Environment for Development:

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United Nations Environment Programme
Environment for Development UNEP thematic
priority areas Graciela Metternicht Regional
Coordinator
Regional Office for Latin America and the
Caribbean Panama City, Panamá
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UNEPs mission

• To provide leadership and encourage partnership
  in caring for the environment by inspiring,
  informing, and enabling nations and peoples to
  improve their quality of life without
  compromising that of future generations

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LAC Region

• 33 Countries 14 are island states.
• Over 220 million (over 40 of the total
  population) living in poverty.
• Largest variety of eco-regions, harboring
  examples of all biomes in the world, except
  tundra and taiga.
• The worlds largest reserves of arable land - 576
  million ha.
• Receives 30 total global precipitation,
  resulting in 33 of global water resources.

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UNEPS Global Environment Outlook (Perspectivas
del medio ambiente mundial) Prioridades
ambientales para ALyC

• rapid, unplanned urbanization
• threats to terrestrial biodiversity and
  ecosystems
• coastal degradation and marine pollution
• vulnerability to climate change

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The GEO-4 analyses challenges in LAC

• (Among others)
• Lack of competitiveness in scientific development
  and technological innovation. The region still
  lacks a long term program of adequate investment
  in science and technology. Efforts to reach at
  least 1 per cent of GDP for science and
  technological development have repeatedly failed
  in countries such as Mexico. There is a
  significant migration of highly educated people
  (brain drain) to industrialized countries.
• Environmental governance, not a priority in the
  region. Although governmental authorities for the
  environment were created in most countries over
  the last 15 years, their profile and budgets are
  often lower than other ministries or offices.

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• Proceed with urgent action at global, regional,
  national, and local levels overcome the
  implementation gap.
• Give decision makers the necessary tools to
  reduce the political risks of making the right
  choices for the environment political
  leadership is essential to tackle the hard
  choices.
• Set clear goals and targets, adequately fund
  action, and constantly monitor progress towards
  those targets.

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UNEP Governing Council
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www.unep.orgwww.pnuma.org

• Climate change

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Thematic Priorities
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Existing Portfolio Cross cutting

• Climate change negotiations
• Training of national focal points to the climate
  change negotiations analyses of emerging issues
  related to the negotiation process.
• Economics and finance
• Analyses of climate change including trade and
  subsidies tools and analyses to promote
  engagement by the finance sector in clean energy
  raising awareness of financial services industry
  on the risks opportunities.
• Awareness and communications
• Global media events targeted advocacy programmes
  incl. for children youth establishment of
  public authority networks.
• Data and assessments
• GEO process and network Global Climate
  Observation System assessment programmes on
  water, land use and cover.

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Taking Actions Billion Tree Campaign
Children in Brazil planting trees
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More than 1,000 participants at the WED 2007
event, dedicated to Climate Change in Costa Rica.
100 youth in the UNEP- Red Cross supported event
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Assessments with regional focus
Flood in Gonaives, Haiti, due to tropical storm
Jeanne September 2004 (Source One Planet Many
People, 2006)
17 septiembre 2000
22 septiembre 2004
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The Caribbean SIDS and its vulnerability (Source
Climate Change in the Caribbean and the Challenge
of Adaptation)
Dramatic reduction of glaciers in The Chacaltaya,
Bolivia (Source EL FIN DE LAS CUMBRES NEVADAS?.
Glaciares y Cambio Climático en la Comunidad
Andina)
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• STRETEGY DEVELOPMENT
• AND PRIORITIES

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Strategy Development

• Result of a comprehensive process involving
  external experts and UNEP staff from across the
  organization.
• Consistent with the organizations new Medium
  Term Strategy, where climate change is one of six
  priorities.
• Structured around four themes mitigation,
  adaptation, science, and communication.
• Regional priorities for LAC region based upon the
  mandate of the Forum of Ministers of Environment
  of LAC (in particular Decision 12 of the XVI
  Meeting of the Forum, Santo Domingo, January
  2008), and other ministerial forums Meeting of
  Ministers of Health and Environment of the
  Americas and Iberoamerican Forum of Ministers of
  Environment.

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Strategic Priorities
The strategic priorities are structured around
four themes mitigation, adaptation, science,
communication Theme 1 Facilitating a transition
towards low carbon societies Theme 2 Adapting
by building resilience Theme 3 Improving
understanding of climate change science Theme 4
Communicating and raising public awareness
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Environmental Education and Training

• The Bali Strategic Plan for capacity building and
  technology transfer.
• Promotion of environmental Education
• Environmental Network for LAC PLACEA, PANACEA,
  etc.
• Collaborating Centres

http//www.unep.org/training/programmes/programmes
.asp
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Online Access to Research in the Environment
(OARE) http//www.oaresciences.org/en/ Over
1,300 peer reviewed titles owned and published by
over 340 prestigious publishing houses and
scholarly societies are available free/low cost
in more than 100 low income countries (inc.
Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Paraguay/ Colombia, Cuba, DR, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Peru, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, and Suriname)
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Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio
AmbienteOficina Regional para América Latina y
el CaribeUnidad de Recursos Naturales
www.pnuma.org