HC Deb 13 February 1995 vol 254 cc515-6W
Mr. Anthony Coombs

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he is taking to ensure the success of the next meetings of the Commission for Sustainable Development and the governing council of the United Nations environment programme.

Mr. Gummer

On 10 and 11 February, the United Kingdom Government hosted a meeting to discuss the future role of these two organisations. It was attended by Environment Ministers from 13 countries, the European Environment Commissioner, the chief executive officer of the Global Environment Facility and the heads of the two organisations. The Indian Minister of Environment and Forests, Mr. Kamal Nath, and I jointly chaired the meeting.

The meeting achieved a welcome degree of consensus about the respective roles of the two organisations which I believe will pave the way for productive meetings of both organisations over the next few months.

Mr. Nath and I produced a note of the chairmen's conclusions at the end of the meeting. I have placed a copy of this note in the Library.