The Dialogue

The United Nations Environment Programme acknowledged the historic achievement of the Global Environmental Governance Forum, which the GEG Project convened in Glion, Switzerland in June 2009, in two of its landmark publications. The 2009 UNEP Annual Report and the 2010 Yearbook cite the  GEG Forum,which brought together all five successive UNEP Executive Directors, as one of the key events in international environmental governance in 2009.  The  Forum, UNEP’s Annual Report points out, “fostered intergenerational dialogue, inspired renewed environmental leadership and generated new thinking on the subject of international environmental architecture.” (p.54) The Forum Report was also cited in the Executive Director Background Paper (UNEP/GCSS.XI/10), page 10, for the ministerial consultations at the 11th Special Session UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum and included as resource for the 11th Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum. Read the UNEP Annual Report, here. Read the UNEP Yearbook chapter on Environmental Governance, here. Read the Global Environmental Governance Forum Report, here.

Agreeing that the status quo in international environmental governance is untenable, world environment ministers launched a political process that will seriously consider all possible options for reforming the international environmental architecture. This is the formal continuation of the so-called Belgrade process, which was launched in February 2009 at the 24th session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme.  Ministers and high-level representatives met in Belgrade in June and in Rome in October 2009 and are now expected to outline in greater detail both incremental and broader reform options to be presented at the 26th session of the UNEP Governing Council in 2011.

The Decision on International Environmental Governance adopted at the 11th UNEP Special Session Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Bali, Indonesia, however, is historic in that it opens the process to civil society. To date, the intergovernmental consultations on international environmental governance have been restricted to governments. Reform options, therefore, could only come from governmental thinking and no formal input from other actors has been officially possible. Paragraph 9 of the latest decision “invites the consultative group to seek relevant inputs from civil society groups from each region.”

The inclusion of this provision came as a result of the activism of civil society during the Global Ministerial Environment Forum.  Representatives of the nine major groups (business and industry; children and youth; farmers;  indigenous peoples; local authorities; NGOs; scientific and technological communities; women; workers and trade unions) reached unanimous agreement t0 propose the creation of an advisory body comprised of civil society representatives to provide input into the deliberations on international environmental governance at the Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum. Several governments supported the idea and put it forth for discussion. While  governments did not agree on the establishment of a formal mechanism, the decision offers the opportunity for civil society to contribute in a more structured way. Watch GEG Project Director, Maria Ivanova, discuss the civil society process and the governmental decision, here. Read the decision here.

In order to continue disseminating quality information on global environmental governance issues, the GEG Project has decided to redesign its current website and is calling for proposals from website designers. View the attached PDF for the job description and position requirements. Please keep in consideration the deadline for proposals, March 16th. Click here for the PDF.

Reporting from the 11th Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environmental Forum in Bali, Indonesia, Argentinian environmental journalist Marcela Valente discussed the majority sentiment of the conference’s attendees. “We need strong environmental governance, with more power and a bigger budget,” states Alida Spadafora, director of the Panamanian National Association for the Conservation of Nature, succinctly describing the conference’s concluding opinion, that the current international environmental governance system must undergo reform.  Reform options, however, cannot come from governments alone. The most vibrant thinking and ideas about these issues usually come from civil society, according to GEG Project Director, Maria Ivanova, who attended the conference as one of two elected North American Civil Society Representatives. Read the Inter Press Service article here.

“Climate change is the greatest threat to the survival of humankind in our modern history. It is both the clearest example of where younger and unborn generations’ needs are compromised by the lifestyles of older and current generations’.” YouthClimate.org, an international youth climate movement established during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, is working towards a global young persons’ network of climate change activists. Presently, they have commanded the attention of the 11th Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Forum in Bali through a series of key statements on international environmental governance and sustainable development, green economy, biodiversity and ecosystems,  and chemical conventions. Among the rising leaders on climate change activism, Sara Svensson, Co-organizer of the Climate Justice Fast, organized a fast during the COP15 debates, drinking only water until the world’s nations could decide a global climate treaty. Read the Key Messages from the Children & Youth delivered by Sara Svensson at the UNEP Governing Council session here. To learn more about the COP15 fast, visit Climate Justice Fast.

Global Environmental Politics, the pioneering journal on the relationship between global political forces and environmental change, published Global Environmental Governance Project Director, Maria Ivanova, in its February 2010 issue. The article analyzes the United Nations Environment Programme’s performance and the key factors which have determined its track record. According to Dr. Ivanova, the “organization’s mixed performance over the years can be explained by the combined effects of three factors: institutional design, executive leadership and geographical location.” In order to revitalize UNEP in the coming years, any future reform must consider management, work culture, and organizational vision, concludes Dr. Ivanova. Read the article here.

Please visit our updated Publications Page to view all GEG Project Newsletters.  As an avenue for current events and announcements concerning the GEG Project Team and Network, the newsletters also provide discussions of the latest developments in the political debates on global environmental governance.

Global Environmental Governance Project Director, Maria Ivanova, received the prestigious Mary Lyon Award from Mount Holyoke College. The award is given to a young alumna who has been out of College fifteen years or less for promised or sustained achievement in her life, profession, and community, consistent with the humane values exemplified by Mary Lyon, the College’s founder. Dr. Maria Ivanova received a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies from Mount Holyoke College in 1996, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

In a podcast interview with the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), a professional association that actively studies multilateral relations, global governance, and international cooperation, Global Environmental Governance Project Director, Dr. Maria Ivanova, examines the international environmental system, highlighting six necessary functions for good environmental policy making. To effectively enact environmental policy, Dr. Ivanova argues that global institutions must serve as a: (1) coherent information clearinghouse, (2) developer of policies and norms, (3) catalyst, (4) coordinator between its currently fragmented multiple entities, with (5) the capacity to attain results, and (6) the authority to enforce environmental policies to provide accountability. In her concluding remarks on the system’s past achievements and current limitations, Dr. Ivanova refers to the words of Dean Emeritus of Yale’s Environment School, Gus Speth, who noted that “we have won many battles but we are still losing the planet.” Listen to the podcast here.

The University of South Florida invites nominations or applications for the position of founding Director of the USF School of Global Sustainability. This is a full-time, 12-month tenured Full Professor position with benefits. USF’s newly established School of Global Sustainability was created in response to overwhelming student and faculty interest, and is central to the University’s Strategic Plan. Candidates should have an outstanding international reputation and recognition for interdisciplinary research and scholarly activities in sustainability. The Director position description can be found below in addition to executive summaries on the School of Global Sustainability and the Master of Arts. The application deadline is February 3rd, 2010 though applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled.

USF School of Global Sustainability_Director Description

School of Global Sustainability_Executive Summary

Master of Arts in Global Sustainability_Executive Summary