Wednesday, 25 January 2012

On Wednesday, the Technical Segment of the Third Intergovernmental Review (IGR-3) on the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities (GPA) convened in Manila, the Philippines. The meeting began with statements by UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Deputy Executive Director Amina Mohamed and Under-Secretary of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Analiza Rebuelta Teh. Delegates then elected officers, including IGR-3 Chair Teh, and adopted the agenda and programme of work, deciding to discuss the Manila Declaration in plenary.

The Secretariat presented the summary report of the Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections. Delegates also discussed the progress report on the implementation of the Programme and the activities of the Coordination Office since 2007 (UNEP/GPA/IGR.3/2), the policy guidance for implementing the GPA over the period 2012-2016 (UNEP/GPA/IGR.3/3), and the Draft Programme of Work for the GPA Coordination Office for 2012-2016 (UNEP/GPA/IGR.3/4). Delegates then discussed the Draft Manila Declaration on Furthering the Implementation of the GAP (UNEP/GPA/IGR.3/5). The technical segment of IGR-3 then closed. The IGR-3 will reconvene in the morning for its high-level segment. A drafting group met in the evening to continue discussions on the Manila Declaration.

During lunch UNEP launched the report on “Green Economy in a Blue World” and in the evening launched a joint UNEP/Global Environment Facility (GEF) project on global foundations for reducing nutrient enrichment.

Summary of the meeting in English (in HTML and in PDF format), in Spanish (in HTML and in PDF format), and in French (in HTML and in PDF format)

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Tuesday, 24 January 2012

On Tuesday, the Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections (GLOC) reconvened to continue developing recommendations for the Third Intergovernmental Review (IGR-3) on the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities (GPA), which will take place immediately after the GLOC from 25-27 January 2012, in Manila, the Philippines.

The morning began with a moderated plenary session to consider the reports from the breakout groups that took place on Monday: managing the global nutrient cycle; marine litter; coastal ecosystems; wastewater; and deltas. This plenary was followed by a moderated expert panel addressing “a green economy in a blue world – the contribution of marine and coastal ecosystems and management to move towards higher use efficiency, sustainable food, and water security and improved water quality.” Participants then split into breakout groups to discuss specific issues including: regional seas; Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UN agencies; integrated water resources management (IWRM) – linking IWRM and the coastal zone; and ecosystem-based coastal planning and management. The conference closed with a moderated plenary session to consider reports from the day two breakout groups and a final plenary session to introduce draft elements for a report from the GLOC to IGR-3. Two side events took place: one on addressing nutrient reduction and hypoxia through GEF’s catalytic action; and another demonstrating a policy toolbox in support of making right policy choices to address nutrient over-enrichment of coastal waters. The conference closed at 05:39 pm.

Summary of the meeting in English (in HTML and in PDF format), in Spanish (in HTML and in PDF format), and in French (in HTML and in PDF format)

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Monday, 23 January 2012

On Monday, the Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections (GLOC) convened in Manila, the Philippines with the object of providing recommendations for the Third Intergovernmental Review (IGR-3) on the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities (GPA), which will take place immediately after the GLOC from 25-27 January 2012, in Manila, the Philippines.

Participants were welcomed to the conference by Secretary Ramon Paje, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Philippines, Ibrahim Thiaw, Director, Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, UNEP, and the former President of the Philippines Fidel V. Ramos. Joseph Alcamo, Chief Scientist, UNEP, then presented on UNEP’s Foresight Process to Identify Emerging Global Issues. Next, the conference split into breakout groups for in-depth discussions of specific issues, including: managing the global nutrient cycle; marine litter; coastal ecosystems; wastewater and deltas. The breakout sessions were organized around speakers, panel sessions and discussions. A closed workshop of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), on the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency supported project on 'Spatial Planning in the Coastal Zone – Disaster Prevention and Sustainable Development', also took place in the afternoon.

Summary of the meeting in English (in HTML and in PDF format), in Spanish (in HTML and in PDF format), and in French (in HTML and in PDF format)

Visit the full ENB coverage for Monday, 23 January 2012