The Committee of Permanent Representatives prepares the meetings of the UN Environment Assembly and regularly reviews the implementation of its decisions.
The Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) is composed of all accredited Permanent Representatives to UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and was formally established as a subsidiary organ of the Governing Council (now the United Nations Environment Assembly) in May 1985 by Governing Council Decision 13/2.
The first universal session of the Governing body of UNEP held in February 2013 strengthened the Committee of Permanent Representatives by establishing an open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives as the main inter-sessional organ of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). The Committee of Permanent Representatives was thus strengthened with the following functions by Governing Council Decision 27/2:
- Contribute to the preparation of the agenda of of the UNEA governing body;
- Provide advice to the UNEA on policy matters;
- Prepare decisions for adoption by the UNEA and oversee their implementation;
- Convene thematic and/or programmatic debates;
- Promote effective ways and means to facilitate participation of the non-resident members of the Committee, particularly from developing countries;
- Perform any other functions delegated to it by the UNEA.
The Committee of Permanent Representatives is led by a five-member bureau, elected for a period of two years. Each bureau member represents one of the five UN regional groups of Member States, the current chair of the Committee of Permanent Representatives is H.E. Mr. Pirkka Tapiola, Ambassador of Finland to Kenya and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme. The Committee of Permanent Representatives meets at least four times every year. The outcomes of its meetings are available in the documents section of this portal.
To organize its work, the Committee of Permanent Representatives uses the Rules of Procedure of the UNEA.
