§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much financial support was given to the United Nations Environment Programme, on an annual basis, for the years 1979 to 1989.
§ Mr. BaldryContributions by Her Majesty's Government to the United Nations Environment Programme's environment fund for the period 1979 to 1989 are as follows:
£ 1979–80 600,000 1980–81 600,000 1981–82 600,000 1982–83 600,000 1983–84 750,000 1984–85 750,000 1985–86 750,000 1986–87 1,000,000 1987–88 1,000,000 1988–89 1,250,000
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken to encourage the expansion of the United Nations Environment Programme's role in co-ordinating international environmental action.
§ Mr. BaldryThe United Kingdom is pressing for UNEP and the World Meteorological Organisation to be charged with overseeing negotiations of a framework convention on climate change. We are also playing an active role in UNEP's preparations for a global convention on biological diversity. It is the aim for both conventions to be ready for the 1992 UN conference on environment and development at which we hope that decisions on strengthening UNEP will be taken.
As evidence of our support for UNEP we intend to increase our 1991 contribution to its voluntary environment fund by one third to £4 million.