14/06/2011

Geneva -The Multilateral Environmental Agreements Information and Knowledge Management Initiative (MEA-IKM), launched today a harmonized information system to assist Parties and the environment community at large to access information from multiple agreements from one location. Supported by UNEP and FAO, the initiative currently includes 17 MEAs and other instruments from 12 Secretariats hosted by three UN organizations and IUCN. It is open to observers involved in MEA information and data management.

The first project– InforMEA, the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements – was launched on 14 June at the occasion of the initiative’s 2ndSteering Committee Meeting, attended by Ms. Maria Louisa Silva, Executive Secretary of the Barcelona Convention, Mr. John Scanlon, Secretary General of Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and Mr. Jim Willis, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

“With the launch of InforMEA the global environmental community has taken a major stride forward in making access to information more transparent and easier to apply in solving the complex challenges we face in the Information Age”, Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The InforMEA Portal presents Conference of the Parties decisions and resolutions, news, calendars, events, country specific MEA Membership, national focal points, as well as in the near future national reports and implementation plans organized against a set of 200 hierarchical terms taken from MEA Conference of the Parties (COP) Agendas.

“This initiative shows the many cross-linkages of the MEAs from many perspectives.  It shows the relevance of the MEAs for the environment, agriculture and livehoods and how they contribute towards sustainable development” said Shakeel Bhatti, Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources.

In contrast to similar endeavors this project harvests and displays information directly from MEA Secretariats websites and data bases, who remain the custodians of their data. This allows for accurate and timely data availability in a cost effective manner. MEA secretariats individually implement the technical solution identified.

Harmonization of information standards and formats will facilitate the development of many other knowledge tools among conventions. For example, the Convention on Migratory Species and CITES could display the species listed on their respective appendices or the Stockholm Convention may feature decisions related to endangered migratory species threatened by POPs. Once such an application is developed, the tool is maintained at minimal cost. For further information please contact: Marcos Silva (CITES) - [email protected], Eva Duer (UNEP) - [email protected], Francisco López (ITPGRFA-FAO) - [email protected]