22 February 2011: Speaking at the 26th session of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC 26/GMEF), Julia Marton-Lefèvre, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), highlighted the need to reexamine the role of civil society in advancing sustainable development, and to ask what specific contribution it can make to ensure the success of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio 2012) and its follow-up.

Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director General, called for the identification of strategic issues that provide the most effective and influential interventions to successfully mainstream sustainable development, such as the green economy. She expressed IUCN’s view that green economy is a welcome development that sharpens the focus in delivering on sustainable development. She also said that effective participation of civil society is a sine qua non for a successful transition to a green and equitable economy, given that civil society can contribute to crystallizing the understanding of the green economy concept.

Marton-Lefèvre encouraged countries to build on the momentum generated in 2010 by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) report and the Nagoya agreements, and to give strong impetus to developing concrete systems for valuing natural capital and rewarding those who contribute most to its conservation.

On the topic of international environmental governance (IEG) reform, Marton-Lefèvre called for an IEG that responds best to countries’ needs in accelerating sustainable development. She encouraged countries to draw on IUCN’s resources. Finally, Marton-Lefèvre stressed that relevant NGOs and other stakeholders have an opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). [IISD RS Coverage of UNEP GC 26/GMEF]