Inauguration of the IUCN center for Mediterranean cooperation

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Inauguration of the IUCN center for Mediterranean cooperation

Gland, Switzerland, December 5, 2000 (IUCN) - The formal Agreement between the Spanish Government, the Regional Government of Andalucía and IUCN - The World Conservation Union on the establishment of the Mediterranean Office in Malaga, will be signed today at 17h30, in Malaga, Spain.

The official ceremony will take place at the Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía in Malaga, where Dr. Jaime Matas Palou, Minister of Environment of Spain, Dr. Fuensanta Coves Botella, Minister of Environment of the Regional Government of Andalucía and Dr. Maritta Koch-Weser, Director General of IUCN - The World Conservation Union will sign the Agreement. Dr. Francisco de la Torre, Mayor of Malaga, will also be present.

Within the framework of the Malaga Mediterranean Programme designed in 1997, IUCN will provide a forum and a service to its 160 Mediterranean members, and to partner organisations.

The Malaga Programme addresses a wide range of long-standing pressing environmental management needs in the Mediterranean region. IUCN is now poised to operationalize the programme on a selective, prioritized basis, Dr. Koch-Weser explained.

Overall, IUCN will foster eco-regional networks and co-operation, and promote technical excellence in conservation and sustainable development, through the harmonization of policies, a long term vision and continuity. The Mediterranean Center will emphasize knowledge management, systemic issues and matters in which IUCN's regional membership share an interest. It will also provide training and assistance in project preparation and supervision.

Reflecting its institutional vantage as a Union, IUCN will focus particularly on transboundary environmental management needs, environmental governance and cross cutting policy matters. It provides a forum for co-operation for its constituencies in the public, civil-society, and academic sectors, and will seek to establish constructive dialogue with the private sector.

Building on its substantial programme in its West Asia, North Africa and European regions, IUCN will bring the expertise of its member organizations, commissions and secretariat to the Mediterranean programme, whilst assisting in fundraising and business development.

For further information, please contact Francis Parakatil, Tel: +41 22 999 0204; Fax: +41 22 999 0020; E-mail: frp@iucn.org.

IUCN - The World Conservation Union was founded in 1948 and brings together 79 states, 112 government agencies, 735 NGOs, 35 affiliates, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. Its 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. Within the framework of global conventions IUCN has helped over 75 countries to prepare and implement national conservation and biodiversity strategies. IUCN has approximately 1000 staff, most of whom are located in its 42 regional and country offices while 100 work at its Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.

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