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NEWS RELEASEVALLI MOOSA OF SOUTH AFRICA ELECTED PRESIDENT OF IUCN – THE WORLD CONSERVATION UNION1,000 MEMBERS CHOOSE NEW GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE WORLD’S LEADING ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK |
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Created in 1948, IUCN -- The World Conservation Union brings together 81 States, 114 government agencies, 800 plus NGOs, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. IUCN’s mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. IUCN is the world's largest environmental knowledge network and has helped over 75 countries to prepare and implement national conservation and biodiversity strategies. IUCN is a multicultural, multilingual organization with 1000 staff located in 62 countries. Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland. The Congress is the governing body of IUCN – The World Conservation Union. It is held every four years and represents the world’s largest democratic environmental forum where governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) jointly establish conservation priorities, guide the Union’s policy and approve its Programme. The 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress will be held from 17-25 November 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme: “People and Nature – only one world”. | Bangkok, Thailand, 24 November 2004 (IUCN) – Today, Mr Valli Moosa of South Africa was elected as the new President of IUCN – The World Conservation Union, one of the most prestigious and respected posts in the conservation movement. The IUCN President is set to lead and support the Union of over 1,000 governmental and non-governmental member organizations over the next four years. As IUCN continues to expand its membership, engages with new sectors including the business community, and addresses new conservation issues such as poverty reduction, Valli Moosa’s election portrays the confidence of IUCN members in his abilities to increase the relevance and impact of the world’s largest conservation network. “Nature conservation is everybody’s business. We will succeed if we continue to broaden our scope and involve more people,” said the President-elect. “I would like each and every individual to be more conscious of nature conservation; we must imbue it in our practices and personalities,” he continued. Valli Moosa was born in 1957 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He attained a Bachelor of Science majoring in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Durban-Westville in 1978, and has served a number of national and international bodies including the UNEP Governing Council, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, and the South African Business Trust. As an anti-apartheid activist, Valli Moosa is a leader who is passionate about democracy, development and freedom ideals. He became Minister of Constitutional Affairs in President Nelson Mandela’s cabinet in 1994, and was appointed Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of the Republic of South Africa in 1999. Valli Moosa has attracted international acclaim as a key negotiator during the drafting of South Africa’s new Constitution, and through his competent mediation at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg) and the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress (Durban), both of which were held in South Africa largely due to his initiative and effort. The IUCN Members Business Assembly further elected IUCN’s Treasurer, the six Chairs of its scientific commissions, and 24 Regional Councillors. Together with the President, these conservation leaders make up the Union’s governing body. Results of the Commission Chairs elections The six Commissions of IUCN have a total membership of over 10,000 scientists from a variety of disciplines. Their leaders are of particular importance in ensuring that these expert networks gather, synthesise and disseminate state-of-the-art knowledge and information for use in the Union’s conservation work and beyond. IUCN is breaking the glass ceiling. For the first time in its history, the organization has achieved perfect gender balance in its Commission Chairs. The six elected Chairs are:
Results of the elections for Regional Councillors The elected Regional Councillors are:
Treasurer Sven Sandström, of Sweden, was elected Treasurer.
For more information contact: Xenya Cherny, Media Relations Officer, Mobile (in Bangkok): +66 (0)1 250 0660; Email: xenya.cherny@iucn.org; Elroy Bos, Sr Communications Officer, Mobile (in Bangkok): +66 (0)1 250 0670; Email: elroy.bos@iucn.org; |
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