World Environment Organization: Difference between revisions

The aim of the last approach is to get an legal entity for environmental issues - the environmental policy of the UN should no longer be hosted in a programme- there should be a special agency designed as the WTO or the WHO. A variety of models have been proposed for such an organization, ranging from a hierarchical and centralized body with considerable power to a more loose form of clustering of MEAs and their secretariat. Discussions are about rule making, stand-setting and enforcement; its relationship with existing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs): whether it should be part of the UN or excluded of it; whether it would advantage or disadvantage the interest of developing countries. But all models do have some advantages in common: The financial system and the personal situation would be reformed anyway but mainly it would provide a counterweight to the power of the WTO and what is seen to be the increasing dominance of trade principals over environmental protection (cf. Elliott, 2004, p. 104).  

Different models were developed: For example the hierarchical world environmental organization was developed by the Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung (WBGU = German Advisory Council on Global Change)<ref> The model can be found under [http://www.wbgu.de/wbgu_jg2000_engl.html ''WBGU-model'']</ref>. Another scientific model was developed by Simonis and Biermann: The World Environment and Development Organization as a new specialized agency of the United Nations. The World Environment and Development Organization would integrate UNEP, the CSD and the relevant convention secretariats. As well it includes a high participation of non governmental organizations. Moreover to achieve the greatest possible acceptance the decision making process would be as a North-South parity process (Biermann & Simonis, 1998, p.3).<ref> More detailed information about this model can be found in the literature by Biermann & Simonis listed in the following </ref>  

However there is one model in reality in accordance with the specialized-agency-approach: The UNEO-Initiative. It was formed in 2005 by Jacques Ciraque as an international working group. The idea of an UNEO bases on the former reform process of strengthening UNEP: All of the ideas are integrated in this initiative. But the aim is the forming of an own environmental entity. Compared to the WBGU-Concept this idea is not a hierarchical one: The UNEO would be an umbrella organization- for all the other initiatives but without disbanding them. It has been argued that a UNEO should help to systematically pool the scientific knowledge on environmental issues and help to define global environmental strategic guidelines to promote coordination and synergies. But mainly a UNEO would have a greater prominence and a greater political clout than UNEP (cf. Meyer-Ohlendorf & Knigge, 2007, p. 137).