Message from Permanent Representative

In early December this year, the United Nations Environment Assembly, which discusses the direction of the activities of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) at the ministerial level, will hold its seventh meeting (UNEA 7) at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi. Now, UNEA 7 is less than three months ahead of us. The global environmental issues that require actions of the nations to be coordinated at the UN, such as the climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, have become increasingly complex and serious. On the other hand, we witness changes in the environment policy of the nations, including the United States, which add difficulty in such coordination. We need to reassemble the mind of the world toward the political commitment to the environmental issues and coordinated action plans to put the commitment in practice. The two major international conferences on environmental issues in this winter, UNEA 7 and COP 30 of the Convention on Climate Change, ought to be exploited effectively for this aim. The Executive Director Inger Andersen of UNEP and I are in full agreement on this recognition.
 
The Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach of the UN Habitat pays her great attention to such Japanese policies as the ones for urban land use and the ones to prevent and reduce disasters. She envisages to incorporate learnings from the Japanese policies to Habitat’s activities to address the “informal settlements” issues, which was made a new pillar in Habitat’s new strategy, adopted at its Assembly in May this year. With this in mind, she took part in TICAD9 in Japan in August, and strengthened the relationship with her Japanese counterparts, including Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Environment Minister Keiichiro Asao. I hope that cooperation between Japan and the UN Habitat will gather momentum.
 
Now at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi, the construction work to expand the facilities accelerates its pace. This work is to accommodate the UN organs which will move part of their function to Nairobi from New York or Geneve. Although those UN officials who have been forced to use temporary offices must feel inconvenient, the sound of the construction work makes me feel liveliness and energy for future somewhat.
 
I have built close relationship with the UN development agencies group, headed by the Resident Coordinator Stephen Jackson and including such agencies as UNICEF, UNESCO and UNDP. Under the relationship, I and the group engage in close policy dialogue and jointly pursue smooth and effective implementation of the projects funded by Japan.
 
Japan serves as the Chair of the Asia Pacific Group (APG) at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi in the second half of this year, starting at 1^st July and ending at 31^st December. The Chair facilitates agreement among the 22 members of the Group and speaks and negotiates on behalf of the Group, mainly with regard to matters related to UNEP and the UN Habitat. I hope that, through the Chairmanship of the APG, I will make small contribution to promote consensus at the whole UN.