IUCN Catalyzes Environmental Policies in the Balkans

01 July 2006

The former Director General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Ahim Steiner, said that the organization adopted a "very purposeful decision" to open its programming regional office for the Southeast Europe in Belgrade, with the goal to provide assistance through advise, but also to help the approximation of national environmental protection policies with EU legislation, under the process of European integrations.

"The long-term contemplation of environmental protection has suffered over the past several years in the Balkans, due to political transition, economic situation and conflicts", said Steiner in his interview for EkoForum, given at the Copenhagen international Conference on Eco-Systems and Eradication of POverty, held on April 26 of this year.

Ahim Steiner

Steiner, who left his position as IUCN Director General, which he held for five years, on June 15 and moved to the position of Head of UNEP-United Nations Environmental Programme, explained that IUCN decided to open its Belgrade Office, since �...the Environmental Ministry and the NGOs presented their great interest for good and consistent technical advise�, but also because, as he said, some issues "at the top of the agenda" need to be resolved now before it's too late.

�Having in mind the fact that IUCN is an institution that, so to say, gathers Governments, NGOs and experts, it is probably well-positioned to serve as a good catalyst. The restrictions on resources available to governments, but also outside the institutions in the Balkans, are almost absolute, which dictates the need to build new partnerships�, said Steiner.

Asked which of his achievements during his term in office makes him proudest, Steiner responded that, in his view, it would be the fact that IUCN is today among the institutions that have done much work on �introduction of environmental protection issues into regular political debate and discussion�.

�In my mind, the issue of conservation of natural resources was seen, for a very long time, as a luxury that few people could afford, instead of being viewed as the essential knowledge about the survival on this planet. IUCN is successful today because it provided an opportunity to those that care about preservation of nature for their voice to be heard and empowered their capacities", said Steiner.

On the other hand, IUCN but also the whole community of people concerned about the environment and natural resources failed, in his view, to help the world to fulfill the promises of financing of sustainable development and other issues of environmental protection, especially in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

�I hoped that the developed countries would realize sooner that they did make some specific promises in Rio (the UN Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro 1992) and that many countries in did respond positively to the promises made, and didn't get the promised assistance in return, which is one of the big disappointments in the period after Rio. It is only now that we start with serious discussion, within the wider international debate on financial mechanisms", added Steiner.

He adds that many developing countries are "right to be dissatisfied and disappointed" and start questioning the reasoning that states they should take more international obligations �...if the gains are so small and, if you like, they have much to lose, like sovereignty, etc�.

According to Steiner, global environmental protection goals can�t be achieved without greater levels of solidarity, �financial and otherwise�.

Steiner emphasizes, however, that a �turning point" has been reached, i.e. a sort of "renaissance� is under way, having in mind that political leadership �started reconstructing the agenda, to include economy and environment which are truly inseparable�.

�I believe that the greatest current challenge we face is to not allow for separation of economy from the environment�, emphasizes Steiner. It is his belief that, without the United Nations, the world won�t make much progress. What the world misses, believes Steiner, is a �new generation thinking, a new agenda�, which should enable the people to not see the environmental protection as �a negative reflex or something that has to be done, but rather as �something that I want to do, because it makes sense to me�.

�Every day we a placed in the midst of a conflict or disagreement about how we should proceed to solving global issues together... The irony is that, in fact, there is no great disagreement between the rich and developed countries about what is going on, and the admittance that something is going on that needs solving. What is visible in international negotiations is that the countries from the former or the latter group wouldn't agree on a resolution, not because they don't do it domestically, but because they wish to avoid international obligations", said Steiner and expressed his hopes that the future will bring about a much better coordinated international action.

�There are some very real conflicts about the resources, as well as economic conflicts; there are conflicting national and international interests, but we shouldn't allow them to escalate, for the only consequence will be the further degradation of the environment, greater potential for domestic and cross-border conflict. I am sure that no politician likes that situation", warns Steiner.

�No country will be able to face the developments in the area of environment if isolated. In my view, UNEP can work more on the creation of a new framework and facilitation of tasks on the international agenda and there, the common imperative of action is the most important�, he concludes.