Georgian official appointed Vice President of UNEA

A Georgian official has been appointed a major role within the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

Georgia’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection Elguja Khokrishvili has been named as the regional representative for Central and East Europe and the Vice President of UNEA, which was established two years ago under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

UNEA was formed following a call by world leaders at the UN conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil in June 2012. The aim of the UNEA was to strengthen and upgrade UNEP as the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda and by establishing universal membership in its Governing Council – a 58-member governing body of UNEP in place since 1972.

Subsequently, at the first universal session of the UNEP Governing Council held in February 2013, member states recommended to the UN General Assembly that the Governing Council be renamed the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme with universal membership.

In March 2013, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/67/251 that formally changed the name of the Governing Council to the United Nations Environment Assembly.

Now all 193 UN member states, observer states and other stakeholders participate in discussions and decision-making on issues that affect the state of the environment and global sustainability.

As the new governing body of UNEP, UNEA has the mandate to make strategic decisions, provide political guidance in the work of UNEP and promote a strong science-policy interface. (Agenda.ge)