Bonn, 28 July 2008 - Bakary Kante, Head of UNEP’s Division on Environmental Law and Conventions (DELC) paid a visit to the CMS Secretariat to discuss future priorities and possible synergies. The new programme of work 2010-2011 has a clear focus on six priorities and possible outputs: Climate change, biodiversity, ecosystems, governance, disaster management and conflict resolution. DELC, whose core competencies are law, and governance and negotiations, will increasingly prioritize the allocation of funds in close consultation with Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as CMS.

While responsibility for the daily management of MEAs falls to the Executive Secretary, UNEP wants to focus on identifying practical projects where the benefits of synergies drawing on UNEP’s wider programmes can be rapidly “harvested”. He also announced that UNEP’s Executive Director Achim Steiner would be present at the CoP in Rome to explain the potential gains form UNEP’s re-invigorated approach. This was warmly welcomed by the assembled CMS group staff. .

CMS Executive Secretary Robert Hepworth expressed his willingness to identify other areas for UNEP to provide support and mentioned the African Marine Turtles MoU as an existing positive example. In addition, he requested UNEP’s assistance in particular in helping to deliver the capacity building programme, which would be discussed during COP9. Mr. Kante expressed sympathy and stated that a Knowledge Management Unit would be established this year in Geneva as an information platform for UNEP staff, NGOs, governments and academia.