World Nature Organization

World Nature Organization (WNO)
Organisation mondiale de la nature (OMN)

Abbreviation	WNO, OMN
Formation	Formed in 2010 (2010); Established in 2014 (2014)
Type	Intergovernmental organization (IGO)
Legal status	Treaty-based IGO
Purpose	Environmental and climate protection
Headquarters	To be determined
Location	Geneva, Switzerland; Liechtenstein (interim offices)[1]
Region served	Worldwide
Official language	English, German, French
Main organ	The Assembly[2] Secretariat[2]
Website	www.wno.org

The World Nature Organization (WNO, French: Organisation mondiale de la nature, OMN) is an intergovernmental organization which promotes global environmental protection. The organization is focused on promoting activities, technologies, economies, and renewable energies which are regarded to be environment friendly; and reducing the impact of climate change.^[3][4]

The foundation of the World Nature Organization is one of the key outcomes of multilateral environmental protection negotiations.^[5] The role of the Organization is to turn declarations into implementable actions and to support the protection of the environment and climate at an international level.

The organization was established by the intergovernmental WNO-Treaty, which enters into force on 1 May 2014.^[6] Most of the signatory states are yet to ratify the treaty on their respective legislative bodies. The organization is governed by the WNO Secretariat and the assembly of the members.

Overview

The initiative behind the organization started back in 2010. The initiative was started by countries surrounding the Pacific ocean, the Caribbean, and by emerging African countries, which are the primary nations threatened by climate change through increasing droughts and rising sea levels. The Preparatory Commission for the World Nature Organization was then set up the following year and released a draft for the WNO-Treaty in June 2012. The set-up of organizational structures, preparatory measures for the founding conference, and preparing the process for choosing the host country was done in 2012.^[7][8] The agency shall become the very first intergovernmental organization on a global scale dedicated to global environmental protection.

The organization commenced its operations contemporaneous with the Earth Summit, a United Nations conference, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from June 20 to 22, 2012.^[9]

History

The WNO initiative dates back to the year 2010,^[10] when emerging and developing countries, which are already threatened by rising sea levels and increasing droughts, decided to mandate the Preparatory Commission. The mandate was to set up the structure for the operationalization of the World Nature Organization – the very first intergovernmental organization dedicated on a global scale to worldwide environmental protection. The Preparatory Commission for the World Nature Organization opened the WNO-Treaty for signature on November 1, 2013.The WNO-Treaty officially entered into force on May 1, 2014.

Aims

The purpose of the WNO is to preserve nature and to prevent detriment and destruction of the natural conditions for existence of human beings, animals and plants, in the water, on land and in the air; guided by the wish that all human beings have secure access to natural resources, especially clean water and air.^[11] The organization shall promote sustainable development in a constructive way, as well as information and knowledge transfer among states, organizations and the economic sector, as regards preserving the natural environment, environment-friendly technologies, green economies, renewable energies, protection of resources, protection of water, forest, air, oceans and climate.

Constitution and legal status

The organization has an international legal personality. The WNO was established by the entry into force of the WNO-Treaty. In accordance with Article XVIII of the WNO-Treaty, the Treaty shall be registered in the United Nations Treaty Collection (UNTC) in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.^[12]

Members and membership

Flag	Member	Joined	Population	Comment
	Burkina Faso	31 December 2013	16.751.455	Signature
	Benin	17 April 2014	8.971.944	Signature
	CAFRAD (IGO, UNTS: #9221)[13]	4 April 2014	N/A	Signature
	EUCLID (university) (IGO, UNTS: #61353)[14]	27 July 2014	N/A	Signature
	Chad	19 December 2014	10.329.208	Signature

Members States of CAFRAD (African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development):^[15]

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Cap Vert, Congo, Côté d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Equatorial, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Africa, Tchad, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Members States of EUCLID University: ^[16] Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste, Comoros, Benin, Burundi, Eritrea, Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Central African Republic.

In addition an overwhelming majority of states support the concept of founding an intergovernmental organization for environmental protection and nature conservancy and states also pledged their support and prospective membership.^[12]

The membership is open for all governments and intergovernmental organizations (IGO).

References

External links

• Official website