment.

In its resolution A/HRC/28/L.19, the Human Rights Council decided to extend the mandate of the current Independent Expert “as a special rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment for a period of three years.” This resolution also takes note with appreciation of the work undertaken by the UNEP in support to the Independent Expert and “requests the Office of the High Commissioner to collaborate with United Nations programmes, agencies and funds, in particular the United Nations Environment Programme, with a view to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment”.

In addition, the HRC also adopted the resolution A/HRC/28/L.24 on “human rights, democracy and the rule of law”, that establishes a forum to promote dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to the relationship between these areas.

For more information: Barbara.Ruis@unep.org

Although the theme of Green Growth is new to the Kyrgyz Republic, the country has become one of the first countries in Central Asia to test the OECD green growth indicators under the support of the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative.

How are we using the natural resources for the economic development? The government of the Kyrgyz Republic put this important question in its agenda in light of the recent initiatives towards sustainable development in the country. The country has made initial steps towards green growth with the adoption of the Green Growth Indicators as part of the wider set of sustainable development indicators. On February 19, 2015 the government of the Kyrgyz Republic issued a decree to adopt a matrix of indicators to measure the progress towards sustainable development.

This is the result of the work of the Ministry of Economy and National Statistics Committee under the support of the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI) and in collaboration with the OECD during 2012-2014. The national experts conducted a detailed analysis of national and sector statistics in line with the OECD five blocks of green growth indicators, including Carbon and Energy Efficiency, Natural assets, Environmental Quality of life, Economic Opportunities and Policy Responses and Socio-Economic Context and Characteristics of Growth.

The analysis concluded that ‘while not the entire set of OECD green growth indicators can be applied in the Kyrgyz Republic, the country is able to measure more than half of these indicators’.

The next steps will include the monitoring of green growth indicators annually. The Ministry of Economy will lead the monitoring and produce a report annually on the progress of achieving the target indicators. The first results of measuring the progress is to come by April 2016. UNDP-UNEP PEI will continue supporting the Ministry of Economy, National Statistics Committee and other key partners in their initiatives towards green growth.

For more information: nara.luvsan@unep.org