UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner Visits CMS Family in Bonn

Bonn, 3 September 2011 - UNEP Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Achim Steiner, took the opportunity of his attendance at the 64th Annual UN DPI NGO Conference in Bonn to visit the staff of the UNEP/CMS, ASCOBANS, EUROBATS and AEWA Secretariats.

Mr Steiner set out the challenges facing the United Nations in turbulent times – both politically and financially - and stressed the importance of engaging Parties so that the relevance of the UN as the prime forum for international discussion of key global issues was universally recognized.

He praised staff for their dedication, promised continuing support from HQ in recruiting new Parties and expressed his confidence that the upcoming CMS COP10 in Bergen, Norway would bring satisfactory results.