[Itenv] New UN Coherence Report; NGO Consultation on Environment & Sustainable Development

[Soenke Zehle]

From: 	ngls at unctad.org

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

In February 2006, as mandated by the 2005 World Summit outcome document,
the UN Secretary-General formally established the 15-member Panel of
Eminent Persons on UN System-wide Coherence in the fields of
humanitarian affairs, environment and development. The Panel, which was
co-chaired by Luisa Dias Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique; Jens
Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway; and Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister
of Pakistan, presented their final report to the Secretary-General and
the General Assembly on 9 November 2006. Further discussions among UN
Member States will take place throughout the 61st session of the General
Assembly.

Among the report's principal recommendations are:

·        *A unified UN at the country level responding to national needs
["One UN": one leader, one programme, one budget and where appropriate
one office]*;
·        *A new multi-year MDG funding mechanism to drive performance
and accountability*;
·        *Consolidate three bodies into a new organization for women*;
·        *UN Sustainable Development Board to oversee the "One UN"
country programme;*
·        *Coordinator to better marry UN operational and normative
activities at global, regional and national levels;*
·        *Strengthen leadership on humanitarian and environmental
activities.*

To read the report, click _here_
<http://www.un.org/events/panel/resources/pdfs/HLP-SWC-FinalReport.pdf>

For more information on the High-level Panel, click _here_
<http://www.un.org/events/panel/>

*~~TOWARDS A CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONSE TO THE REPORT'S RECOMMENDATIONS
REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE~~*

The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) in
cooperation with the following two NGOs: Stakeholder Forum and the
Brazilian Forum of NGOs and Social Movements for the Environment and the
Development (FBOMs) are asking for civil society views on the /Report of
the High Level Panel on UN System-Wide Coherence/ which was released on
9 November 2006. The report will have a significant impact on delivery
of sustainable development at the county level and in the global
architecture to support policy development.

We look forward to receiving your views on the report's recommendations
*_as regards to environment and sustainable development_*.

Organisations interested in making submissions and participating in the
second compilation of civil society views on system-wide coherence
should send contributions to Jennifer Peer _jpeer at stakeholderforum.org_
<mailto:jpeer at stakeholderforum.org> before *_20 December 2006_*. In
order to facilitate submissions, we are requesting NGO views dealing
with the following areas:

1.      A Strengthened UN Environment Programme;

2.      Strengthening the UN System for environment and sustainable
development: Options on the roles of UN agencies, programmes and funds;

3.      Efficiencies and substantive coordination of major multilateral
environmental agreements;

4.      Financing for environment and sustainable development: Options
for the Global Environment Facility;

5.      Options for an independent and authoritative assessment of the
current UN system of international environmental governance;

6.      Sustainable development: Options for ECOSOC and the Commission
on Sustainable Development; and

7.      Establishment of a UN Sustainable Development Board.

To visit the Stakeholder Forum’s ieg dossier website, and to read a
detailed summary of how the report’s recommendations relate to the UN’s
work on the environment, click _here_
<http://www.stakeholderforum.org/ieg_home.html>

Warm regards,

Tony Hill
Coordinator, UN-NGLS
e-mail: _tony.hill at unctad.org_ <mailto:tony.hill at unctad.org>

Felix Dodds
Executive Director, Stakeholder Forum
e-mail: _f_dodds at hotmail.com_ <mailto:f_dodds at hotmail.com>

Esther Neuhaus
Brazilian Forum of NGOs and Social Movements for the Environment and the
Development
e-mail: _coordenacao at fboms.org.br_ <mailto:coordenacao at fboms.org.br>