World environmental organization

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A world environmental organization has so far only existed in the ideas of reforming the United Nations . It is conceived as the successor organization to the UN environmental program UNEP and could take its place under the umbrella of the United Nations and result in a significant strengthening of global environmental policy .

There are various names for this planned organization, including UNEO ( United Nations Environment Organization ), WEO ( World Environment Organization ) or UNEPO ( United Nations Environmental Protection Organization ). The abbreviation UNEO is used in the following article, as it is most similar to the existing environmental program.

background

In contrast to the existing program, the establishment of an organization for world environmental issues is intended to unite the highly fragmented UN environmental architecture under one roof. These include the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in the hands of the World Bank , the United Nations Forest Forum (UNFF) and the numerous multilateral environmental agreements and conventions, e.g. B. the Framework Convention on Climate Change . There are currently more than 200 multilateral environmental agreements that could be better coordinated under the umbrella of a single organization and whose synergy potential could be better used. This is the only way to deal more effectively with pressing environmental problems such as global warming or advancing desertification .

As a program, UNEP does not receive any regular payments according to a fixed key and is dependent on relatively arbitrary and voluntary contributions from UN member states and other funding organizations. The creation of a legally binding new agreement for a UN environmental organization could ensure financial planning security and significantly advance the implementation of studies and projects.

In addition, by upgrading to organization, environmental issues could play a greater role in other intergovernmental regimes. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is mentioned as an example , to which one can move more on an equal footing.

Finally, there are considerations on the (partial) merging of environmental and development work in the United Nations. A UNEO could better coordinate with the UN Development Program (UNDP) if the fragmented nature of current UN environmental work were better organized.

Positions and History

In 2004, the French President Chirac called for the establishment of the UNEO. The German federal government says it supports this initiative, as does Spain within the European Union . The USA, on the other hand, is behaving in a wait-and-see manner or with little interest, while the position of the emerging and developing countries can be described as indifferent. Among other things, the People's Republic of China and Kenya from this group have expressed their reluctance to support the UNEO.

In the final communique of the 15th Franco-German environmental council in Royaumont on September 24th and 25th, 2006, it says literally:

"In the opinion of the two ministers, a strong United Nations organization dedicated specifically to the environment appears more necessary than ever in view of the increasing global environmental problems: They drew a positive balance of the discussions in the United Nations General Assembly so far. Together with the European partners, they will become the use the constructive stance of many UN member states to come closer to realizing this important UN reform project, the upgrading of UNEP to a UN environmental organization (UNEO) .President Chirac held an international conference at the UN General Assembly in support of this idea for Invited to France in early 2007, which is warmly welcomed and supported by Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel. "

Among the non-governmental organizations , Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth in particular are in favor of the initiative. In a letter to the environment ministers of the EU-25, they and the European Environmental Bureau call for the transformation of UNEP into a UN environmental organization.

After the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report on global warming was published on February 2, 2007 , representatives of over 40 countries met in Paris for the above-mentioned international environmental conference with the aim of founding a world environmental organization. According to a report by tagesschau.de, "the new organization should emerge from the previous environmental protection program (Unep). In contrast to the previous environmental regime, the organization should have its own budget and far more analysis and decision-making powers." As a result, the USA and China expressed their skepticism, but did not threaten to oppose the establishment of a UNEO.

Resolution

The UN General Assembly's vote on the UNEO was originally planned for autumn 2005 . This deadline was not kept. A corresponding vote has not yet taken place, and there is no timetable for further action in this matter.

literature

  • Biermann, Frank (Ed.) (2005): A World Environment Organization: Solution Or Threat For Effective International Environmental Governance? ISBN 0-7546-3765-4 (English)
  • Biermann, Frank and Udo E. Simonis (2000): Institutional Reform of World Environmental Policy? On the political debate about the founding of a world environmental organization , in: Journal for International Relations, 7th year, 1, pp. 163–183.
  • Ivanova, Maria (2005): Assessing UNEP as Anchor Institution for the Global Environment: Lessons for the UNEO Debate . (PDF; 548 kB) (English)
  • Mittler, Daniel from the Environment and Development Forum (2005): A global voice for the environment !? The proposal for a UN environmental organization (UNEO) is gaining acceptance. Will the breakthrough come in September? (PDF; 17 kB)
  • Rechkemmer, Andreas (Ed.) (2005): UNEO - Towards an International Environment Organization . ISBN 3-8329-1120-0 (English)
  • Rechkemmer, Andreas (2004): Global Environmental Policy 2005. Perspectives in the Context of the Reform of the United Nations . SWP study S45, Berlin. (PDF)
  • Simonis, Udo E. (2006): On the way to global environmental policy - and the necessary reform of the United Nations , Berlin Science Center for Social Research (WZB) (PDF; 89 kB)
  • Tarasofsky, Richard G. and Alison L. Hoare (2004): Implications of a UNEO for the global architecture of the international environmental governance system . Institut du dèvelopment durable et des relations internationales, Chatham House. (PDF) (English)
  • Scientific Advisory Council of the Federal Government on Global Change (2001): World in Transition - New Structures of Global Environmental Policy . ISBN 3-9806309-6-X , see online

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ World Trade Organization: ENVIRONMENT: CTE AGENDA PART 1 - CTE on: trade rules, environmental agreements and disputes , see online ( Memento from January 18, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Expert conference Towards an International Environment Organization , Federal Foreign Office, September 20, 2004
  3. ↑ Federal Environment Ministry: Communique of the 15th Franco-German Environment Council on September 24 and 25, 2006 , (PDF; 126 kB)
  4. ↑ European Environmental Bureau, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth: Letter to the Environment Ministers of the EU 25 , (PDF) ( Memento from June 16, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ tagesschau.de: World Environment Organization is taking shape (tagesschau.de archive) from February 3, 2007