Institutional reform of international environmental policy: advancing the debate on a world environment organization

Abstract

"With the onset of the new millennium, the longstanding need for reform of the United Nations system has gained new momentum. Efficiency gains and better coordination are desirable, though not sufficient to bring about improvement in international relations. It could therefore make sense to look for institutional innovations that would upgrade the pressing tasks of environmental and development policy in the eyes of national governments, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations, improve the institutional setting for the negotiation and implementation of new agreements and action programs, and strengthen the action capacity of the developing countries on these matters. The present paper points to and elaborates the need for a 'World Environment and Development Organization' within the United Nations system, and outlines the shape it might be given. The intention here is to carry the debate, which has made considerable headway, into the science of politics and development. How will the expert community in the field of foreign relations and development cooperation, based on their theories and empirical knowledge, respond to the proposal?" (author's abstract)

"Mit dem Beginn des neuen Jahrhunderts hat die lang anstehende Reform des Systems der Vereinten Nationen neue Dringlichkeit erhalten. Effizienzgewinne und bessere Koordination sind wünschenswert, aber nicht hinreichend, insbesondere, wenn es um die Stärkung der Umweltkompetenz geht. In diesem Beitrag wird die Notwendigkeit der Etablierung einer Sonderorganisation für Umwelt und Entwicklung im System der Vereinten Nationen begründet und in ihren Umrissen vorgestellt. Der Vorschlag zielt insbesondere darauf, die Diskussion über notwendige institutionelle Innovationen auf der globalen Ebene zu stimulieren. Wie werden Experten für internationale Beziehungen und Entwicklungszusammenenarbeit auf diese Empfehlung reagieren?" (Autorenreferat)