IUCN National Committee UK

Hosted by the Czech Republic Ministry for the Environment and coordinated by IUCN Regional Councillor Michael Hosek, over 30 delegates came to the bi-regional ‘informal’ meeting this week. IUCN Members, Commissions, National Committees, Regional Councillors and the Secretariat were represented to discuss some important issues which affect many aspects of IUCN’s effectiveness.

The latest results of the Members opinion poll on the proposal to establish an Interregional Committee for West Europe, East Europe, North and Central Asia were announced and it became clear that the threshold of 50%+1 was not going to be reached, despite a lengthy consultation period and multiple approaches to Members encouraging their participation by the Secretariat, Regional Councillors and National Committee Chairs. Although the target for engagement was set high, the results are interesting and the exercise has certainly not been a waste. There will be analyses of the process and results which will inform future methodologies. The results at the close of the poll are:

For West Europe, 119 out of 311 Members voted (35%), 109 YES 10 NO

For East Europe, North & Central Asia, 33 out of 63 Members voted (46%) 29 YES 4 NO

Giving a total indication of 37% participation, when 50%+1 was required.

There was a presentation on the new membership strategy and a new emphasis on greater collaboration between the Commissions and National Committees.

The next Regional Conservation Forum was also on the agenda, likely to take place sometime between May and August 2019. Expressions of interest from prospective host countries will be invited soon. This will be an important meeting for Members in the run-up to their participation at the World Conservation Congress in 2020 which will take place in Marseille, France.

The Regional Office for West Europe has carried out a ‘mid-term review’ of the region’s contribution to the delivery of the IUCN global programme. It was good to see that  Members had provided case studies to illustrate progress.

Chris Mahon, CEO, IUCN National Committee UK                                                                        28th September 2018