School children from Nairobi singing during the opening session of the 12th Special Session of the Governing Council.

L-R: Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP; Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya; and Graciela Muslera, Minister for Housing, Land Planning and Environment, Uruguay, Acting President of the GCSS-12/GMEF

Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya

L-R: The GCSS/GMEF newly elected President Federico Ramos de Armas, (Spain), with Graciela Muslera, Minister for Housing, Land Planning and Environment, Uruguay, outgoing President.

Federico Ramos de Armas, (Spain), President of the GC

Ambassador Geert Aagaard, Permanent Representative of Denmark to UNEP, and Chair fo the Committee of Permanent Representatives

Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP, delivering his policy statement.

UNEP GCSS-12/GMEF participants from the UN Major Groups.

L-R: Rudy van Dyk, UNON, with Mostafa Tolba, former UNEP Executive Director

L-R: Elizabeth Dowdeswell, former UNEP Executive Director with Kimo Goree, Director, IISD Reporting Services

L-R: Takehiro Nakamura and Rossana Repetto Silva, UNEP

L-R: Cyrie Sendashonga, IUCN with Neeyati Patel, UNEP

L-R: Damaso Luna, Mexico, and Kerstin Stendahl, Finland

László Borbély, COW Chair, Romania

L-R: COW dais with Amina Mohamed, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP; László Borbély, COW Chair, Romania; Toshiko Ohga, UNEP; and Liana Bratasida, COW Rapporteur, Indonesia

L-R: Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director, European Environment Agency; Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General, Abu Dhabi Environment Agency; Izabella Teixeira, Minister of Environment, Brazil; Mercedes Bresso, President, EU Committee of the Regions; and Yoo Young Sook, Minister of Environment, Republic of Korea

Yoo Young Sook, Minister of Environment, Republic of Korea

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General, Abu Dhabi Environment Agency

L-R: Current and former UNEP Executive Directors Achim Steiner; Mostafa Tolba; Elizabeth Dowdeswell and Klaus Töpfer.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Secretary General, Africa Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

Lena Ek, Minister for Environment, Sweden

L-R: Jamil Ahmad; Secretary for the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment (GC/GMEF); Moses Wetangula, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kenya; Sha Zukang, Secretary General of the UNCSD; Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP; Sahle-Work Zewde, Director-General of the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON); Amina Mohamed, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP and Joan Clos, Executive Director, UN-HABITAT

Delegates from the Philippines

L-R: Representatives from the MEAs with Braulio de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); Michele Rattray, CBD; Bothena Sayah Bendahmane, Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol; Maria Nolan, Chief Officer, Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol; and Ruth Batten, Ozone Secretariat