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| [PHOTO: UNEP] |
The inaugural UNEA concluded its five-day deliberations at
the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi
on Friday. The meeting agreed 16 decisions and resolutions that encourage
international action on major environmental issues ranging from air pollution
and the illegal trade in wildlife, to plastic debris in the oceans, chemicals
and waste.
The international community participated in the Assembly in
record numbers, with high-level delegations from 160 UN Member and Observer
States and stakeholders from multiple sectors present.
The Secretary-General, who at the close of UNEA on Friday
said we are "poised for the crucial next stage of human development",
on Saturday adopted a six-month-old lioness at the Kenya Wildlife Service's
animal orphanage.
He named the lioness "Tumaini", the Kiswahili word
for "hope", to symbolize his hope for a sustainable future in which
"people live harmoniously with nature".
"It is my hope that the post-2015 Sustainable
Development Agenda will be shaped as soon as possible, and also my sincere hope
that a new climate change agreement will be adopted by the end of next
year," he said following the adoption of the lion.
The Secretary-General this September is hosting a Climate
Summit in New York, aimed at catalyzing action by governments, business,
finance, industry, and civil society in areas for new commitments and
contributions that will help the world shift toward a low-carbon economy.
The summit is aimed at building a solid foundation upon
which to anchor negotiations for a new climate deal, to be agreed in Paris at
the end of 2015.
At a lunch organized by UNEP in Nairobi's National Park, the
Secretary-General met local business leaders - such as the heads of
telecommunications company Safaricom and the Lake Turkana Windpower Project -to
discuss how to boost the renewable energy market share, and combat climate
change, as part of his Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.