International Environmental Governance (IEG) Forum
and Regional Consultation Meeting for Asia and the Pacific (RCM-AP) In preparation for the 10th Global Civil Society Forum (GCSF)
27-30 November 2008 Sydney, Australia

Since 2000, the Major Groups’ participation at the GCSF and UNEP Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF) has more than doubled. Over the last five years, the GCSF consultation cycle has become the main entry point for participation at the highest level at UNEP, dealing with a range of environmental governance issues.

This growing network of major groups’ organizations also represents opportunities to further engage at programmatic level. This year the Regional Consultation Meeting is held in conjunction with the IEG Forum intended to strengthen international environmental governance and civil society leadership in Asia and the Pacific.

The GCSF is built through six regional consultation meetings Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and West Asia. Last year, around 240 representatives of 202 organizations from 84 countries were involved in the process at the regional level.

Themes to be discussed in Sydney include:

1. Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy
2. International Environmental Governance
3. Globalization and the Environment
4. Poverty and Environment
5. UNEP Programme of Work
6. UNEP GCSF Cycle and Achievements of the last Cycle
7. Civil Society Papers

Major Groups represented at the meeting are: women, child and youth, indigenous peoples and their communities, NGOs, local authorities, workers and trade unions, business and industry, scientific and technological community and farmers.

The meeting will have wide representation of counties from Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, South Pacific and Northeast Asia.

The 2008 Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation Meeting is organized in collaboration with the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. More information on University of New South Wales is available at http://www.unsw.edu.au/.

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