4 May 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Environment Facility's Country Support Programme organized a Regional Workshop on Biodiversity and Finance in Support of the Nagoya Outcomes for Central America, which took place in Panama City, Panama, on 4 May 2011.  More.

Photo: L-R: Edgar Chacón, Panama; Hesiquio Benítez, Mexico, facilitator; and Yibin Xiang, CBD Secretariat

29 April 2011: The fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 5) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which convened from 25-29 April 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland, concluded with an agreement to add endosulfan to Annex A of the Convention and phase out its use. Delegates also adopted a decision on synergies among the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam Conventions, among other decisions. More.

Photo: Osvaldo Álvarez, Chile, was elected POPs COP 6 President at the close of COP 5

29 April 2011: The Regional Global Forum on Sustainable Energy (GFSE), which met from 28-29 April 2011, in Vienna, Austria, addressed the theme “Energy between Danube and Caucasus: The Role of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency as a Key Issue for Economic Development.” Participants discussed the potential for and ways to address barriers to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in these regions. More.

29 April 2011: A workshop focused on “Keeping the Green Economy Blue” convened on 29 April 2011, at UN Headquarters, New York, US, to assess the current state of the oceans and marine environment, and consider social and economic implications and policy recommendations for transitioning to a “blue economy.” More.