27 July 2011: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) held a debate on the human right to water and sanitation, during which a number of speakers highlighted that climate change constitutes an obstacle to the enjoyment of this right, stressing the particular situations of small island low-lying States.
21 July 2011: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has reported that St. Kitts and Nevis intends to become a member of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
20 July 2011: The UN Security Council held its second thematic debate on “Maintenance of international peace and security: the impact of climate change,” on 20 July 2011, in New York, US. Many delegates expressed concern that adverse effects of climate change could aggravate existing threats to international peace and security. While noting that the loss of territory in some States due to sea-level rise, particularly in small, low-lying island States, could have security implications, the Security Council could not agree that it had a role to play in this regard.
14 July 2011: The 63rd annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was held from 11-14 July 2011, in St Helier, Island of Jersey, UK. Among other issues, the Commission examined the report of the Scientific Committee on the status of whale stocks and endorsed its recommendations.
13 July 2011: The second meeting of the Caribbean Wetlands Initiative discussed the region's implementation of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), and resulted in agreement on activities and material to be presented and disseminated during the upcoming Pan-American meeting and the 11th meeting of the contracting parties (COP 11) to the Ramsar Convention.
7 July 2011: The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report 2011 finds that, despite setbacks from recent economic, food and energy crises, major progress towards the MDGs has been achieved. However, it indicates that progress has been unequal and the most vulnerable are left behind, noting disparities based on sex, age, disability and ethnicity, and between urban and rural areas.
Delegates at this meeting will consider: mandatory measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from international shipping for adoption; amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) to designate a new US Caribbean sea area emission control area; the designation of the Baltic Sea as a Special Area with respect to pollution by sewage from ships; and the adoption of a revised Annex V related to control of garbage. The MEPC will also discuss issues relating to the implementation of the ship recycling and ballast water management conventions and consider the adoption of new guidelines on bio-fouling.
1 July 2011: The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) approved US$444 million in grants and near-zero-interest loans to support five nation-wide strategic programmes for climate resilience in Cambodia, Mozambique, Nepal, St. Lucia, and Zambia, as well as US$90 million in grants for sustainable forest management (SFM) and REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, as well as conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks) initiatives in Burkina Faso and Congo DRC.
29 June 2011: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the EU have released the June issue of their newsletter on the African, Caribbean and Pacific Multilateral Environment Agreements (ACP MEAs) project. The newest newsletter is sub-titled "The Future of the Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Small Island Developing States."
28 June 2011: The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) has published the 10th issue of its monthly Climate Change News Update, which compiles international and regional climate change-related news. The issue features an article on the lack of agreement on key areas at the Bonn climate change talks, held from 6-17 June 2011 in Bonn, Germany.
| Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) |
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| Conference Reporting Services (CRS) |
