E. K. ELKINA

RUDN University student

E. A. ELKINA

Institute of Africa, Russian Academy of Sciences

Keywords: UN, UNEA, environmental protection, illegal trade in wildlife objects

A sense of universal danger should unite all countries of the world. Humanity is greedily and increasingly consuming the resources of the biosphere. Already 30-40 years ago, it became clear that nature is not able to independently restore everything that man takes from it. That is why the task of stopping environmental degradation and, in general, reversing the process in order to ensure progressive development, has become one of the main ones on the agenda of the entire world community.

In June 2014, the first ever UN Environment Assembly (UNEA)*was held in Nairobi, Kenya. During the Assembly meetings, it was noted that the social, economic and environmental problems facing our planet are interrelated and must be addressed by integrating all three aspects. Only in this way can we achieve the results necessary to ensure the long-term well-being of humanity. Special attention was paid to issues of vital importance for the African continent.

Speaking at the final session of the Assembly, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said:: "The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil on which our food grows are all part of a sensitive ecosystem that is under increasing pressure, and we need to act decisively to change the way humanity treats our planet." ¹

As a result of the Assembly's work, 16 resolutions were adopted, which, as the UN Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Achim Steiner noted in his speech, can shape the global environmental agenda in the future, and will determine joint actions on priority issues, starting with plastic garbage and microplastics in the seas before illegal trade in wildlife objects. "These resolutions, including the air quality resolution, clearly indicate that at its first session, UNEA has established a robust platform for policy decisions, where the environment is at the very core of sustainable development." ²

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 7 million people die each year due to air pollution. "The problem of poor air quality is becoming more serious, especially in cities, putting the lives of millions of people around the world at risk. Actions to improve air quality will not only save lives, but will also be useful for climate, maintaining biodiversity, and ensuring food security, " Steiner said.³

This issue has been recognized as a priority and requires immediate action by the international community. It is also related to the situation in Africa. The use of the cheapest and dirtiest technologies by the population is determined by the lack of energy infrastructure, high-quality roads, and the vast majority of motor vehicles do not meet international environmental standards. Coal-fired boilers, diesel electric generators, and old motorcycles flooding the streets of cities will create unprecedented levels of harmful emissions in the face of rapid population growth, which will affect the ecology of the entire continent.

But if poor air quality is not the most urgent problem for most African countries, with the exception of megacities, then the illegal trade in wildlife objects on the continent requires immediate measures to counteract. During the Assembly, a "ministerial dialogue" was held on this issue. At the initiative of the Africans, it was about a sharp increase in poaching, which reduced the number of elephants and rhinos to a dangerous level (over the past 3 years, a quarter of the elephant population in Kenya has died)⁴. In the Kruger National Park in South Africa, veterinarians even cut down the horns of rhinos so that the animals do not become victims of poachers.

However, the discussion went beyond the task of rescuing these animals. Africa, and not only Africa, continues to be plundered, plundering its riches, destroying rare species of marine life, reptiles, birds, apes, endemic plant species. During the discussion, the term "ecological genocide"was even used. The reasons for illegal trade in wildlife objects are the orders of end-users, although local poverty and corruption also bear their share of responsibility. Therefore, to solve the problem, it is important to provide alternative sources of income for local communities.

* UNEA (United Nations Environment Assembly) - the governing body of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the main UN body in the field of the environment. It includes all 193 UN member States.

Issues relevant to Africans were raised such as desertification, soil erosion, and degradation of wetlands due to unwise deforestation. It was not just about cutting down valuable trees that are intended for the furniture industry, although such cutting leaves unhealed wounds in the jungle. For example, John Gontales, a representative of the Forest Watch Council, estimated the volume of illegal timber trade worldwide at $100 billion. in year ⁵. The biggest danger is the mass destruction of forests for the sake of creating new farmland, laying highways and other economic activities. But the forests of the Congo River basin are the lungs of our planet, comparable in importance to the forests of the Amazon basin.

According to the report of UNEP and Interpol "Crisis of environmental crimes", which was announced at UNEA, the annual damage caused by environmental crimes is estimated at about $213 billion. Of particular concern is the involvement of transnational organized crime networks in this trade, which requires joint efforts by the international community, national Governments, the police, and civil society. Money is being pumped to support criminal and terrorist groups, threatening the security and sustainable development of countries and peoples.

A number of activities in this area were proposed for the next UNEA session, including analysis of the environmental impact of the illegal wildlife trade and raising public awareness. UNEA called for strengthening actions and improving the quality of international coordination in the fight against illegal trade in wildlife objects, which poses a real threat to the environment and sustainable development. The Assembly resolution urges Governments to meet their commitments to combat illegal trade through targeted actions to eliminate the supply, transit and demand for illegally obtained wildlife products.

Developing a zero-tolerance policy for the illegal wildlife trade requires developing opportunities for sustainable, alternative livelihoods for communities affected by poaching.

During the discussion, the Ministers participating in the Assembly noted that the illegal trade in wildlife objects is "a challenge to the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development, which increases the impact on the fate of humanity of other crises" ^.6

The resolution" On marine plastic waste and microparticles " expresses concern about the impact of plastic materials on the marine environment, its flora and fauna. Scientists have confirmed the presence of 5 areas with the highest concentration of garbage. These areas were predicted in advance, based on ocean model data, and are located west of the Americas, between the Americas and Africa, and east and west of the southern tip of Africa.⁷

Since a huge number of chemicals (more than 100 thousand types) have already become a part of our daily life, the UN Environment Assembly noted the need for rational regulation of their production, use and disposal. Waste management is identified as an important and integral element of sustainable development and the post-2015 development agenda.

UNEA reaffirmed the commitment of Member States to fully implement the Rio + 20 outcome document "The future we want", in particular in the section on the environmental dimension in the context of sustainable development. She stressed the historic importance of convening the first universal session of UNEA as the world's leading environmental body, designed to address global environmental issues and provide comprehensive political leadership in the UN system.

During the first session of UNEA, high-level meetings were held on such topics as "Sustainable Development Goals", "Post-2015 Development Agenda", including sustainable production and consumption (SCP).

UNEA called for the full integration of environmental aspects in the process of sustainable development, recognizing that a healthy environment is an important condition and key factor for sustainable development beyond 2015.

At the end of the Assembly, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon symbolically "adopted" a 6-month-old lioness living in an animal shelter at the Kenya Nature Conservancy. He gives her the name Nadezhda, which symbolizes hope for a sustainable future in which people will live in harmony with nature.

* Short title of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 20 years after the historic 1992 Earth Summit in Rio.

¹ http://www.un.org

² http://www.unep.org/unea/

³ Ibidem.

⁴ http://www.bbc.ru 12.04.2012.

⁵ http://www.unep.org/unea/ ⁶ Ibidem.

⁷ http://www.abcnews.go.com

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