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The World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information services on conservation and sustainable use of the world's living resources, and helps others to develop information systems of their own.
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WHY DOES UNEP WANT TO TAKE WCMC ON BOARD?
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), on behalf of the United Nations system as a whole, monitors and assesses the state of the global environment. It assembles environmental information collected by others in far-flung corners of the world into a coherent environmental information system. It disseminates this information to governments and to inter-governmental decision-making bodies, such as the secretariats of environmental conventions, in the interests both of conservation and of providing early warning of impending environmental emergencies. It also has an important role in helping to build the capacities of developing countries and those with economies in transition to manage their own environmental information.
From its global headquarters in Nairobi, UNEP is at the centre of an expanding network of environmental monitoring centres. As one of the three sponsoring organisations of the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), UNEP has long recognised WCMC as being pre-eminent in the field of biodiversity information management. It sets great store by WCMC's high reputation as an independent, authoritative information service, which makes itself available to users all over the world and in all walks of life. It makes good sense, therefore, for UNEP, in association with one of WCMC's other sponsors, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and with the encouragement of the Government of the United Kingdom, to want to bring WCMC under the UNEP umbrella.
Under the new arrangements, UNEP is determined to preserve WCMC's scientific credibility and operational flexibility that are the hallmarks of its success. Worldwide users of biodiversity information will be better served once WCMC's global reach is extended and it achieves international status as a UNEP Centre. For its part, UNEP will be enriched by the addition of this centre of excellence to its global environmental monitoring network.
UNEP is working closely with WCMC's Management Board on the transition. It is negotiating with the government on the future status of WCMC, on such privileges and immunities as should apply to a UNEP Centre on UK soil. There are parallel negotiations with IUCN on the nature of its future involvement in WCMC. UNEP has established a Transition Task Force chaired by Sir Martin Holdgate with members from around the world. The target date for the transition of WCMC to a UNEP Centre is 30 June 2000.
Further information: Anthony Fagin
UNEP-WCMC Transition Office
c/o World Conservation Monitoring Centre
219 Huntingdon Road
Cambridge CB3 0DL
Tel: 01223 277314
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For further information please write to: Information Officer, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL United Kingdom, Tel: +44 1223 277314, Fax: (44) 1223 277136 OR
General e-mail: info@wcmc.org.uk Document URL: http:// www.wcmc.org.uk /latenews/un2.htm Revision date: 30-June-1999 Current date: 21-January-2000 |
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