EU and Others Disagree over UNEP’s Future

The European Union (EU) is continuing to spearhead a push to establish a World Environment Organization (WEO) at Rio+20, but is facing growing opposition from the United States, the host country Brazil, and developing nations, according to an Environment & Energy News report.

The EU proposal entails transforming the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) into a UN specialized agency, giving it nominally equal footing with the International Labour Organization, World Meteorological Organization and others. A WEO would have a largely advisory and coordinating role. With more money, staff, and influence, the Europeans argue, it would be “better position[ed] to help developing countries reinforce capacity and environmental policies”. An unnamed European diplomat said that over 100 countries, including the European Union and African Union states, support the proposal for a WEO, to be located in Nairobi, Kenya.

The US, however, opposes the EU plan, citing concerns over the acceptability of the proposed changes in its domestic political climate. Meanwhile, Rio+20 host country Brazil argues that “it is to go backward to isolate again the environment with the World Environment Organization,” according to Brazilian chief negotiator Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago. “We think we have to [not] create an isolated structure.” According to the article, the Brazilians further argue that a WEO may be seen as another attempt by the developed world to tell developing countries what to do – before discussing governance structures, developed countries must take appropriate responsibility for sustainability. “If developed countries’ middle class are [behaving] unsustainably, then our middle classes will be unsustainable,” Corrêa do Lago said.

Whether the debate over UNEP’s future gets subsumed into the developed-developing country divide remains to be seen.

The full Environment & Energy News article can be found here.