May 2013: The UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) has assisted the Government Haiti in convening a Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) awareness raising workshop. The workshop planned activities to be completed under Haiti's SAICM project, titled “Strengthening Capacities in the Republic of Haiti for National SAICM Implementation and Supporting GHS Capacity Building.”
10 May 2013: The 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (BC COP11), the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (RC COP6), the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) (SC COP6), and the second simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the three conventions (ExCOPs2) convened from 28 April-10 May 2013, in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 1000 participants, including over 80 ministers, attended the meetings.
8 May 2013: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has released a documentary, titled 'Mission: Planet DeTox,' highlighting chemicals and wastes projects in five countries. The projects are funded by the GEF and implemented by the World Bank, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
29 April 2013: The 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (BC COP 11), the sixth meeting of the Rotterdam Convention COP (RC COP 6), the sixth meeting of the Stockholm Convention COP (SC COP 6) and the second simultaneous extraordinary meetings of the COPs to the three conventions (ExCOPs 2) are convening back-to-back in Geneva, Switzerland.
4 April 2013: In its role as the financial mechanism for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved 12 new POPs projects, totaling over US$43 million in GEF Trust Fund finance. Approved projects include regional projects in Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia, and single country projects in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Egypt, Indonesia, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Viet Nam.
3 April 2013: The Workshop for Capacity Building on Environmentally Responsible Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) convened in San Salvador, El Salvador, from 19-21 March 2013. A key outcome of the meeting was agreement on a 20-point Agenda aiming to promote advances in the handling of WEEE in the region.
5 April 2013: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has requested the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to buy 50,000 certificates of emission reduction (CERs), to cover UNEP's emissions for 2010-2013. UNOPS purchased almost 14,000 additional certificates to offset its global activities in 2011. These purchases are line with the 2007 UN directive for UN agencies to move towards climate neutrality.
MOP 25 is scheduled to consider a number of issues, including nominations for critical- and essential-use exemptions. On 3 May 2013, the Ozone Secretariat announced the change in venue from Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine to Bangkok, Thailand. The dates are unchanged.
2 April 2013: A joint initiative between the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Colombia has eliminated the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC), an ozone depleting substance (ODS), in Colombia's domestic refrigerator manufacturing industry, replacing them with cyclopentane, a cost effective, flammable hydrocarbon that has low global warming potential (GWP).
20 March 2013: The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) hosted a discussion of the successes and challenges involved with implementing Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) Phase out Management Plans under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
| Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) |
|
| Conference Reporting Services (CRS) |
