Lake Baikal Foundation has been granted Accreditation as an observer to the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its subsidiary bodies. The Foundation became the fourth non-governmental organization from Russia, provided with the Accreditation and the observer status.
The United Nations Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, with a universal membership of all 193 Member States. The Assembly meets biennially in Nairobi, Kenya, to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law.
Accreditation is the main entry point for Major Groups and Stakeholders into policy dialogue at UNEP and allows Lake Baikal Foundation to participate in the work of UNEP’s Governing Bodies, such as the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP and the Committee of Permanent Representatives.
In the process leading up to sessions of the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP Lake Baikal Foundation has the opportunity:
- to participate in the Regional Consultation Meeting to be held in your region, in preparation for the Assembly;
- to contribute in the preparation of Regional Civil Society Statements towards UNEP and the Assembly;
- to receive unedited working documents of the United Nations Environment Assembly at the same time as the Committee of the Permanent Representatives (CPR);
- to submit to the UN Environment Secretariat written contributions to these unedited working documents for distribution to the Governments through the Committee of the Permanent Representatives (CPR); and
- to participate in the public Meetings of the Committee of Permanent Representatives, the Assembly and the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum, an associated meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (including via tele- or video conference).
During the session of the Environment Assembly the Foundation has the opportunity:
- to attend the plenary sessions of the Committee of the Whole and the Ministerial Consultations as observers and to exchange views and interact with Governments present;
- to circulate written statements to Governments, in the form of information documents through the UNEP secretariat; and
- to make oral statements during the discussions of the United Nations Environmental Assembly of UNEP.
The next meeting of the Assembly (UNEA-5) takes place on 22-26 February 2021. The overall theme of UNEA-5 is “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”. The theme calls for strengthened action to protect and restore nature and the nature-based solutions to achieve the SDGs in its three complementary dimensions (social, economic, and environmental).
Lake Baikal Foundation highly appreciates the trust demonstrated by the UN Environment Programme and is ready to provide the necessary expertise, as well as to deliver to the highest-level decision-makers the position of the expert and civil communities of Russia on issues of conservation and sustainable development of Lake Baikal, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, other freshwater lakes, and the country’s water resources at the largest international arena.