The Governing Council

The Council which serves as the principal governing and legislative body for UNEP is composed of 58 members elected by the General Assembly for four-year terms on the following basis:

* 16 seats for African States;
* 13 seats for Asian States;
* 6 seats for Eastern European States;
* 10 seats for Latin America and the Caribbean States;
* 13 seats for Western European and other States

The Governing Council has the following main functions and responsibilities:

* To promote international cooperation in the field of the environment and to recommend, as appropriate, policies to this end;

* To provide general policy guidance for the direction and coordination of environmental programmes within the United Nations system;

* To receive and review the periodic reports of the Executive Director of UNEP, on the implementation of environmental programmes with the United Nations system;

* To keep under review the world environmental situation in order to ensure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance receive appropriate and adequate consideration by Governments;

* To promote the contribution of the relevant international scientific and other professional communities to the acquisition, assessment and exchange of environmental knowledge and information and, as appropriate, to the technical aspects of the formulation and implementation of environmental programmes with the United Nations system;

* To maintain under continuing review the impact of national and international environmental policies and measure on developing countries, as well as the problem of additional costs that may be incurred by developing countries in the implementation of environmental programmes and projects, and to ensure that such programmes and projects shall be compatible with the development plans and priorities of those countries; and

* To review and approve every two years the programme utilization of resources of the Environment Fund.

The Bureau of the Governing Council comprises the following officers:

* President
* Vice-Presidents (3, three)
* Rapporteur

The Bureau of Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) comprises the following officers:

* President
* Vicepresidentes (3, three)
* Rapporteur

The Committee has the following mandate:

* Within the policy and budgetary framework provided by the Governing Council, to review, monitor and assess the implementation of decisions of the Council on administrative, budgetary and programme matters;

* To review the draft programme of work and budget during their preparation by the secretariat;

* To review reports requested of the secretariat by the Governing Council on the effectiveness, efficiency and transparency of the functions and work of the secretariat and to make recommendations thereon to the Governing Council; and

* To prepare draft decisions for consideration by the Governing Council based on inputs from the secretariat and on the results of the functions specified above.

The Bureau of the High Level Committee of Ministers and Officials (HLCMO) comprises the following officers::

* Presidente
* Vice-Presidentes (3, three)
* Rapporteur

The HLCMO has the following mandate:

* To consider the International environmental agenda and to make reform and policy recommendations to the Governing Council;

* To provide guidance and advice to the Executive Director on emerging environmental issues between sessions of the Governming Council to enable the United Nations Environment Programme to make a timely response;

* To enhance the collaboration and cooperation of the United Nations Environment Programme with other relevant multilateral bodies as well as with the environmental conventions and their secretariats; and

* To support the Executive Director in mobilizing adequate and predictable financial resources for the United Nations Environment Programme for the implementation of the global environmental agenda approved by the Governing Council.