On 8-10 June 2016 the Eighth Ministerial Conference Environment for Europe (EfE) will be held in Batumi, Georgia. UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) serves as the secretariat to the Conference.
EfE process as a political framework presents a unique partnership format of member States within the ECE region, organizations of the United Nations system represented in the region, other intergovernmental organizations, Regional Environment Centers, non-governmental organizations, the business sector and other representatives of civil society.
Adopted in 2012 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP) is a global commitment to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production in both developed and developing countries.
Sustainable consumption and production has been included as a stand-alone goal (SDG 12) of the 2030 Sustainable Development agenda, and Target 12.1 calls for the implementation of the 10YFP .
Perhaps the single greatest challenge in the necessary transition to sustainable development lies in harnessing the financial system to the needs of a productive, inclusive and environmentally-responsible economy. This will require reforms to the policies, rules and practices that govern financial and capital markets. The good news is that this “quiet revolution” is already underway and gaining momentum with every day that passes.
Building on ICTSD’s twenty-year history of encouraging innovative thinking on trade and sustainable development issues at WTO Ministerial Conferences, this year’s Trade and Development Symposium (TDS) will act as a crucial platform for intellectual enquiry and dialogue on the future of the multilateral trading system.
The Role of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform
Timed to follow the release of the European Commission’s revised Circular Economy Package, which forms a key pillar of the Commission’s work programme for 2016 and which is expected to be released on 2 December 2015, this conference will enable stakeholders to debate and respond to the new proposals.
In an economic climate where European countries are burdened by global competition for an often unstable supply of resources, creating a new paradigm in which a sustainable European economy emerges is an urgent matter for debate.
The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) is a scientific think tank that assesses strategies for sustainable management of the commons, including natural commons such as land and the atmosphere, as well as social commons such as public infrastructure.
Innovative Methods and Solutions for the Agriculture and Forest Sectors
Moving towards a bio economy is one of the key policy strategies of the EU. Its vision is of a knowledge-based Europe turning to green growth via innovation, which presents opportunities for the agricultural and forest-based sectors. Sustainable production of renewable resources will be needed, with the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value added products, such as food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy.