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Sixty-sixth session of the Commission

Committing to action on sustainable development in times of change

14 - 15 April 2015
Room XIX, Palais des Nations, Geneva Switzerland

Documents

Document Title  
English
French
Russian
Report of sixty-sixth session (advance copy)
E/2015/37-E/ECE/1472
  PDF PDF PDF
Programme of the sixty-sixth session   PDF    
Revised annotated provisional agenda for the sixty-sixth session
E/ECE/1471/Rev.1
  PDF PDF PDF

Committing to action on sustainable development in times of change
E/ECE/1473

  PDF PDF PDF

Background note
E/ECE/1474

  PDF PDF PDF

High-level statement on the post-2015 development agenda and expected sustainable development goals in the ECE region
E/ECE/1475

  PDF    

Progress in the implementation of the outcome of the review of the 2005 reform of ECE
E/ECE/1476

  PDF PDF PDF

Report on activities of the Executive Committee
E/ECE/1477

  PDF PDF PDF

Other issues calling for decision by the Commission: The Geneva United Nations Charter on Sustainable Housing
E/ECE/1478/Rev.1

  PDF PDF PDF

14 April

Item 1:

Opening and adoption of the agenda

English

10.00-10.25

   
 

Opening remarks

 
 

- Mr. Roderick van Schreven, Ambassador of the Netherlands, Chairperson of the Economic Commission for Europe

PDF

 

- Mr. Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Europe

PDF

 

- Mr. Michael Møller, Acting Director-General, United Nations Office at Geneva

PDF

 

High level segment

 
 

Committing to action on sustainable development in times of change

 

Item 2:

High level dialogue

 

10:30-13:00

   

Moderator:

Mr. Roderick van Schreven, Ambassador of the Netherlands

 

Panelists:

- Mr. Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany

PDF

 

- Mr. Gennady Gatilov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russian Federation

 
 

- Mr. Serdar Atayev, Deputy Minister of Economy and Development, Turkmenistan

 
 

- Ms. Nerissa J. Cook, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Department of State, United States

 
 

- Mr. Nicholas Hanley, Acting Director, Directorate-General for the Environment, European Commission

PDF

 

- Mr. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Azerbaijan

PDF

Item 3:

High level thematic discussions

 

15:00-16:30

   
 

Panel A - Sustainable energy and resilient communities

 

Moderator:

Mr. Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, ECE

 

Panelists:

- Ms. Elena Szolgayova, Director General, DG Housing Policy and Urban Development, Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development, Slovakia - Topic:  Housing and urban development, Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing

PDF

 

- Mr. Jérôme Schmitt, Senior Vice President, Sustainable Development and Environment, Total S.A. - Topic:  Changing business models for smarter energy systems

 
 

Mr. Chris Kuijpers, Director-General, Environment & International Affairs, Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment, the Netherlands - Topic:  The Dutch Green Deal & The Energy Agreement

PDF

 

Mr. Gregory Dimitriadis, CEO, Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) - Topic:   Urban Transport

 
 

Ms. Galina Khovanskaya, Chair, Social Housing Committee of the Duma, Russian Federation - Topic:  Housing

 
 

Ms. Saskia Sassen, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology and Co-Chair Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University - Topic:  Population and the major population trends in UNECE region - ageing, urbanization and migration

 
 

Prof. Peter Droege, Sustainable Spatial Development, President Eurosolar, Chair of the World Council for Renewable Energy, Asia Pacific - Topic: Spatial development, renewable energy

 
 

Mr. Barry Worthington, Executive Director, United States Energy Association - Topic: Fossil fuels facing the CO2 challenge

 

16:30-18:00

   
 

Panel B - Sustainable management of ecosystems and natural resources

 

Moderator:

Mr. Roderick van Schreven, Ambassador of the Netherlands

 

Panelists:

Ms. Tiina Rytilä, State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland - Topic:  Forests, green economy, ecosystem management, air and water

 
 

Mr. Janusz Zaleski, Deputy Director, Polish State Forest,  Poland - Topic:  Forests

 
 

Ms. Victoria Elias, Programme Director, WWF, Russia - Topic:  Biodiversity, ecosystem management

 
 

Ms. Leilani Münter, Race car driver and environmental activist, United States - Topic:  Environmental protection,  behavioural change, public participation, sustainable transport

 
 

Prof. David Simon, Director, Mistra Urban Futures, Chalmers, Gothenburg & Royal Holloway University London, United Kingdom - Topic: Sustainable urban development,  green economy, MEAs, SDGs

 

15 April

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

10:00-11:30

 

English 

Russian

 

Panel C - Connectivity and competitiveness for sustainable lives 

   

Moderator:

Mr. Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, ECE

   

Panelists:

- Mr. Vladimir Yakunin, Chairman of the Union Internationale des Chemins de fer (UIC) and CEO of Russian Railways (RZD) - Topic:  Better connectivity through regulatory framework: the case of the unified railway law

PDF

PDF

PDF

 

Mr. Niklas Gustavsson, Deputy CEO, Volvo Group; Chief of Sustainability Topic: The role of vehicle regulations for fair trade and the connected vehicles for sustainable mobility management

PDF

PDF

 
 

- Mr. David Ward,  Secretary General, Global NCAP- Topic:  Sustainable connectivity includes safe mobility, which also requires safe vehicles

PDF

 
 

- Mr. Jos Arts,Professor, Environment & Infrastructural Planning,  Groningen University; Strategic Advisor, Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, the Netherlands - Topic: Finding the balance for future mobility of freight and people

PPT

 
 

- Mr. Glyn Hughes, Global Head of Cargo, IATA - Topic:  Global supply chains and electronic documentation

PPT

 

11:30-13:00

     
 

Panel D - Measuring and monitoring sustainable development

   

Moderator:

Mr. Roderick van Schreven, Ambassador of the Netherlands

   

Panelists:

Prof. Enrico Giovannini, Chair of the SG Independent Expert Advisory Group on Data revolution for Sustainable Development - Topic:  New requirements from policy demands for the global statistical system in measuring SD

   
 

-Dr. Vanessa Lawrence, Co-Chair of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial  Information Management (UN-GGIM)  - Topic:  The importance of geo-spatial information in advancing the data revolution

PDF

 
 

Mr. Padraig Dalton, Chief Statistician, Ireland, Chair of the ECE High-level Group on Modernization of statistical production - Topic: Innovations in official statistics to support the  post-2015 development agenda

   
 

Dr. Peder Jensen, Head of Programme, Partnerships and Networks, European Environment Agency  - Topic:  Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

   
 

Prof. Adonis F. Velegrakis, Professor in Marine Geology, Department of Marine Sciences, School of Environment, University of the Aegean, Greece - Topic:  Measuring and monitoring transport-related aspects of the sustainable development goals

PDF

 

15:00-16:30

     
 

Panel E - Partnering for sustainable development

   

Moderator:

Mr. Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, ECE

   

Panelists:

Mr. James Stewart, Chairman of Global Infrastructure, KPMG, Chairman of the ECE PPP Advisory Board - Topic: Challenges in implementing Partnerships for Sustainable Development: the private sector perspective

   
 

Mr. Georg Kell, Executive Director, UN Global Compact - Topic:  Partnerships to address the SDGs

   
 

Mr. Umberto de Pretto, Secretary General, International Road Transport Union - Topic: Public and private sector partnerships supporting international transport: the case of TIR

PDF

 
 

Mr. Maksim Yermalovich, Deputy Minister of Finance, Belarus - Topic:  Challenges in driving public-private partnerships forward  in countries that are just getting started: the Belarus experience

   
 

Ms. Inger Andersen, Executive Director, International Union for the Conservation of Nature - Topic:  Maximizing civil society's contributions to partnerships for sustainable development

   

16:30-17:15

     

Item 4:

Discussion and adoption of the outcome document

   
 

General Segment

   

17:15-18:00

     

Item 5:

Progress in the implementation of the outcome of the review of the 2005 reform of ECE

   

16 April

Thursday, 16 April 2015

10:00-10:30 


 

 

Item 6:  

Report on activities of the Executive Committee     

  

10:30-11:00

   

Item 7:  

Other issues calling for decision by the Commission    

 

11:00-11:30

   

Item 8: 

Election of officers

PDF

Item 9: 

Other business

 

16:00-17:00

   

Item 10: 

Adoption of the report of the session

 

List of participants

List of participants (as of 27 July 2015) PDF

Greening your participation

Greening your participation

1) Make your participation paper-smart: 

  • We encourage all delegations to bring their tablets or laptop computers and use the online versions of the official documents. WiFi is available throughout the Palais des Nations.
  • If you need to print, print on both sides of the paper. If possible, opt for unbleached paper with as high a proportion of recycled content as possible, or paper derived from legally (and ideally, sustainably) managed forests.
  • Paper recycling bins are available throughout the Palais des Nations.
     

2) Reduce and offset CO2 emissions from your travelling: 

  • Offset your flight emissions personally or check with your travel agent and your organization to see if they offer any carbon offsetting schemes. The website www.cdmbazaar.net offers a comprehensive list of carbon offset brokers.
  • Opt for economy class rather than business.
  • Take advantage of Geneva’s excellent public transportation system. Geneva hotels offer free public transportation cards to guests. At the airport, free bus tickets to transfer to the city can be obtained near the luggage carousels.
  • Walk, or bike.
      

3) Avoid bottled water:

  • To minimize waste, bring your own bottle or container.
  • Opt for tap water. The tap water at the Palais des Nations has been certified to fit all Swiss and WHO safety standards.
  • If you do purchase beverages, recycling bins for aluminium cans and plastic bottles are available throughout the Palais des Nations.
     

4) Eat local and in-season:

  • Take advantage of the organic and local food options offered by the Palais des Nations cafeteria and many Geneva restaurants. Look for the Genève Région - Terre Avenir (GRTA) label which identifies products from the Geneva region.
  • Avoid food waste as much as possible.
  • Avoid paper coffee cups, plastic utensils and plates. Opt for porcelain or steel alternatives.
     

5) Others:

  • Switch off lights, computers and other equipment when not in use.
  • Enjoy being in nature in the park Ariana surrounding the Palais des Nations, and at the “Forests for Food – Food for Forests” exhibition on display at the Salle des Pas Perdus (3rd floor, A building).