FAO and UNEP in Brussels: Strong partnership for climate and biodiversity

FAO Brussels and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Office for Europe met to discuss a roadmap of joint events, campaigns and opportunities for collaboration in 2021. The Head of the UN Environment Programme Office in Brussels Veronika Hunt Šafránková and FAO Brussels Director Rodrigo de Lapuerta already jointly chair the United Nations working group on the European Green Deal.

The partners worked on a  series of joint events in the 2021 calendar and highlighted areas in which their respective teams have begun working, such as the launch of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which will coincide with this year’s World Environment Day on 5 June, COP 15, COP 26, the United Nations Food Systems Summits as well as upcoming conferences organized with the Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

FAO and UNEP already cooperate extensively at the country-level. One example is their joint partnership with the European Union through the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States Initiative, the “Capacity Building related to multilateral environment agreements – ACP-MEAS III” programme. The programme aims to build the capacity of ACP States to support the fulfillment of their obligations as parties to the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), which are legally binding commitments to tackle environmental issues.

Another joint effort is the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD). This programme builds on the convening role and technical expertise of FAO, UNEP and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to support nationally-led programmes to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. It also promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders.

The agency heads agreed to intensify their collaboration on promoting the visibility of these joint programmes and other priorities and initiatives over the year to come.