Story | 04 8 月, 2016

Chair's Comments | CEESP

This edition of the Commission newsletter will be my last as Chair of CEESP. I have had the honour of leading this incredible Commission and network of experts for the past eight years and representing CEESP on the IUCN Council and at a wide array of international and regional meetings, conferences and standard-setting negotiations. No single individual can possibly have expertise in the breadth of the multi-faceted issues included in CEESP’s mandate. It is only through the support and contributions of a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary team - the members of the CEESP Steering Committee – and the pivotal leadership role the CEESP Deputy Chair, Richard Cellarius that has made it possible. As well, the small group who helped me to produce these newsletters, keep the membership data-base updated, bills paid, meetings organised and all the other nuts and bolts required to maintain, nurture and grow a global voluntary network have been essential to enable the smooth running of this amazing Commission. I wish to thank all the Steering Committee members, Elizabeth Erasito, Ruifei Tang, Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule and Deputy Chair Richard for their support and hard work. As a Commission we have also been ably supported by a core team of IUCN Secretariat staff, Stewart Maginnis (CEESP Focal Point), Kaia Boe and Gonzalo Oviedo. The direct support of the IUCN Oceania Regional Director Taholo Kami was also invaluable in enabling CEESP to manage its budget through the Oceania office in the same time zone as the Commission Chair. Thank you to everyone. I could not have done this without you.

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Photo: Current Chair Aroha Mead (middle) with both candidates Kristen Walker Painemilla (left) and Meher Noshriwani (right)

I was elected as CEESP Chair at the World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Barcelona for the 2008-2012 period and re-elected unopposed at the WCC in Jeju to serve a second term 2012-2016.  During these eight years the Commission has made significant progress. CEESP is now leading the development of two new knowledge baskets for IUCN, the People in Nature initiative (PiN) and the Natural Resources Governance Framework (NRGF).  The work of CEESP in relation to the private sector was instrumental in establishing the IUCN Council Private Sector Taskforce which oversaw the development of the IUCN Operational Guidelines for Private Sector Engagement in 2009 and adoption by Council of the IUCN Business Engagement Strategy in 2015. The position of indigenous peoples as important contributors to conservation practices and solutions is more deeply entrenched in IUCN policies. Indeed, the CEESP team has attained a formidable record of achievements. A full report of the work and achievements of CEESP for the term 2012-2016 is available in English, Spanish and French on the Congress portal. (A copy of the English report is available here).

I leave the Commission in a much stronger position than it was in 2008 and have every confidence that the new Chair of CEESP, who will be elected during the Hawaii World Conservation Congress, will continue to strengthen the Commission even further.  There are two candidates for the position of CEESP Chair, Meher Marker Noshirwani (Pakistan) and Kristen Walker-Painemilla (USA). Both are existing members of the Steering Committee and already familiar with the work, visions and objectives of the Commission. Meher and Kristen contributed to the drafting of the new CEESP Mandate 2017-2020 and are committed to carrying the Commission forward.

There is a Maori proverb that says, “Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi”. With your basket and my basket the people will live.  A Commission is a collective exercise – it requires a strong leadership team and a global network of expert volunteers to action the ideas and work priorities.  Thank you again everyone for your support and I look forward to assisting the new Chair in the future.

Aroha Te Pareake Mead, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou, CEESP Chair 2008-2016