The Minister of the Environment, Cristina Narbona, yesterday chaired the ministerial segment of the ninth special session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in the section dedicated to energy and the environment, which is being held until next Thursday in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

In the session chaired by the Minister, the future trends of energy development and the increase in global energy demand were analyzed, as well as the necessary review of the way in which energy is consumed and supplied to the planet, in order to prevent climate change, the greatest environmental problem derived from CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The same ministerial consultations also explored chemicals management and the impact of tourism on the environment.

Cristina Narbona is in charge of presenting in Dubai the conclusions of the Trade Union Assembly on Labour and the Environment, organized by the United Nations Environment Programme, last January, in Nairobi.

The Assembly of Trade Unions agreed to address the hard work towards poverty reduction, linking it to environmental protection and decent work, as well as integrating the environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development through a rights-based approach, among other aspects.

UNEP, the United Nations’ main environmental body, is owned by more than 150 countries, and has become the global environmental authority. It was born in 1972 as an instrument to coordinate and stimulate national environmental programs and is a reference for many countries.

The main functions of the UNEP Governing Council are, inter alia, to promote international cooperation and recommend environmental policies, to review the state of the environment at the global level to address emerging problems, and to approve a biennial programme for the use of resources from the Environment Fund.