Bonn, 11 July - Bonn, 11 July - UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner who took office on 15 June, paid his first visit to the UNEP/CMS Family Secretariats in his new capacity. The visit followed the Executive Director’s participation in the final opening of the UN offices in Bonn, and meetings with the Secretary General of the UN and the German Environment Minister. In a meeting with UNEP/CMS Family the Executive Director emphasized the unique importance of CMS and Agreements: “You have a very precious Convention, which allows you to focus on things that otherwise may be forgotten by the world.”

In his talk to staff, Mr. Steiner added: “A balance needs to be struck between economy and environment. Natural resources such as land, air, water and biodiversity are valuable and finite. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment supported by UNEP emphasizes the wealth and diversity of these resources. A new understanding needs to be reached of what really makes the world go round. A call must be made to nations to give environment priority in economic policies.”

“A relatively small Convention like CMS depends on partnerships to fully explore its potential. CMS has created a joint platform for international organizations, NGOs and the private sector to reach out to the general public. Promising examples are the Friends of CMS, outside financing through governments and other donors. Achieving stronger and more streamlined ties with other UN organizations, civil society and the private sector is just one of the numerous objectives aimed at making UNEP and the Multilateral Environmental Agreements even more relevant to the challenges of the 21st century. “Brilliant concepts are useless if unapt to cope with everyday life of millions of people.” Institutions and structures that deliver global and regional environmental policy, including UNEP itself need to make the connection.

In this context Mr. Steiner called for debureaucratizing the system as a primary way to achieving a strong, efficient organization with short decision-making processes. This would not only have an impact on recruiting new staff but also on better implementing instruments of Multilateral Environmental Agreements. They should work in a way which is “pro environment, pro poor and thus pro sustainable development”.

Mr. Bakary Kante, Director of UNEP’s Division of Environmental Conventions, who was just briefed on major CMS projects, joined Achim Steiner in praising “the enormous commitment of all CMS and Agreements staff. I will help the CMS Family to secure extra resources for projects which will increase the capacity of the Secretariats to carry out their full programmes as agreed by Parties”, he promised.