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Press Release
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Press Release
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EP Declaration on the UN Reform: a political opportunity for the Environment Strasbourg, 9 June, 2005: The European Parliament (EP) adopted today in a plenary session in Strasbourg a declaration on the reform of the United Nations (UN) which gives the environment an important role to play in the overall reform of the UN system [1]. Agir pour l'Environnement and Friends of the Earth Europe see the EP's declaration on the reform of the UN as a victory for the environment. The declaration makes many important recommendations for the strengthening of International Environmental Governance (IEG) within the framework of the UN reform. The EP's declaration recommends upgrading the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) into a UN specialised agency for the environment. This specialised agency would be charged with ensuring the respect of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) by governments and intergovernmental organisation [2]. It will be the responsibility of the European Commission and the European Council to turn the European Parliament' recommendations in concrete political actions. Laure Guillot , from Agir pour l'Environnement, commented: "Today's vote is supporting a United Nations organisation for the environment that is charged with real powers. The European Parliament has made clear recommendations and it will now be the responsibility of European decision-makers to act upon them. The United Nations' summit in September must be seen as a real political opportunity for strengthening International Environmental Governance." Kim Bizzarri , from Friends of the Earth Europe said: "With the declaration on the reform of the United Nations (UN), the European Parliament has made a positive contribution in favour of the clarification between global environment and trade rules [3]. The European Union has now been given the necessary mandate to strengthen global environmental treaties versus international trade agreements within the UN system."
Contacts: Laure GUILLOT - Agir pour l'Environnement - tel. : +33 (0)1 4031 3448 Notes: [1] The European Parliament's declaration on the reform of the United Nations was adopted on June 9 th with high majority vote and will be available at [2] Paragraph 33: Calls for the strengthening of International Environmental Governance through the upgrading of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) into a United Nations specialised agency for the environment, equipped with sufficient financial, material and human resources, with universal membership, entitled to ensure compliance with legally binding multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) by governments, international economic institutions and transnational corporations, and serving as a reference body for scientific, technical and legal expertise on the environment; calls for cohesive new action to ensure environmental sustainability, including addressing climate change as well as the issues of desertification, biodiversity and environmental refugees [3] Paragraph 17: Affirms that UN decision-making bodies should have the competence - and the responsibility - both to define common public goods and to establish norms to safeguard and adopt regulations in order to preserve and defend these public goods, including the definition of international rules aimed at clarifying the relationship between trade and environment with a view to ensuring the safeguarding of Multilateral Environmental Agreements against trade rules
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