Elizabeth Maruma Mrema Takes Up New Assignment in Nairobi

Elizabeth Mrema © Sergey DerelievBonn,
5 January 2012
- CMS Executive Secretary, Ms. Elizabeth
Maruma Mrema has been appointed Deputy Director of the Division
of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI) at the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as of 9 January. Ms.
Mrema joined the UNEP/CMS Secretariat as Officer in Charge
in July 2009. At the end of the same year, UNEP Executive
Director, Mr. Achim Steiner appointed her as the new Executive
Secretary of the UNEP/CMS Secretariat.

Her longstanding expertise as a senior
environmental lawyer at UNEP with a particular focus on
international environmental law, compliance and enforcement
of environmental conventions proved to be a huge asset in
leading the CMS Secretariat. Building on her work at the
UNEP/Division of Environmental Law and Conventions (DELC)
with a focus on Multilateral Environmental Agreements Support
and Cooperation and later as the Head of the Biodiversity,
Law and Governance Branch, Ms Mrema succeeded in shaping
CMS as a lead partner of other biodiversity related Conventions.

During her time in Bonn, the first global
Memorandum of Understanding on migratory sharks, a commercially
exploited species, was concluded. CMS revitalized cooperation
with other organizations and engaged in new partnerships.
In consultation with the Parties, she furthered the Future
Shape process which established the priority of planning
and developing a coordinated Strategic Plan for the CMS
Family at the recent CMS Conference of the Parties

At both the 38th meeting of the CMS Standing
Committee and the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties in Bergen Norway in November, 2011, Ms. Elizabeth
Maruma Mrema informed the Parties of her intention to step
down from the position of UNEP/CMS Executive Secretary so
as to take up new functions at the Headquarters.

In a memorandum soon after, UNEP Deputy
Executive Director, Ms. Amina Mohamed appointed Ms. Elizabeth
Maruma Mrema to continue to manage the UNEP/CMS Secretariat
from Nairobi, in an acting capacity, together with her new
functions until her successor is recruited. This arrangement
will apply equally to the management of the ASCOBANS Secretariat
and the Gorilla Agreement Interim Secretariat for which
she has been serving as the Acting Executive Secretary.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of UNEP/CMS Secretariat,
Mr. Bert Lenten, will manage day-to-day operations of the
Secretariat in addition to his regular responsibilities.

In line with Resolution 10.29 adopted
by the Parties at their November Meetings, this interim
arrangement will ensure continuity of the management of
the Secretariat after the departure of the UNEP/CMS Executive
Secretary to take up her new assignment at UNEP Headquarters.

The UNEP/CMS Secretariat wishes Ms. Mrema
all the best for her new responsibilities while continuing
to manage the Secretariat from a distance.   

Last updated on 16 June 2014