Last Update: 26.11.2010

Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen advocates UN Environment Organisation

From 20 to 23 November 2010 the second meeting of the Consultative Group of Ministers or High-Level Representatives on International Environmental Governance took place in Helsinki. The group was established by the UNEP Governing Council in February 2010 with a mandate to elaborate proposals for a reform geared towards reinforcing international environmental governance.

Finland's President Tarja Halonen - Co-Chair of the High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability recently established by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon - opened the meeting, stressing the special importance of institutional reform for global environmental protection.

Different options for a fundamental reform of UN organisational structures in the environment field were discussed in a constructive atmosphere in Helsinki by 45 delegations under the co-chair of Finnish Environment Minister Paula Lehtomäki and Kenya's Environment Assistant Minister Margaret Kamar.

German Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen, head of the German delegation, stressed that only a UN Environment Organisation could meet the demanding international environment challenges. In addition to upgrading the status of the existing United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to a specialised agency (UNEO), an upgrade also called for by the other EU member states, an alternative option of an enhanced UNEP was also discussed. Both organisation options will be discussed further. The goal is to instigate a decision on international UN environment reform at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 ("Rio plus 20").