United Nations Environment Organization

A world environmental organization exists so far only in the thinking on the reform of the United Nations. It is designed as the successor organization to the UN Environment Programme and could take his place and attract a significant strengthening global environmental policy according to beneath the umbrella of the United Nations.

There are various names for this organization in the planning stages, including UNEO (United Nations Environment Organization), WEO ( World Environment Organization) or UNEPO (United Nations Environmental Protection Organization). In the following the abbreviation UNEO is used, since this most closely resembles with the existing environmental program.

Background

The establishment of an organization for world environmental concerns is in contrast to the existing program to unite the fragmented UN Environment Architecture under one roof. These include the Global Environment Facility (GEF ) in the hands of the World Bank, the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF ) and the numerous multilateral environmental agreements and conventions, such as the UNFCCC. There are currently over 200 multilateral environmental agreements, the collected under the umbrella of a single organization and better coordinate their synergies could be better exploited. Only then will it be possible to meet urgent environmental problems such as global warming or the progressive desertification effectively.

UNEP as the program does not receive regular payments for a specified key and relies on relatively arbitrary provided and voluntary contributions from UN member states and other funding organizations. The creation of a legally binding agreement for a new UN environmental organization could provide financial planning and advance the implementation of studies and projects significantly.

Also, could play a greater role in other intergovernmental regimes by the appreciation of the organization of environmental issues. As an example, the World Trade Organization (WTO ) is called, to which one could move more at eye level.

Finally, there are reflections on the ( partial) matching of the environment and development in the United Nations. A UNEO could better coordinate with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP ), when the fragmented nature of the current UN environmental work would be better organized.

Positions and history

The French President Chirac called for the creation in 2004 of the UNEO. The German Federal Government supports claims to this initiative within the European Union as Spain. The U.S., however, behave waiting to disinterested, while the position of emerging and developing countries can be described as indifferent. Among other things, express themselves from this group, the People's Republic of China and Kenya behave with approval UNEO.

In the final communiqué of the 15th German - French Environment Council in Royaumont of 24 and 25 September 2006 states verbatim:

Among the non-governmental organizations advocating particular Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth the initiative. In a letter to the Minister of the Environment of the EU-25 they call together with the European Environmental Bureau, the transformation of UNEP into a UN Environment Organisation.

After the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC was published on global warming, on 2 February 2007, representatives / inside came from more than 40 countries in Paris to the above- mentioned international environmental conference with the aim of establishing a World Environment Organisation. According to a report by tagesschau.de " is to emerge the new organization from the previous Environment Programme ( UNEP ). Unlike the existing environmental regimes, the organization should have its own budget and far more analysis and decision-making skills. " The United States and China expressed themselves accordingly skeptical, but threatened still no resistance to the establishment of a UNEO on.

Policy position

Originally, the vote of the UN General Assembly on the UNEO was planned for autumn 2005. This deadline was not met. A similar vote has not taken place so far, and it is no timetable for further action in this matter.