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:: Global Environmental Headlines The meeting's guiding document will be Secretary-General Kofi Annan's latest report, which reveals that despite substantial progress in the formulation and implementation of national forest policies, deforestation and forest degradation continue at an alarming rate. UNFF release: UN
REPORT SAYS DEFORESTATION CONTINUING AT ALARMING RATE AS FORUM ON FORESTS MEETS
AT HEADQUARTERS 16 - 27 MAY The Convention, which entered into force on 17 May 2004, targets 12 hazardous pesticides and industrial chemicals that can kill people, damage the nervous and immune systems, cause cancer and reproductive disorders and interfere with normal infant and child development. The conference established a POPs Review Committee that will be responsible for evaluating additional chemicals that could be added to the initial list of 12 POPs. UNEP release: Campaign
to Eliminate Hazardous Chemicals at Stockholm Debut Approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth – such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests – are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years. SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE: Secretary-General's
video message to launch the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment The United Nations System Chief Executive Board for Coordination (CEB), on the recommendation of its High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP), endorsed UN Water in 2003 as the new official United Nations system-wide inter-agency mechanism for follow-up of the water-related decisions reached at the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 and the Millennium Development Goals. UN Water is responsible for organizing the annual United Nations World Water Day (22 March) and choosing each year's theme. SECRETARY-GENERAL
MESSAGE FOR WORLD WATER DAY: Water
is essential for life The ministers decried the state of global forest degradation and reconfirmed their commitment to sustainable forest management and to improved coordination of economic, environmental and social policies for enhanced contribution of forests to development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The committee on Forestry meets every two years in Rome to debate key global forestry issues and give advice to FAO on its work programme on forests. The State of World's Forests 2005, a biennial FAO publication, was launched during the committee meeting. FAO Publication: State
of the World's Forests 2005 UNEP, on this particular occasion is celebrating women as custodians of the environment. Women and girls have a special relationship with the environment in other ways. They are often the custodians of indigenous knowledge and promoters of biodiversity and environmentally-friendly management. UNEP release: Celebrating
Women As Custodians of the Environment According to FAO, there has been a consistent downward trend since the 1950s in the proportion of marine fish stocks with potential for expanded production, coupled with an increase in the proportion classified as overexploited or depleted. Seven of the top ten marine fish species -- which together account for about 30 percent of all capture fisheries production -- are fully exploited or overexploited, today's report said. This means that major increases in catches cannot be expected from them, and serious biological and economic drawbacks are likely if fishing capacity for these stocks is further increased. FAO release: Depleted
fish stocks require recovery efforts The report indicates that the environment was both a victim of the tsunami but also that it often played its part in reducing the impact. Where healthy and relatively intact features like coral reefs, mangroves and coastal vegetation were in place there is evidence that the damage was reduced. The report also makes it clear that handling the rubble and other wastes generated by the damage is a key issue for many of the countries concerned. UNEP press release: Rebuild
Differently After the Tsunami GEO Year Book 2004/5, is the second in the annual GEO series. The report highlights significant environmental events and achievements during the year, raises awareness of emerging issues from scientific research and presents indicators of progress towards environmental sustainability. In particular there is a chapter in response to the Tsunami disaster and the potential effects on the environment. UNEP press release: UNEP
Launches 2004/5 GEO Yearbook The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to host the next Special Session of UNEP's Governing Council. UNEP press release: 23rd
Governing Council To Focus on Environment and the MDGs On 18 November 2004, Russia deposited its instrument of ratification with the United Nations. This marked the start of the ninety day count down to the entry in force of the Kyoto Protocol, an international and legally binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gases emissions world wide. Japan to mark the Protocol's entry into force: www.kyoto-protocol.jp In an opening address to the world gathering, Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Humanitarian Relief Coordinator, urged conference participants to turn commitments into action in order to make societies more resilient when confronted by natural hazards. “All disaster prone countries should adopt clear, goal-oriented disaster reduction policies and actions plans underpinned by dedicated structures and resources”, he said. Conference URL: www.unisdr.org/wcdr/ Since the tragedy of 26 December, UNEP along with other UN bodies and the international community, has been assisting the countries affected including small islands such as the Seychelles and the Maldives. An initial assessment or ‘screening’ of the environmental damage, including damage to natural sea defenses such as coral reefs and mangrove swamps and chemical and waste installations, is expected from UNEP teams by mid to late February when UNEP will hold its Governing Council at its Nairobi, Kenya, headquarters. UNEP Release: Global Early Warning System Agreement Should be Focus of Kobe Conference The major outcome document of the conference, the Mauritius Strategy for further implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action, emphasizes that small island developing States, or SIDS “are located among the most vulnerable regions in the world in relation to the intensity and frequency of natural and environmental disasters and their increasing impact, and face disproportionately high economic, social and environmental consequence,” as highlighted by the tragic impacts of the 26 December Indian Ocean tsunami and the recent hurricane/cyclone/typhoon season in the Caribbean and Pacific. The Strategy proposes to use the opportunity of the Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe (Japan) to consider the specific concerns of SIDS, including in the areas of insurance and reinsurance arrangements. Conference URL: www.sidsmauritius2005.mu Countries in West and Northwest Africa have made great efforts in controlling the swarms coming out from the Sahel, but only in March-April 2005 will it be possible to have clear indications on what scale breeding will occur and on what scale the Sahel will be reinvaded in summer. Hatching and the formation of small hopper groups and bands are expected to occur in some places along the Red Sea. In order to review the locust situation in the countries affected by the upsurge, Senegal organized an international Scientific Locust Seminar in Dakar from 11 to 13 January 2005. Its main objective is to identify strategies for a sustainable management of Desert Locust populations. FAO Release: Desert locust: FAO recommends continuing control actions and vigilance
Natural
and man-made disasters among emerging issues challenging the health and wealth
of small islands
Some small islands, such as the Comoros in the Indian Ocean, are also facing serious freshwater shortages partly as a result of contamination and over exploitation. Unique animal and plant species are also under threat from habitat clearance and the introduction of alien, invasive species from other parts of the world. Dominica and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean are small islands with high levels of potentially damaging ‘invaders’. These are among the findings from reports released on 6 January by UNEP in advance of an international meeting on small island developing states (SIDS) taking place 10 to 14 January in Mauritius. The reports were written before the devastating tsunami, which hit coastal areas and small islands in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. UNEP Release: Natural
and Man-made Disasters Threaten Stability of Small Islands Fisheries and aquaculture are the sectors most seriously hit by the disaster with a devastating effect on many millions of mostly small-scale fishers who are dependent on a daily fish catch for food and sale. FAO Release: FAO calls for $26 million to help tsunami victims
The 8th meeting of the Earthwatch Working Party will be held in UNEP offices in Geneva in 2004.
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The
UN Forum on Forests (UNFF)
will review the effectiveness of the International Arrangement on Forests
(IAF) and deliberate on next steps at its fifth session, from 17 through
27 May. The Forum was established in 2000 and is the IAF's convening body.
More
than
300 government officials, including 40 ministers
responsible for forests are expected to attend the meeting.
The
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) made its
debut on the world stage in Punta del Este, Uruguay from 2-6
May at a meeting
of 800 government officials and observers committed to ridding the world
of some of the most dangerous chemicals ever created.
Four
years ago, a truly inspiring group of scholars and environmental leaders
embarked on an unprecedented effort: the first comprehensive global evaluation
of the world’s major ecosystems. The report launched on 30 March, the
work
of
over 1,300 experts, claims that intact and healthy ecosystems are often worth
more
than
altered,
damaged and degraded ones. 
and 
The ‘Water
for Life’ Decade, launched on World Water Day (22
March 2005),
calls upon the international community to strengthen efforts to increase
access
to water and sanitation for all. This is the second international decade on water-related
issues under the auspices of the United Nations.
International
cooperation on forest fires, combating deforestation and the role of the
forest sector in post-tsunami rehabilitation and in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals were among key issues discussed at the FAO Ministerial
Meeting on Forests and the Committee on Forestry in Rome from 14-19
March. 
The
International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March. This
year marks a milestone in the movement for gender equality and the advancement
of women -- the 10-year review of the Beijing Conference and Platform for
Action. In 1995, women gathered in Beijing and took a giant step forward
on behalf of humankind. 
Rebuilding
depleted wild fish stocks is a "challenging necessity" says the
newest edition of FAO's biennial report, The State of World Fisheries and
Aquaculture (SOFIA), released on 7 March.
The
destruction caused by the Asian tsunami to the environment offers an opportunity
to rebuild in a manner that preserves natural resources for the benefit of
the local communities who were hardest hit by the disaster, a new report
by UNEP on 22 February says.
Dramatic
environmental changes now sweeping the planet, such as the loss of forests
and the spread of cities are promoting conditions for a rise in new and previously
suppressed infectious diseases, including malaria and bilharzias, according
to the UNEP latest yearbook, released on 21 February. 
The
importance of a healthy environment for realizing the Millennium Development
Goals took centre stage at the UNEP's 23d Governing Council, where more
than 100 environment ministers met in Nairobi, from 21-25 February.
Well
over 1,000 delegates attended from close to 140 countries including Wangari
Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner and assistant environment minister
of Kenya. Action on heavy metals were among key GC decisions.
Governments also agreed to strengthen UNEP’s
finances and work in areas from water and gender equality to disaster preparedness
and scientific assessment. 
The
Kyoto Protocol will enter into force on 16
February 2005. To mark this date,
some Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, as well as institutions and organizations,
are planning events and other activities. Japan will hold
a commemorative symposium and a global video conference to celebrate the entry
into force of the Kyoto
Protocol. These events will take place in the historic city of Kyoto where
the Protocol was originally adopted in 1997.
Ten
years after an earthquake killed nearly 6,500 people and injured 40,000 in
20 seconds in Kobe, Japan, 4,000 delegates from 150 countries have gathered
at ground zero this week for a United Nations conference on disaster reduction,
its deliberations given added urgency by nature's latest assault, the devastating
Indian Ocean tsunami.
Making
operational a tsunami early warning system in the Indian Ocean must be one
of the key outcomes of an international disaster reduction conference taking
place in Japan, UNEP announced on 15 January.
The
International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme
of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, which
concluded its works on 14 January in Port-Louis, Mauritius, was attended
by 18 Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Prime Ministers, some 60 ministers
and
nearly
2000 delegates, civil society representatives and journalists from 114 countries,
and by 15 UN or multilateral agencies. This five-day conference hosted by
the Republic of Mauritius was held in an impressive new conference centre
built with the assistance of India.
Despite
recent improvements, the Desert Locust situation remains serious
in Western Africa where vigilance and intensive control operations
are still needed, according to FAO, as announced on 7
January.
Vulnerability
to natural and man-made disasters including tsunamis and cyclones is among
a range of emerging issues challenging the health and wealth of the world’s
small island developing states. Other issues include pollution and discharge
by ships in the Caribbean, over-fishing in the Pacific and the rising tide
of household and other forms of waste on the Atlantic and Indian Ocean islands. 
FAO
launched on 6 January an urgent
appeal for $26 million for farmers and fisher folk hit by the South-Asian
tsunami
disaster, the agency said on the occasion
of the international disaster summit in Indonesia. Funds are needed to finance
emergency rehabilitation projects over the next six months.
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