Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies meets in Bern

The AGEE is comprised of government representatives, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) as well as environmental groups and experts. It brings together relief workers, civil protection specialists and environmental experts seeking to improve the overall handling of environmental emergencies.

The 9th Meeting of the Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies (AGEE) is being held in the presence of UN-OCHA Director Rashid Khalikov and Ibrahim Thiaw, who heads UNEP‘s Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI).

The Swiss Delegate for Humanitarian Aid, Ambassador Toni Frisch, has chaired this event for the past three years. Priorities include anchoring political commitment to this theme to ensure that the measures needed to prevent and overcome environmental emergencies are actually taken. To this end, diplomatic and technical networks have been established in Geneva, New York and Nairobi. On 9 February 2011, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) convened a one-day thematic debate on disaster risk reduction (DRR).

Further information:

Prevention – to reduce the extent of catastrophes

Address for enquiries:

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: (+41) 031 322 31 53
Fax: (+41) 031 324 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch

Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs