Monique Barbut urges greater involvement of legislatures around the world in global environmental policy
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 17th,2012 – Monique Barbut, CEO and chairperson of the Global Environment Facility, accepted an award today at the first World Summit of Legislators and, in remarks to the gathering, urged greater involvement by legislative bodies around the world in the formation of global environmental policy.
The first World Summit of Legislators, hosted by Globe International, presented Barbut with an award for International Leadership on the Environment. The Summit of Legislators is gathering in Rio on the eve of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or "Rio+20." The award celebrates the GEF's role over the past 20 years as the financial mechanism of the three environmental conventions that emerged from the first Earth Summit that took place in Rio in 1992. The gathering of legislators seeks to highlight the vital role of national legislation and the involvement of legislative bodies in implementing the Rio environmental agenda. The World Summit of Legislators has drawn heads of state and members of legislatures and parliaments from around the world.
award3.jpg
From left: From left: David Barron, founder of ICCF, John Gantt, President of ICCF, Monique Barbut, GEF CEO, Lord Deben, president of the summit, and Brazilian Senator Serys Slhessarenko.
In the award ceremony, Barbut highlighted the relationship existing between the GEF and Globe International and the successful initiatives the two organizations have jointly carried out. She also reflected on the need not only for international agreements but also for national legislation to improve the state of the world's environment and affected communities.
"I strongly believe that the legislative branch is the missing link in the work that we do to promote sustainable development and the environment in developing and developed countries alike," Barbut told the gathering in its keynote speech. "To this point, I have had my share of frustration with countless policy frameworks that the GEF has funded around the world, only to see them gathering dust on the shelves of government offices."
The lack of legislation supportive of the environmental agenda impedes the success of projects and initiatives across the world, Barbut said.
"All too often, this has happened because legislative bodies remained either unaware or unconvinced of the vital importance of transforming these valuable proposals into real instruments for action at the national and local levels," Barbut said.
More than 300 speakers of parliaments, presidents of congresses and senates and senior legislators have gathered at the World's Summit of Legislators from 85 countries to address the importance of legislation for scrutiny and monitoring of global environmentally-sustainable initiatives and projects.
"Politicians want to connect, and these meetings such as this World Summit are one way to do it. The GEF wants to meet with legislators to make sure that its projects are being understood by all partners in recipient countries. That helps to improve the effectiveness of projects in the field", said Lord Hunton of Wirral, former member of the parliament and current Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission in UK.
The GEFsupported the launch of Globe International and has supported its work since on a range of issues relating to the sustainable use of natural resources.
"The absence of legislatures from the global environmental agenda is a problem that Globe International and the GEF are working very hard to solve, and with your energetic participation, we are making great progress," said Barbut.
Contact:
Mr. Christian Hofer
Senior Communication Officer
E-mail: chofer@TheGEF.org
Press Release No:06172012
###
About the Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) unites 182 countries in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. Today the GEF is the largest public funder of projects to improve the global environment. An independently operating financial organization, the GEF provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants.
Since 1991, GEF has achieved a strong track record with developing countries and countries with economies in transition, providing $10.5 billion in grants and leveraging $51 billion in co-financing for over 2,700 projects in over 168 countries. Through its Small Grants Programme (SGP), the GEF has also made more than 14,000 small grants directly to civil society and community based organizations, totaling $634 million. For more information, visit www.thegef.org.
Stay Connected
Media Contact
Alexandre Pinheiro Rego
Senior Communications Officer
arego@thegef.org