By Zahraa Al-Kadhmi
NAIROBI, June 23 (KUNA) -- The first session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) of the United Nations Environment Programme that got underway here on Monday aimed at charting broad-lines of a future global strategy to tackle environmental issues, said the head of the participating Kuwaiti delegation at the crucial meeting.
This meeting is eyed with particular interest and keenness on a broad scale at the international level, said (eng.) Mohammad Al-Enezi, the deputy director general for technical affairs at the Public Environment Authority (EPA) in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on fringes of the international gathering.
Senior officials taking part in the meeting are scheduled to work out draft policies to tackle environmental issues, aspired to "put all states on a single road map," exchange views and expertise and "draw up broad-lines for future environmental policies to resolve problems and face challenges at various levels," said Al-Enezi, also EPA's acting deputy director general for the environment.
One of the main topics of the agenda is re-examining the environmental law, which is reviewed on the basis of a sequential ten-year program, named "the Montevido Programmes for the Development and Periodic Review of the Environmental Law." In February 2009, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme adopted the Fourth Montevideo Programme Montevideo IV; for the decade commencing in 2010. This programme was developed by a group of experts in consultation with senior government officials. It provided a framework for UNEP activities in development and implementation of Environmental Law for the decade beginning in 2010.
Al-Enezi confirmed that the fourth phase of the Montevidoe Convention would be implemented on continuous basis till 2019 -- regarding abidance by signed international treaties and pledges that had been made to attain the agreed upon purposes.
During the meeting, the conferees would examine various issues, namely sound management of chemical waste and garbage and plans aimed at including various departments in protection of the environment and minimizing waste -- namely the departments of health, education, labor, mining, environment, agriculture, water and industries.
Safe management of the waste warrants involvement of leaders in the industrial sector and the civil society, Al-Enezi said, adding that the conferees would also examine inter-UN cooperation for the environment protection.
The first Montevideo Programme Montevideo I; was adopted by the Governing Council of the UNEP in 1982. It was developed in 1981 by a group of senior government officials, experts in environmental law, as a strategic guidance plan in fulfillment of UNEP's mandate to undertake activities in regard to the conclusion of international agreements and the development of international principles, guidelines and standards.
The second Montevideo Programme Montevideo II; adopted by the Governing Council in 1993, was based largely upon the requirements outlined in Agenda 21, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992.
The governing council adopted the third Montevideo Programme Montevideo III in 2001. It included 20 components, organized under three main themes: effectiveness of environmental law; conservation and management; and relationship with other fields.
The international gathering here has drawn up to 1,200 participants, including environmental affairs' ministers and government officials. (end) zk.rk