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Jan 19 - Department Of The Environment Admitted As World Conservation Union Member

The Government of Gibraltar's Department of the Environment's bid to join the world’s largest global environmental network, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has been successful. The positive news of the decision taken by the IUCN Council was communicated to the Government’s Department of the Environment late last week.

This is a ground-breaking achievement for the Department of the Environment given the international reputation and role of the IUCN, also known as the World Conservation Union, which acts as a United Nations observer and has consultative status on several international conventions on nature conservation, biodiversity and climate change. Members of the IUCN, which now include the Gibraltar Government, are able to provide input to the policy advice and technical support that the IUCN offers to the OECD, the World Bank, the G8, the G77, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Economic Forum amongst other multinational institutions. Through the IUCN, members become part of a collective and global voice on the important environmental issues of our age.

Gibraltar will now be able to benefit from the IUCN's scientific network, convening power and access to high-level political, economic and social decision-making. These networking opportunities will also help identify common interests, new partners and potential funding sources as well as consolidate Gibraltar's position on the enviro-political map.

Commenting on the news, Minister for the Environment Dr John Cortes commented, “I am extremely pleased that we are now a member of IUCN. It takes us into a global network in our own right and reflects the incredible work that the Government has been doing on the environment over the last few years. I intend to take a personal interest in developing our involvement in IUCN work, not least because I have had contact with the organisation for many years during my work before I was a Minister. For Gibraltar it is yet another instance of recognition of the contribution we can make at an international level.”