Environmental

Flasbarth will be new UNEP chief

The climate conference of Paris was to be his masterpiece. In Germany, the environment Secretary of state Jochen Flasbarth head of the UN environment programme. The have passed before him, two German….

That was a very unusual decision of the President of the Paris climate conference: The negotiations became bogged down, the long-awaited agreement on Climate change seemed far away, as France called on the then foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, head of the climate meeting in December 2015, a new body to life. 14 environment Ministers from the major countries, rich and poor, should overcome the Blockade. 14 Minister? Not quite right.
Germany had not sent the Minister of the environment Barbara Hendricks (SPD) in the round, but your Secretary of state Jochen Flasbarth.

Fabius himself is said to have wished that Flasbarth. A real gambit: The rush, launched the panel was able to solve the blockage, the climate Treaty came into being, all were happy.

The predecessor: Steiner and Töpfer

Now Flasbarth want to use the momentum of Paris for the next step in my career: The 53 – year-old Bonner wants to be the new head of the UN environment programme (UNEP) based in Nairobi and one of the highest UN officials from Germany. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the in New York now official, after the rumor went around since the beginning of the year in the political Berlin.

On the way to Paris: Flasbarth quite right with the environment Minister Hendricks

If the German bid works, the UNEP firmly in German hands: the multi-lingual German Diplomat, Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director since 2006, he is Director of the program. Prior to that, Klaus Töpfer, for eight years, omnipresent, Executive Director of the authority, formerly known as the Minister of the environment, of the was by the Rhine, the sponge and the most popular one of its successors.

Whether it increases the chances of Flasbarth, that two German guided the Supreme environmental body of the UN? This will become clear in a few months. Steinmeier is full of praise: “With Jochen Flasbarth an excellent candidate applying for the Post of the UNEP Executive Director. He has decades of Expertise and leadership experience in the area of climate, environment and nature conservation.”

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Even as a young environmentalist

That’s probably true. Flasbarth was already active as a youth for the protection of birds. With just 32 years of age he was then, in 1994, President of the Federal nature conservation Germany NABU, one of the most influential environmental groups in Germany. And proved to be a media facing, accurately formulate the President.

In 2003, he went into politics, became head of the conservation Department in the Ministry of environment in Berlin. Because he cared for the state-wide network of nature protection areas NATURA 2000 in the Europe. Here he was to meet a born Diplomat on the international Environment.

In 2009, he was head of the Supreme authority, the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau. And since 2013, he is the right Hand of the Minister of the environment, always nervous, strong, humorous, Secretary of state, made in Paris especially for the Europeans – divided also in the environmental protection currently, rather than United, with one voice languages. At this conference, many were full of praise.

“I like the guy,” said Todd Stern, climate Advisor of US President Obama, the Online platform Klimaretter.info in Paris. And Antonio Marcondes, climate Ambassador to Brazil, added: “Above all, he is extremely knowledgeable. Flasbarth is doing its Utmost to the different countries, to get interests together.” This Talent, he could as a new UNEP chief good use.