Bonn, 9 February 2012 - On 24 October 2011 Ms. Monika Thiele entered on duty as new CMS Staff member based in Washington, DC. Monika works 50 per cent of her time for CMS and her main assignment is to raise awareness within the USA about CMS and to establish good working relationships with governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The other 50 per cent of her time she works for the UNEP Regional Office for North America (RONA) on ecosystem management, with a special focus on ocean and coastal issues.

From 31 January to 3 February Bert Lenten, Deputy Executive Secretary of CMS, visited Washington, DC to meet a variety of US government agencies and non-governmental organizations about CMS and to introduce Ms. Thiele as the new CMS Focal Point for North America. During the four-day visit, Bert and Monika met representatives from the U.S. State Department, NOAA and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as well as senior staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Environment and Public Works Committee and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. In addition, Bert and Monika met numerous NGOs to raise awareness of CMS activities and particularly outcomes of the recent COP10 in Norway. In addition to 14 bilateral meetings, CMS, courtesy of RONA, hosted a lunchtime presentation about CMS, drawing an audience of nearly 30 guests (15 distinct organizations). A stimulating discussion on opportunities for enhancing CMS engagement in the U.S. followed the presentation.

Overall, while there was much interest in learning about CMS, it was apparent that understanding about CMS, its agreements and its role in migratory species conservation is lacking in the U.S. As a result, there is a great opportunity for CMS to expand its presence in the U.S. and capitalize on the interest expressed during meetings. In her capacity as Focal Point for CMS in North America, Ms. Thiele will be following up with the many ideas put forward last week and consider ways to generate concrete support for CMS agreements and activities from these organizations and agencies.