UAE signs Eye on Earth Summit Declaration with UNEP

(Abu Dhabi) – The UAE and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) signed the Eye on Earth Summit Declaration at the end of the four-day summit held in Abu Dhabi.
The document was jointly signed by UAE Minister of Environment and Water, His Highness Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad; Secretary-General of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), His Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak and Director of the Division of Early Warning and Assessment at the UNEP Peter Gilruth, who signed representing UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
The declaration has been drawn up for inclusion on the agenda of the United Nations Rio+20 conference in Brazil in June 2012 and is endorsed by delegations and representatives of government, business, and civil society around the world who have been attending the summit. The Eye on Earth Abu Dhabi 2011 Summit has announced eight Special Initiatives; Eye on Water Security, Eye on Biodiversity, Eye on Oceans: Blue Carbon and Eye on Network of Networks, Eye on Disaster Management, Eye on Community Sustainability and Resiliency, Eye on Environmental Education, Eye on Access for All.
In his remarks, Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director said, “Today’s declaration can assist nations, meeting for the Rio+20 Summit in Brazil next June, to chart a course towards a low carbon, resource efficient global Green Economy — one that can generate growth and jobs, eradicate poverty and propel sustainable development but in a way that keeps humanity’s footprint within planetary boundaries”.