The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) will discuss the state of environment
in the world at the meeting of its Governing Council and the Global
Ministerial Environment Forum beginning from tomorrow at Nairobi,
Kenya. Shri K.C.Misra, Secretary in the Ministry of Environment
and Forests will lead the Indian delegation at the crucial 5-day
meeting which will discuss the controversial Asian Brown Cloud
(ABC) among other issues. The meet will also draw the work programme
of UNEP for the years 2004-05.
The meeting will
discuss the state of global environment, emerging policy issues,
the role of civil society, international environmental governance,
outcome of the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development
and linkages among various international environment related conventions.
The Asian Brown Cloud
will come up for discussion during the consideration of the State
of Environment Report prepared by the UNEP. India has taken objection
to the conclusions drawn by the Executive Director of UNEP late
last year in respect of ABC based on Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX)
study. India is of the view that the conclusions were unnecessarily
alarmist and were not substantiated by the necessary scientific
evidence. India is likely to suggest that a comprehensive study
is required to be taken up for understanding the haze phenomenon
occurring due to particulate matters and aerosols all over the
globe.
India is one of the
58 members of Governing Council of UNEP which is a decision making
body while the Global Ministerial Environment Forum constituted
in the year 2000 comprising of more than 120 countries provides
broad policy advice and guidance. India supports the proposal
for membership of all the countries in the Governing Council to
broad base the decision making process in the UNEP.
