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  PlanetArk 22 Dec 06
Year End message from IUCN

Dear friends of IUCN,

As we come to the end of the year, we begin to think about the future. So, on behalf of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Council and Secretariat, please allow me to wish you all the best for the coming year.

Of course, our look into the future at this time of year coincides with our glance back over the past twelve months.

In many ways, 2006 was a year of transition, with the outgoing Director General, Achim Steiner, leaving on 31 May, and the new Director General, Julia Marton-Lefèvre, picking up the reins on 2 January 2007.

I have had the great honour and privilege of covering the interim period between these two leaders. I would like to say THANK YOU for all the support I have been given and the trust you have all placed in me.

IUCN will celebrate its 60th anniversary in October 2008 in Barcelona, coinciding with the first day of the 4th World Conservation Congress, which Spain has generously offered to host in this beautiful Catalan city.

This will be the time to celebrate our “coming of age”, but also the chance to explore the “future of sustainability”.

What does the concept of sustainability mean today? Can we reach this goal?

In 1980, the concept of sustainable development was defined by IUCN for the first time in the World Conservation Strategy (IUCN, UNEP and WWF).

The Union must now show its leadership once again, by proposing a new vision.

As we know, the planet’s natural resources are being exploited at breakneck speed. Marine resources are continually declining. The Earth’s ecosystems are being damaged on an unprecedented scale and its biodiversity is diminishing on a daily basis.

It makes us wonder what all these conservation organizations are doing to reverse these trends.

It also makes us question the rationality of the human race – the only species capable of self-destruction.

Beyond these fundamental considerations, it is nevertheless gratifying to see that important political and economic figures (such as Al Gore and Nicholas Stern) have clearly taken a stand in favour of protecting the planet.

It is also encouraging to note a clear increase in awareness within the private sector, large multinationals in particular. The latter’s impact and power to exert influence are indeed considerable.

Naturally, the progress that has been made, although extremely significant, is nowhere near enough to reverse these trends.

This is why IUCN calls all stakeholders, all its members and its partners, to work with renewed vigour to protect nature. Now, on behalf of the President of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Mr Valli Moosa, I would like to wish you an excellent 2007. My sincere good wishes to you all, Ibrahim Thiaw
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