United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Upgraded to Universal Membership Following Rio+20
Article Type: Features From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 24, Issue 3.
Another step forward to the “Future We Want”, the UN Agenda for the post-Rio process was put in place, with a recent decision by the General Assembly of the United Nations to “strengthen and upgrade” the UNEP and establish universal membership of its governing body. The landmark resolution, aimed at increasing the role of UNEP as the leading environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, was adopted 40 years after UNEP was established by the General Assembly, following the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
The General Assembly resolution also provides for UNEP to receive secure, stable and increased financial resources from the regular budget of the UN, and calls for other UNEP donors to increase their voluntary funding. The decision allows full participation of all 193 UN member states at the UNEP Governing Council in February 2013, and follows commitments by world leaders at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) last June to improve the institutional framework for sustainable development.
The provisions contained in the resolution are among the first practical steps by the UN General Assembly to implement the outcomes of Rio+20.
