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Convened and hosted by Dr. Naoko Ishii, CEO of the Global Environment Facility, a high-level briefing was held at the World Bank by the Co-Chairs of the two most recently formed conservation caucuses - respectively Hon. Joyce Emanikor, MP from Turkana County and the newest Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Conservation Caucus – Kenya Chapter (PCC-K), and Hon. Augusto Posada, Co-Chair of the Colombian Conservation Caucus (CCC). The Co-Chairs addressed an audience that consisted of high-level staff at the World Bank, GEF, UNEP, U.S. Treasury and other relevant institutions.
Dr. Ishii convened this meeting for the purpose of acquainting the distinguished audience with the successful work of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF), in particular the value of the Parliamentary Caucus model, and to lay the groundwork for future support from the broader environment and development community. As pioneered in the US Congress, the caucus model brings together US and foreign policymakers, the business community, and civil society worldwide to proactively collaborate on international conservation initiatives. Conservation caucuses provide opportunities for legislators to cross party lines to identify and develop environmental legislation in collaboration with the private sector and NGOs. The representatives of the CCC and the PCC-K spoke about their experience building their fledgling caucuses and the utility they found in this model. Hon. Connie Mack, former Member of the U.S. Congress and current Chairman of ICCF Colombia, spoke about the importance of the non-partisan nature of the caucuses and the real need for the guidance of the foundation in supporting the caucus agenda. The PCC-K has been credited as instrumental in developing and building consensus around the strong new Kenyan wildlife management bill, while in Colombia the Conservation Caucus has supported groundbreaking legislation on sustainability in agriculture and mineral extraction.
Hon. Augusto Posada
Hon. Joyce Emanikor