SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES REFORM IN MESSAGE TO UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL

Press Release
SG/SM/6882
UNEP/37

SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES REFORM IN MESSAGE TO UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the twentieth session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), delivered on his behalf by its Executive Director, Klaus Töpfer, in Nairobi today:

It is my privilege to convey my greetings to all who have gathered for the twentieth session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme.

It has been nearly a year since UNEP came under the direction of Klaus Töpfer. He has charted a course of revitalization and refocusing. I am pleased with his efforts and those of all the UNEP staff. But as you would certainly agree, the process of change has only just begun. Here I know I can count on your continued support, politically and financially. A strong UNEP is essential to all of us.

At the recently adjourned fifty-third session of the General Assembly, governments reaffirmed UNEP's role as the principal United Nations body in the environment field. They also highlighted the need to strengthen UNEP's responsibilities as the authoritative voice on the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system. In that regard, I am pleased that the timing of this session will enable the Governing Council to contribute to the April discussions in the Commission on Sustainable Development.

The agenda before you is long, while your time is limited. However, there is one issue that merits your particular attention: reform.

As you know, a year ago, I asked Mr. Töpfer to chair a task force on reforming and strengthening United Nations activities in the areas of environment and human settlements.

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I subsequently forwarded my report, along with the recommendations of the task force, to the fifty-third General Assembly. Those recommendations constitute an important step, both in the overall process of United Nations reform and in taking the urgent adjustments required in the international system to combat threats to the global environment.

While the General Assembly has yet to officially pronounce itself on this matter, I am heartened by the positive overall assessment of the proposals so far and I look forward to the Assembly's formal recommendations in the coming months so that the reform process can move forward. My report is before you, and I would welcome your views, especially on those aspects which might directly affect the working of this body.

The current and emerging environmental threats facing the world are of such great magnitude and so universal in nature that no one country or group of countries, nor one institution, can hope to tackle them alone. Moreover, as an issue, the environment is clearly linked with many others on the United Nations agenda, from sustainable development to poverty eradication and peace- building.

UNEP's assessment and early-warning capabilities can make an indispensable contribution to the United Nations peace-building efforts, since environmental degradation and natural resource issues can be precursors to conflict. In that connection, I note that you also have before you my report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.

The international community needs a solid United Nations presence in Africa, manifested by a vibrant United Nations Office at Nairobi. My commitment to UNEP and Habitat, with each taking advantage of synergies at the programme level while retaining their distinct identities, should be seen in that light. The continued support of the host Government is an important part of this picture.

As the United Nations system continues a productive, yet sometimes painful, process of self-analysis and reflection, and as we prepare the Organization to meet the needs of the international community in a rapidly changing political and economic environment, it remains abundantly clear that the United Nations of the new millennium will need UNEP to play a strong and well-defined role. I know that the recommendations that emerge from your deliberations this week will make a valuable contribution to that goal. In that spirit, please accept my best wishes for a successful session.

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