This newsletter is a special issue on current governance and membership in the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC). It provides an opportunity to thank outgoing CEC Chair, Denise Hamú, for many years of dedicated service. She served a full term from 2000 to 2004 and was re-elected for a second. As you will know from the letter sent to all CEC members, she announced with regret in early 2006 that she could no longer continue as Chair due to the demands of her position as Chief Executive Officer of the World Wide Fund For Nature in Brazil (WWF-Brazil).

We are delighted to introduce the newly appointed CEC Chair, Keith Wheeler, and deputy Chair, Juanita Castaño - two people who have contributed significantly to CEC over the years. Their profiles are featured in this issue, along with an introduction to another new leader, Tommy Garnett, who will soon be appointed CEC Regional Chair in West Africa. This special issue also includes a brief report on the CEC Steering Committee meeting in South Africa in March.

Finally, we are very excited to see CEC growing as many new members from around the world join our family of communication and education professionals.  From places including  Ghana, Russia and Indonesia, these people bring to our network their ideas and expertise from working in their communities on conservation and sustainable development issues. If you know someone whom you think would benefit from and contribute to our work, please do recommend them to us - and keep sending your news - we want to know more about what you are doing and learning along the way!

Our greetings from Switzerland!

Gillian Martin Mehers
Conservation Learning Coordinator

"I had the pleasure of serving as CEC Deputy Chair while Denise was Chair during her second term. Under Denise’s leadership, CEC strengthened its regional work and consolidated its focus into three key areas: the World Conservation Learning Network (WCLN), strategic communication (CEPA) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). She paved the way for the creation of the WCLN, guiding the process from planning to concrete action" explains Keith Wheeler, CEC Chair. More >>

Keith Wheeler stepped up from CEC deputy Chair to become the new CEC Chair, following the resignation of Denise Hamú. He has been a CEC member since 1994, on the CEC Steering Committee since 2001. He served as deputy Chair from 2004 to 2006. Keith is president of the Foundation for Our Future (FFOF). Biography of Keith >>

“It is an exciting moment to take up the leadership of the Commission: we have greater focus, a renewed membership, and a series of innovative activities that are set to make a major contribution to learning for sustainable development,” he said upon appointment by the IUCN Council in May 2006. More >>

The new CEC deputy Chair is Juanita Castaño, a sociologist working in the Colombian environment programme of GTZ, the German agency for technical cooperation. Juanita traces her involvement with CEC back more than a decade, when she headed the IUCN Regional Office for South America based in Ecuador. Biography of Juanita >>

“I feel very proud to be a deputy Chair,” Juanita says, “and to be helping so many people who are working hard for sustainable development in their countries. Often they achieve so many things in a silent way. CEC may be their only resource for professional contact.” More >>

Tommy Garnett of Sierra Leone recently accepted an invitation to become CEC Regional Chair for West Africa. This voluntary position is in addition to his responsibilities as Regional Director of the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA), where he is in charge of programmes in West Africa. Biography of Tommy >>

Partnership and coordination are priorities for the region, Tommy says: “My main ambition in this role is to support CEC to work towards increased partnerships and effective coordination of efforts to mainstream a responsible attitude to nature conservation and environmental management, across all sectors”. More >>

The CEC Steering Committee met 30 April and 1 May in Stellenbosch, South Africa, immediately preceding a conference to establish the WCLN in Southern Africa. The meeting was attended by 13 members of the Steering Committee and IUCN staff linked to the CEC. It addressed governance issues, membership and recruiting, reporting mechanisms, project updates, partnership building and communication. More >>

CEC membership is “growing by the day” according to Cecilia Nizzola-Tabja at the headquarters of the IUCN Secretariat in Gland, Switzerland. She reports that in the last quarter membership has increased by 36% and is now at 401. The Commission is significantly expanding its reach into regions through the WCLN and other initiatives and is actively seeking to add new members. Can you help?

Think about your colleagues, conservationists you admire, peers and friends around the world. Are they accomplished communicators or educators with a passion for sustainable development? Would they like to volunteer their time and expertise as a CEC member? If so, please send us your recommendation. More >>

CEC is seeking volunteers to translate text from English to Spanish and English to French. Other languages are also needed for special projects. If you enjoy translation and have some time, please consider contributing to this important work. CEC will contact you from time to time regarding the translation of written materials such as a newsletter article or a regional news item on the CEC portal. For more information, please contact cec@iucn.org.

“CEC Members News” is the place to see what CEC members are doing around the world. If you would like to post your news in our next newsletter (special issues not included), please write to cecnews@iucn.org.

Coming soon: the next issue of the newsletter will focus on CEC and Education for Sustainable Development

• Issue 5: July 2006 >>
• Issue 4: June 2006 >>
• Issue 3: March 2006 >>
• Issue 2: February 2006 >>
• Issue 1: January 2006 >>