The ICIA has been launched formally. This happened in a special ceremony during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg on Sunday 1 September 2002. After a concise introduction by Task Force chair Niek Ketting, five presentations were made by key representatives of the various stakeholder groups that support the initiative. All speakers expressed their warm support for the initiative. The first speaker, Mr. Rolf Annerberg, Head of Cabinet of the EC Commissioner on Environment spoke on behalf of the Commissioner Mrs. Margot Wallstr�m. The EC wishes the ICIA few teething problems and that it may walk before the end of the first year. Next, Prof. Dominic Kwaku Fobih, Minister of Environment and Science of Ghana, in his presentation appealed to the African sister states to support the ICIA and join the initiative. Mrs. Kristalina Georgieva, Director Environment of the World Bank stated that the ICIA allows for an independent voice. The WB will have observer status during the pilot phase and subsequently will consider closer involvement with the ICIA. Mr. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Minister of Envi-ronment and Energy of Costa Rica emphasised to speak on behalf of all seven states that are mem-ber of the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD). According to minister Rodriguez, the ICIA can help in transferring the learning by doing process of the North in sustainable development to the South and thereby replace the trial and error process in the South. The last presentation was made by Mr. Frank Vorhies, Business Initiative Co-ordinator of IUCN. He stated that IUCN is really excited by the ICIA initiative and that the World Parks Congress in 2003 and the IUCN World
Conservation Congress in 2004 are two important meetings where the
concept of ICIA could be presented and discussed.
cheers. In the audience there were important representatives of the Netherlands (the deputy minister of Environment and the director Environment of the Dutch Develop-ment Co-operation Agency), the World Bank and its Inspection Panel, the EC, the Central American Commission for Environment and Development, South Africa, UNEP, Japan, IAIA francophone secretariat and others.
In a vote of thanks concluding the event, Niek Ketting thanked all speakers warmly for their support. He also thanked Jules Scholten for his relentless efforts to bring the initiative to the present point of success.
Prior to the ICIA launching event the task force secretariat staff met with a delegation of the World Bank inspection panel composed of its chair, Prof. Edward Ayensu, panel member Mrs Maartje van Putten, executive secretary Mr Eduardo Abbott and assistant executive secretary Mr Alberto Ninio. Prof. Ayensu indicated that former Inspection Panel chairman Jim McNeill and he were closely involved in the Brundtland Commission and therefore are very familiar with the recommendation to es-tablish the ICIA. The Inspection Panel empha-sised that the ICIA in its advisory work should strengthen the inistutional capacity of developing countries when they call for ICIA�s services. The participants to this meet-ing concluded that the mission of both the Inspection Panel and the ICIA is complementary and that future collaboration would lead to mutual reinforcement. |
