At the end of June IUCN and the World Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize their partnership agreement. Rachel Kyte, IUCN Senior Multilateral Policy Advisor, stated: “this MOU between IUCN and the World Bank is a chance to focus our energies on the global challenges that shape the potential of people to act at the local and national level”.
Likely areas of collaboration include:
- Providing “balanced environmental stakeholder consultations, forums, and mediation on emerging environmental issues in the field, as well as on a national, regional, or global basis, for example on trade and environment, marine environments, water, culture development, or multilateral environmental agreements and conventions;
- Running training programs, and;
- Building and strengthening national environmental institutions, especially in the areas of environmental law and policy.
The agreement was signed by Bank President Wolfensohn and newly-arrived IUCN Director-General Maritta Koch-Weser, who was previously at the World Bank, where her husband is managing director.
See: www.iucnus.org.
