CHRIST ACADEMY MODEL UNITED NATIONS

19th EDITION

COMMITTEE
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME
(UNEP)

AGENDA
DELIBERATIONS ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOW AND MIDDLE
INCOME COUNTRIES

BACKGROUND GUIDE
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Dear Delegates,

I, Abhineet RK, and I, Ganga Pramod as Co-Chairpersons, welcome you to

the United Nations Environment Programme at the 19th Edition of Christ
Academy Model United Nations. We are currently 12th grade students at
Christ Academy Junior College and we’ve both been attending MUNs for the
past 4 years. We hope the experience you gain from this conference enriches
your problem-solving skills and that you learn about a pressing world issue
that complicates the lives of many people, both in our country and abroad.

UNEP, for this edition, will be a beginner committee. We have tried our best
to provide you with a comprehensive background guide, which would help
you gain a basic understanding about the agenda. However, kindly make sure
that this guide is only to help you kick-start your research and must not be
your only source of research.

A Position paper needs to be submitted by all the delegates of UNEP before

you enter the committee to both the email IDs mentioned below, the deadline
for which will be 11:59 pm on 06th August 2021.

We wish all the delegates good luck and we would love to see all of you at the
conference. Please feel free to contact us at any point.

Sincerely,

Abhineet RK Ganga Pramod

Co-Chairperson Co-Chairperson
quiz.abhineetrk@gmail.com gangapramod2004@gmail.com
 COMMITTEE OVERVIEW
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP)

Introduction

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the “advocate, educator,

catalyst, and facilitator” in promoting environmentally friendly practices and
policies in the United Nations (UN) system.It is a specialized program that ensures
international, regional, and local coordination for environmental issues, and also
ensures that various other UN entities take environmental impact into account
when executing their missions.UNEP reports directly to the General Assembly
(GA). Their headquarters is located in Nairobi, Kenya, making it one of only two
UN entities headquartered in a developing nation.In May 2014, the GA, at the
request of the Secretary-General, approved a budget increase for UNEP, which has
given them the ability to improve their ongoing projects and to address various
other environmental issues.

History

The creation of UNEP was recommended at the United Nations Conference on

Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden in June 1972.Six months later, in
December 1972, the GA adopted resolution 2997 (XXVII) which established
UNEP as the official body concerned with environmental issues of the UN. Since
that time, UNEP has played a significant role in coordinating environmental policy
for various UN agencies. UNEP played a very pivotal role in the planning and
execution of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in
1992. UNCED was the conference that led to the adoption of Agenda 21 and the
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992).

Chapter 38 of Agenda 21 calls for the creation of an inter-agency task force that
would research the best ways to identify and address environmental issues. This
led to the creation of the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development
(IACSD), of which UNEP is a key member. IACSD has a system of task managers,
each in charge of specific thematic areas with UNEP being the task manager
concerned with the areas of the atmosphere, toxic chemical, hazardous waste,
desertification and drought, and biodiversity. UNEP also takes an active role in
other thematic areas of the organization, using their environmental expertise to
ensure that no areas of concern go unnoticed.

Mandate

Upon the adoption of resolution 2997 (XXVII), UNEP was mandated to promote
international and regional environmental cooperation; help in establishing
environmental policy; highlight global and regional problems; facilitate the transfer
of scientific knowledge; assist developing Member States in environmental
matters, review reports of the Executive Director; and approve the annual program
on the allocation of UNEP’s main source of funding, the Environment Fund. Since
1972, UNEP’s mandate has been amended and modified numerous times, including
its most recent update in 2002.The first amendment to UNEP’s mandate came in
1992, via Agenda 21, which led to UNEP’s involvement with IACSD. Five years
later, in 1995, the GA held a special session to review the implementation of
Agenda 21 and amended UNEP’s mandate by stating “UNEP is to be the leading
global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda.” In
1997, the Secretary-General requested the GA create a Task Force to review and
propose reforms for UN activities concerning the environment and human
settlements. In October of 1998, per the guidance of the Task Force, the GA put
forth a set of recommendations that would further amend UNEP’s mandate. As a
result, the Executive Director of UNEP was placed in charge of a new committee
called the Environmental Management Group (EMG). The key purpose of EMG is
to coordinate and facilitate access to relevant information and findings concerning
the environment and human settlements, in order to ensure the most efficient and
cost effective allocation of resources and information. The mandate was further
amended upon UNEP’s adoption of the Nairobi Declaration (1997). This
amendment was one of the most significant in UNEP’s history, because it created a
new “core mandate” for the organization.

The core mandate did not replace the original mandate, but it did shift the focus of
UNEP to ensure a more modern and technologically friendly approach is taken to
environmental issues. It made UNEP responsible for: using the best available
scientific methods and evidence to analyze global environmental trends; utilizing
early warning systems; furthering the development of international environmental
law and policy; monitoring and fostering Member State compliance with existing
international environmental norms; strengthening its role in coordinating UN
environmental activities; serving as a link between the scientific community and
the UN when environmental policy is concerned; and providing key policy advice
for UN bodies, governments, and other institutions. UNEP’s mandate was most
recently modified in 2002, through the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable
Development.

The Johannesburg Declaration calls on UNEP to strengthen their ties and

cooperation with the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), and all relevant Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) to ensure efficiency of programs, initiatives, and resources
in all areas. After the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in
2012, UNEP’s Governing Council was expanded to include all Member States.
This was done to strengthen UNEP and to ensure its place as the global leader on
the environment. UNEP’s first universal session was held in February 2013, where
the decision was made to change the Governing Council to the United Nations
Environmental Assembly of UNEP (UNEA). The UNEA has its own mandate that
allows the UNEA to make major strategic decisions for UNEP, provide political
guidance (especially for Member State specific programs), and to promote strong
scientifically based policies. UNEP’s mandate strongly calls for the efficiency and
accuracy of information sharing in order to ensure that environmental policy is
scientifically and technologically accurate. The mandate also emphasizes the need
for strong ties between UNEP and other world organizations, such as the WTO and
UNDP, to ensure that various projects, programs, and initiates are environmentally
friendly in their execution. Overall, UNEP’s mandate permits UNEP to be the
voice of the environment of the UN system, meaning that UNEP oversees the
development and execution of any official environmental policies developed within
the UN system. In addition, UNEP’s mandate requires UNEP to monitor the
programs of other UN entities to ensure they too are executed in an
environmentally sound manner.
Conventions and regional plans

UNEP has eight major conventions that are each overseen by separate Secretariats:
the Convention of Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade of
Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, the Convention on Migratory
Species of Wild Animals, the Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the
Convention of Climate Change, the Convention on Desertification, the Regional
Seas Convention, and the Rotterdam Convention on Informed Consent. The role of
these Secretariats is to monitor, report on, and implement programs in the area that
its internationally agreed-upon convention specifies. For example, the Secretariat
for the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and
Fauna is responsible for monitoring and stopping any black market trade of
endangered plants or animals, and to help ensure that legal trade in these species is
safe and does not threaten their existence.

Current Priorities

UNEP currently has six priority areas: climate change, resource efficiency, disaster
and conflict, environmental governance, harmful substances and hazardous waste,
and ecosystem management. Their focus was put onto these areas in 2010. These
six areas were chosen because they represent the largest areas of need and allow
UNEP to focus on both broad and particular needs internationally, regionally, and
in Member State specific ways

In 2012, UNEP released their medium term strategy plan for 2014-2017. Their
medium term strategy involves four key areas that will help UNEP to further
implement their mandate, improve the state of the global environment, and ensure
human wellness through the improvement and maintenance of the environment.
UNEP’s four key areas for their medium term strategy are: to continuously review
the world’s environmental situation, improve early warning systems and global
environmental policy by using the best available science, improve relationships
and technical support specific to the needs of various Member States, and
contributing to the formulation, development, and improvement of environmental
policy and laws around the world. All four of these key areas promote UNEP’s
main goal for their medium term plan: to decrease carbon emissions globally and
promote the use of sustainable technologies in order to improve and maintain the
state of the world’s environments.

Conclusion

UNEP is the UN’s official program concerned with the environment. Their
expertise and knowledge is crucial for the implementation of a variety of
established programs within the UN and Member States’ governments. UNEP’s
mission is to ensure that the work of all UN entities, programs, funds, and Member
States, civil society organizations, and private industry is environmentally
sustainable and in line with international laws and norms concerning the
environment.

TOPIC BACKGROUND

"Climate change" means a change of climate which is attributed directly or

indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere
and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable
time periods as per the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
One of the biggest challenges facing the international community today is the issue
of climate change and its effects. Climate change is occurring as a result of certain
gases building up in the Earth’s atmosphere. According to the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the recent accumulations in the
Earth’s atmosphere of heat-trapping “greenhouse gases” have been caused by a
number of factors, but the two factors most at fault are the burning of fossil fuels
such as coal and oil, and widespread deforestation. These gases prevent heat from
escaping to space, somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse. Greenhouse
gases are necessary to life as we know it because they keep the planet's surface at
an optimal temperature to sustain human life. However, as the concentrations of
these gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, the Earth's temperature rises
above normal levels. According to data from the United States National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space
Agency (NASA), the Earth's average surface temperature has increased by about
1.4˚F in the last 100 years. While this doesn’t seem like a large increase, it has still
had major impacts on the Earth’s climate. The eight warmest years on record since
1850 have all occurred since 1998, with the warmest year being 2005. Most of the
warming in recent decades is probably the result of human activities, such as the
burning of fossil fuels. Other aspects of the climate are also changing such as
rainfall patterns, snow and ice cover, and sea level. If greenhouse gases continue to
increase, climate models predict that the average temperature at the Earth's surface
could increase from 3.2 to 7.2ºF above 1990 levels by the year 2100. Scientists are
certain that human activities are changing the composition of the atmosphere, and
that increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases will change the planet's
climate.

PAST ACTIONS TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) was founded in 1972 as a

result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. UNEP has
been one of the leading international institutions working to combat climate change
for many years. The organization acts as a guide for nations regarding drafting and
implementing policies regarding climate change, and helps governments work to
reduce carbon emissions and deforestation rates. Working on adaptation and
mitigation policies, UNEP is an essential organization in the fight to curb the
effects of global warming. At its 40th Session in 1988, the World Meteorological
Organization’s (WMO) Executive Council established the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC’s main objectives are to further our
knowledge of climate change, as well as prepare a plan of action to implement
solutions. The IPCC also releases topic-specific assessment reports to share
knowledge of solutions that have worked thus far to combat climate change. In
June of 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) created the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in order to implement concrete solutions to reduce the effects of
climate change. The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement linked to the
UNFCCC, was adopted in Kyoto, Japan on December 11, 1997, and it officially
entered into force on February 16, 2005. The Kyoto Protocol set legally binding
targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European Union for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. In 2000, the United Nations established the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) based on mechanisms discussed at the Millennium
Summit in New York City that year. The goals range from eradicating poverty, to
promoting gender equality, to combating infectious diseases; the hope is for all
goals to be accomplished by the year 2015. Goal 7 of the MDGs is about ensuring
environmental sustainability around the globe, including offsetting the effects of
global warming, reducing carbon emissions and energy use, and decreasing rates of
deforestation. In 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development (UNCSD) was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference was
nicknamed Rio + 20 in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) which was held in Rio de
Janeiro in 1992. The goal of Rio + 20 was to encourage governments to adopt
practical measures to further sustainable development in their own nations, based
on successful solutions from the past twenty years. Although the conference only
resulted in non-binding goals for nations around the world, it furthered necessary
discussion on sustainable development measures.

CASE STUDIES

Indian Ocean Heating

● Sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean have risen by an average of

1℃, higher than the global average of 0.7℃. This warming will affect the
monsoon patterns. This will affect agricultural production and may lead to
damage or loss of crops due to heavy rainfall or insufficient rainfall.
● The warming of the ocean affects the fisheries as many fish might move out
of their regular habitat or there might be a rise in predators that might lead to
a fall in the population of fish that are available for the fishermen to catch.
● Climate Change has led to a rise in the mean sea level which has led to loss
of land and has negatively affected the hamlets of fishermen staying on the
sea shore. Climate Change has also increased the number of storms and
cyclones off the east coast. Due to this, the fishermen are unable to head out
to sea. This affects their ability to earn a living.
 ● The rise in the number of cyclones also increased the government’s
expenditure in disaster relief and rebuilding of infrastructure. From the year
2008 to the year 2018, the Indian government spent a total of 171852 Crore
rupees towards disaster relief.

The Philippines

● The Philippines is a country made up of many islands and atolls. It has an

Exclusive Economic Zone of a total of 2,263,816 km2 in the Pacific Ocean.
The fisheries industry in the Philippines contributes $4.33 billion and
employs over 1.6 million people.
● Global warming caused by Climate Change might lead to the warming up of
the Pacific Ocean. The fisheries industry will be affected by rising
temperatures as the fish in the region, like the Squaretail Mullet, might
migrate to cooler regions. This uneven heating might also cause a sudden
drop in temperature in the winters leading to migration of various fish
species like the common Goby in search of warmer water. This might also
lead to an increase in the in migration of invasive species leading to
depletion of resources for local fish or leading to consumption of local fish
by invasive predators.
● Climate Change will also seriously affect rice production in the Philippines.
It is estimated that, for every degree by which the temperature rises, rice
production will fall by about 3.5%. This will especially impact Philippines
as rice is a staple cereal consumed by a major part of the population and over
13 million individuals earn their living through rice cultivation.

A few guiding questions for research

1) What are the causes of climate change?
2) How does Climate change affect low and middle income economies?
3) Which groups of people in these countries are the most affected?
4) How would this crisis in these countries affect the rest of the world?
5) What steps should be taken to minimize the effects of Climate Change in
these countries?
6) How to make these countries better equipped to deal with Climate change
related disasters?
7) What is the position of your country on the agenda?
8) Who are your country’s allies?