Highlights for Monday, 21 January 2019

Group photo at the opening of the conference
The Intergovernmental Meeting on the Sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) opened on Monday, 21 January 2019, at the UN Environment (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
In the morning, Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies and Stakeholders, UNEP, opened the meeting. Delegates then listened to opening remarks from Co-Chair of the High-level Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Advisory Group (HLG) Paolo Soprano (Italy), Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP, and Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Kenya. Delegates also addressed organizational matters including election of officers and listened to presentations on the GEO-6 process and the content and key messages of the draft GEO-6 Summary for Policymakers (SPM).
Delegates thereafter shared their general views of the draft SPM, which will remain embargoed until its adoption by member states on Thursday, 24 January 2019.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary report from the Negotiation of the GEO-6 Summary for Policy Makers, which is available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis
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From L-R: Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UN Environment (UNEP); Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya; and Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP

Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP, and Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya

Jian Liu, Chief Scientist, UNEP, with Stadler Trengove, UN Legal Officer

Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya

Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP

Lori Dando, US

Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP

Co-Chair Paolo Soprano, Italy

Laksmi Dhewanthi, Indonesia

Sebastian Gil, European Union

Martin Gronda, Argentina, with Sergio Salazar Alzate, Colombia

Marta Juárez Ruiz, Costa Rica

Martin Gómez Bustillo, Argentina

GEO-6 Assessment Co-Chair, Joyeeta Gupta, India

GEO-6 Assessment Co-Chair Paul Ekins, UK

Guri Sandborg, Norway

Lonkham Atsanavong, Lao People's Democratic Republic

Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director, UNEP, and Jorge Laguna-Celis, Secretary, Secretariat of Governing Bodies, UNEP

Participants conferring before the opening session.

Vanessa Lim, Singapore

Pierre Boileau, Head of GEO-6 Unit, UNEP

Matthew Billot, Regional Coordinator, UNEP

Delegates from Argentina conferring during a break.

Maribe Mujinga Nsompo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Elizabeth Taylor, Colombia

Vincent Fleming, UK

Co-Chair Marek Garztecki, Poland

Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland

Arthur Eijs, the Netherlands

Anne Martinussen, Norway

Ambinintsoa Noasilalaonomenjanahary, Madagascar

Idrees Malyar, Afghanistan
Around the venue