Governance improvements and reforms

Governance improvements and reforms
Council’s work to enhance effective governance of the Union ( ) Presentation for the Regional Conservation Forums I am going to give an overview of the governance issues that IUCN Council has been dealing with since the Barcelona Congress. You will see that most of the issues have resulted in preliminary proposals from Council on which Council would like to hear the views from Members before making firm proposals for Congress. That is precisely the purpose of this presentation. By taking your views into account at this early stage, Council wishes to ensure that all aspects of the proposals are well prepared and thought through with the Members who are the ones that will make the final decision at the Congress in Jeju in September 2012. Some consultation with Members, National and Regional Committees and Commissions has already been undertaken in respect of some of the governance matters, such as e.g. the electronic survey in September/October 2010 about the inclusion of local and regional authorities in the Union and the One Programme approach. In addition to the presentations followed by discussion during the Regional Conservation Forums, consultation with IUCN Members will also happen in bilateral contacts with Council members or in the National or Regional Committees. Council will formulate its proposals to Congress taking into account all feedback from IUCN Members, during its meeting in November 2011 and its last meeting before the Congress, in February Council’s proposals will formally be mailed to all Members at the latest in April 2012. Many of the proposals that I will talk about would result in amendments to the statutory texts such as the Statutes and the Regulations of IUCN or the Rules of Procedure of the Congress. The concrete proposals on which Council is consulting the membership have been compiled as handouts of which copies have been distributed for this Regional Forum. I invite Members to discuss these proposals after my presentation, or to send their comments to me, to other Council members or the Director General following this Forum, but at the latest by mid-October so that Council can take your views into account.

Council’s objectives with governance reforms:
Enhance the effective and efficient governance of the Union Act upon the governance-related decisions of the Barcelona Congress (2008) Carry forward the governance improvements and reforms initiated by past IUCN Councils Why is Council concerned with governance issues? First, it is Council’s responsibility as the highest decision body in the IUCN between two Congresses, to enhance the effective and efficient governance of the Union. Council is careful to only take decisions within its statutory authority. For matters beyond its authority, Council will propose to Congress the statutory reforms that it considers necessary for the Union. Secondly, it is also Council’s responsibility to ensure that the governance-related decisions of the Barcelona Congress (2008) which you - the IUCN Members - have adopted, are fully acted upon according to any timetables set out in the resolutions, in consultation with IUCN Members, Commissions and the Secretariat. Thirdly, Council does not want to ignore what our predecessors have learned through their experience and will carry forward the governance improvements and reforms initiated by past IUCN Councils.

Governance improvements & reforms 2009-2012:
Outline of the presentation: A Union fit for the future: advancing a Members’ vision for the future governance of IUCN [discussion] Changing IUCN’s statutory regions Including local and regional governmental authorities (LRGA) in the structure of the Union Improving and reforming the Congress motions process Other initiatives The main purpose of this item on our Forum’s agenda is for Council to receive your views, comments and suggestions on all these governance issues which are relevant for all Members of IUCN. I therefore propose to limit my introduction of Council’s proposals for governance reforms to four key issues, allowing time for questions and discussion after the first and the third topic and of course after the final point which will be a quick overview of a number of other initiatives undertaken by Council. Before tackling the first point, let me add that one key governance matter not on this list is the One Programme approach, which we have already discussed during our session about the Draft IUCN Programme for

A Union fit for the future: advancing a Members’ vision for the future governance of IUCN How to ensure that IUCN’s governance structure enables all parts of IUCN - Members, National and Regional Committees, the Commissions and the Secretariat – to optimize their contributions to achieving the mission of IUCN? In preparation for: a Council workshop at the 2012 Congress a possible motion advancing a Members’ vision for the future governance of IUCN, for Council to implement in , and/or prepare statutory reforms by 2016 1. A Union fit for the future: advancing a Members’ vision for the future governance of IUCN Council has initiated a reflection on the qualities we need in future in our membership, in the Commissions, in the Secretariat but also in Council itself, in order for the Union to increase its impact and influence on the world. Council will prepare a proposal for discussion with the IUCN Members in the 2012 Congress in Jeju, during a workshop as part of the Forum. This may then lead to a motion for debate and adoption in the Members’ Assembly expressing the IUCN Members’ vision on the future governance of the IUCN. The idea is that such a motion requests the next Council to be elected in Jeju in 2012 to implement certain measures, or prepare others for approval by the 2016 Congress, in particular if it concerns major statutory reform. Note also that the vision for the future governance of IUCN is expected to become a key reference point for candidates for the next Council to profile themselves. Because the Councillors that you will elect next year will be the ones that will carry out, lead or oversee the improvements and reforms approved by the 2012 Congress. We have as Members a collective responsibility to make sure we elect the individuals with the qualities to carry forward the mandate that we will give them.

A Union fit for the future: advancing a Members’ vision for the future governance of IUCN (Cont’d) Question 1: IUCN Membership What nature, composition and size of IUCN Membership is needed to lead conservation and influence societies to achieve the equitable conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity? What role can National and Regional Committees play in IUCN and in their societies to enable conservation and wider economic and social policies to meet biodiversity objectives? Council has formulated the main issues in the form of questions of how the three so-called «strands» of the Union (Members, Commissions and Secretariat) as well as the Council should look like in future. Before preparing a proposal for discussion in Jeju/Korea, Council would like to hear your views. The first and most important question, is about you, the membership of IUCN, and about the so-called «membership structures», i.e. the National and Regional Committees but also the Regional Conservation Forums such as our present meeting: What nature, composition and size of IUCN Membership is needed to lead conservation and influence societies to achieve the equitable conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity? What role can National and Regional Committees play in IUCN and in their societies to enable conservation and wider economic and social policies to meet biodiversity objectives?

A Union fit for the future: advancing a Members’ vision for the future governance of IUCN (Cont’d) Question 2: IUCN Council How can the composition, capacities, calibre and representation of Council be strengthened and continue to evolve to exercise strong, nimble, and effective leadership in decision-making and policy direction? What needs to be done to attract future Council members with competencies and profile that can add leverage to IUCN’s efforts and influence political and economic actors and citizens who currently ignore or undermine conservation objectives? How can the Bureau of Council be used more effectively? The 2nd question is about the future of Council which is elected by the IUCN Members during each Congress: How can the composition, capacities, calibre and representation of Council be strengthened and continue to evolve to exercise strong, nimble, and effective leadership in decision-making and policy direction? What needs to be done to attract future Council members with competencies and profile that can add leverage to IUCN’s efforts and influence political and economic actors and citizens who currently ignore or undermine conservation objectives? How can the Bureau of Council be used more effectively? The Bureau is composed of 11 members of Council: besides the President and the Treasurer, the Bureau also comprises two Vice-Presidents, one Chair of a Commission representing the Commissions, two Regional Councillors and the chairs of the four standing committees of Council (Finance and Audit, Programme and Policy, Governance and Constituency).

A Union fit for the future: advancing a Members’ vision for the future governance of IUCN (Cont’d) Question 3: IUCN Commissions Are the current Commissions, their mandates and the selection process for Commission leadership sufficient to address the conservation challenges of the future? How can network models and thematic bases of the Commissions provide the optimum arrangement through which the IUCN family, the broader conservation community, and society at large can access the voluntary expertise it needs for the future? The 3rd question is about the future of the IUCN Commissions: Are the current Commissions, their mandates and the selection process for Commission leadership sufficient to address the conservation challenges of the future? How can network models and thematic bases of the Commissions provide the optimum arrangement through which the IUCN family, the broader conservation community, and society at large can access the voluntary expertise it needs for the future?

A Union fit for the future: advancing a Members’ vision for the future governance of IUCN (Cont’d) Question 4: IUCN Secretariat How can the Secretariat evolve into the right roles, functions, size and skill set to enable, leverage and integrate the capacities of IUCN’s constituents and ensure effective and efficient delivery of the IUCN Programme and optimal conservation results? The 4th question is about the IUCN Secretariat: How can the Secretariat evolve into the right roles, functions, size and skill set to enable, leverage and integrate the capacities of IUCN’s constituents and ensure effective and efficient delivery of the IUCN Programme and optimal conservation results? I would like to stop here for a few minutes to all you to ask questions and, more importantly, share your views about the future governance of the IUCN based on the four questions I have presented to you. I will subsequently continue my presentation about some other important governance issues on which Council has prepared proposals for next year’s Congress.

2. Changing IUCN’s statutory regions Council motion for the 2012 Congress implementing Resolution (2008 Congress): Council continues with 38 members in total Africa and Meso and South America: each elect 4 North America and the Caribbean, Oceania and West Asia: each elect 3 Councillors South and East Asia: elects 5 Councillors West and East Europe, North and Central Asia combined: elects 6 Councillors Pakistan moves to South and East Asia Only 1 appointed Councillor instead of 5 2. Changing IUCN’s statutory regions Council has acted on the changes in statutory regions approved by resolution (2008 Congress), and has decided to propose a Council motion for the 2012 Congress. This is precisely what the 2008 Congress requested Council to do, without any change: the total number of Council members remains 38 the number of elected/regional Councillors increases from 24 to 28 and the number of appointed Councillors is down from 5 to 1 Africa and Meso- and South America elect each 4 Councillors North America and the Caribbean, Oceania and West Asia elect each 3 Councillors South and East Asia elects 5 Councillors West and East Europe, North and Central Asia combined elects 6 Councillors with sub-regions being established to retain regional diversity Pakistan moves to South and East Asia. The text of the Council motion to Congress can also be found in the handouts distributed today.

3. Including local and regional governmental authorities (LRGA) in the structure of the Union Why is the IUCN Council pursuing this: Council implements resolution (Barcelona Congress, 2008) which requested it to find an appropriate way of including LRGA in the structure of the Union LRGA have become increasingly important actors in conservation 3. Including local and regional governmental authorities (LRGA) in the structure of the Union Council implements the process detailed in resolution (2008 Congress) in cooperation with the Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) and after consultation with the IUCN Members (electronic survey in 2010) and with LRGA themselves (2011) for which we have asked the cooperation of the National and Regional Committees. The purpose of consulting LRGA directly is to hear whether they are actually interested in membership and for which purpose. Council’s main objective is to recommend to the 2012 Congress an appropriate way of including LRGA in the structure of the Union as requested by the 2008 Congress. In addition, LRGA have become increasingly important actors in conservation.

3. Including local and regional governmental authorities (LRGA) in the structure of the Union (Cont’d) Current situation: Only government agencies or departments ‘which form part of the machinery of government in a State, including those agencies of the components of federal States or of States having an analogous structure’ may be admitted to IUCN in Category A In accordance with the present Statutes of IUCN [Art. 5 (b)], only government agencies or departments ‘which form part of the machinery of government in a State, including those agencies of the components of federal States or of States having an analogous structure’ may be admitted to IUCN in Category A. So, we have many full Members of IUCN that are agencies operating at a sub-national level. However, what Congress requested in 2008 was to explore how the local and regional authorities themselves (not their agencies or departments) could become members of IUCN.

3. Including local and regional governmental authorities (LRGA) in the structure of the Union (Cont’d) Proposals under examination: include as ‘LRGA members’ of Category A (States and government agencies) in which they collectively exercise one of the three [or four?] State votes in accordance with that State’s constitutional structure and requirements, and with specific admission criteria for Council to review in each case, such as: I will now elaborate in more detail on three options that have been examined and discussed in Council. We believe in Council that this is both a very important but also a complex matter. It is justified to take sufficient time to explain this. The first option is to amend the IUCN Statutes to enable admission of LRGA as full Members in Cat. A (States and government agencies) with all LRGA Members in any one country exercising one collective vote at Congress, i.e. one of the three existing votes of the State Member. It remains to be seen whether it requires to increase the number of votes for State Members from three to four so that the State Member still maintains two votes in case there are also government agencies besides LRGA each exercising one collective vote. It also remains to be seen whether we would accept LRGA as Members in countries where there is no State Member. In any case, it would be necessary to specify in the Statutes that the LRGA can only become Member of IUCN if they have the right to do so under national law.

3. Including local and regional governmental authorities (LRGA) in the structure of the Union (Cont’d) A definition as precise as possible of what is meant by LRGA Agreement of the State Member before any LRGA can be admitted LRGA must have comprehensive decision-making authority in the field of conservation We would also formulate some additional conditions such as: A definition as precise as possible of what is meant by LRGA Agreement of the State Member before any LRGA can be admitted LRGA must have comprehensive decision-making authority in the field of conservation As it is the case for government agencies and NGOs, Council should review the conditions in each case before admitting LRGA as Members.

3. Including local and regional governmental authorities (LRGA) in the structure of the Union (Cont’d) Proposals under examination (continued): 2. create a new affiliate membership Category ‘Local and regional governmental authorities’ with extended affiliate member rights such as: propose candidates for President, Treasurer, Chairs of the Commissions and Regional Councillors speak in, and propose motions to, Congress; and/or State Member consults with LRGA with a view to presenting LRGA views and proposals to Congress A second option under examination in Council is to create a new affiliate membership Category ‘Local and regional governmental authorities’ with extended affiliate member rights such as: propose candidates for President, Treasurer, Chairs of the Commissions and Regional Councillors speak in, and propose motions to, Congress; and/or State Member consults with LRGA with a view to presenting LRGA views and proposals to Congress.

3. Including local and regional governmental authorities (LRGA) in the structure of the Union (Cont’d) Proposals under examination (continued): 3. an existing international organization with members which are LRGA, serves as the local government interface for IUCN, e.g. the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), or other international organization of LRGA members The LRGA members of this international organization participate in the IUCN through such an international organization. It could further be considered how such an organization could bring its LRGA membership into a formal relationship with IUCN in the form of a local government chamber. The third option under examination in Council is to entrust an existing international organization with members which are LRGA with the task of serving as the local government interface for IUCN. One such an organization is e.g. the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) which is a Member of IUCN. There could be other organizations of LRGA members such as e.g. IULA – International Union of Local Authorities with a HQ based in The Hague (The Netherlands). The LRGA members of such an international organization would participate in the IUCN through such an international organization. It could further be considered how this organization could bring its LRGA membership into a formal relationship with IUCN in the form of a local government chamber. I would like to stop here for a second time to allow you to ask questions and share your views about the proposals from Council regarding the statutory regions and the inclusion of local and regional authorities. These are important and complex issues and therefore deserve time to discuss properly. I will subsequently, and briefly, speak about the remaining governance issues.

4. Improving and reforming the Congress motions process Evaluation of the 2008 Congress Council initiatives to improve the motions process for 2012: More Member briefings on how to exercise their rights An electronic tool for Member motions Members contribute to the Draft IUCN Programme during the Regional Conservation Forums Promote regional Programmes for Members’ proposals for local/regional actions 4. Improving and reforming the Congress motions process Council has made a detailed analysis of all the issues raised by Members during the external evaluation of the 2008 Congress or who wrote to IUCN with their comments about the motions process at the 2008 Congress. Council has already taken measures to improve the motions process for the 2012 Congress. These include among others: More Members will be actively engaged in Congress through a better briefing on how to exercise their rights. That is actually one of the main agenda items for each Regional Forum; The Secretariat is developing an electronic on line tool for Members to consult and seek support for their motions in advance of Congress. It will be available at the end of this year. Later on next year it will also be used for Members to formally submit their motions to the 2012 Congress. There is a separate presentation available on the motions process during this Forum in which more detailed explanation is given on this electronic tool; The Regional Forums also serve as consultation and dialogue with Members to ‘capture’ your comments on the Draft IUCN Programme and integrate them in the iterative drafts as much as possible. Members should be aware of the complexities of having to modify the Programme during the Congress itself or of motions which are in effect an amendment of the Programme. Also, because the Programme is the key reference point for the structure of the Congress and for the Members’ preparations of motions; The regional Programmes should be promoted as a framework for Members’ proposals for local/regional actions. In fact, as it was the case in 2008, a number of motions from Members about local and regional issues might be included in the regional Programmes and do not necessarily have to come to Congress as separate motions.

4. Improving and reforming the Congress motions process (Cont’d) Other reforms under examination in Council, possibly for adoption by Members at the 2012 Congress: e.g. increase the representativeness and legitimacy of Congress resolutions by introducing a (quorum) requirement that a minimum number of Members must be present in order to take valid decisions Council is examining other reforms for adoption by Members at the 2012 Congress: Council’s Resolutions Working Group is considering to prepare a Council proposal for Congress to establish a quorum requirement in order to encourage more Members to take part in voting on motions and thus increase the legitimacy and representativeness of Congress resolutions. In 2008, many resolutions were adopted by a very small fraction of the IUCN Members. A quorum requirement, i.e. to require that a minimum number of Members is present in the Assembly room at the time a decision is taken, may indeed encourage Members to be there or encourage other Members to come in and actually vote when their motions are under consideration. If a quorum requirement is approved at the beginning of the 2012 Congress it may already be applied during the Congress in Jeju but Congress could also decide to apply it as of 2016. Council might also propose other amendments for approval in 2012 which will then be implemented in 2016.

5. Other initiatives 5.1 Effectiveness of Council Clarifying Council’s primary functions (proposed amendments to IUCN Statutes, art. 37 and IUCN Regulations, art. 48) 5.2 Increase transparency of Council Members’ Portal fully operational all Council and Bureau decisions posted in the three official languages of IUCN Council agendas circulated in advance to Members for comments Council documents available upon request I mention a small number of other governance issues: 5.1 Effectiveness of Council. Council has numerous functions listed in the Statutes. To have a framework to organize its own agenda and to be able to better communicate about its role, Council defined its primary functions as follows: Set strategic direction for the Union as a whole Oversee the performance of the Director General (and thus also the Secretariat) and the Commissions Exercise fiduciary responsibilities and accountability to the membership. Council would like to add this definition to the Statutes so that it is clear to everyone, without changing any of its current statutory functions. 5.2 Increase transparency of Council. The Barcelona Congress requested Council to be more transparent. With the assistance of the Secretariat, we have improved this considerably: The Members’ Portal is now fully operational All Council decisions are posted in the three official IUCN languages within three or four weeks from the Council meeting Council agendas are circulated in advance of meetings to all Members for comments Council documents are made available to Members upon request following the Council meetings.

5. Other initiatives: (Cont’d) 5.3 Improving the criteria for membership admission Redefine the Affiliate Member Category C by reserving it for entities that are not eligible for membership in Cat. A or B but that share and support IUCN’s objectives and have a track record in conservation Proposed amendment to IUCN Statutes, art. 5 (f): Affiliate Members shall be government agencies, national and international non-governmental organizations, which are not in Categories A or B. entities which are not eligible for membership in Categories A or B but comply with the requirements of Article 7 (a), (b) and (c). Improving the criteria for membership admission: Council has decided to present a motion to Congress to amend the Statutes on two issues: To redefine the Affiliate Member Category To clarify the conditions for admission as a Member of IUCN. Why redefine the Affiliate Membership Category. So far, any government agency or NGO that could become a full Member has also had the possibility of becoming an Affiliate Member. Council prefers to limit the Affiliate Member category for entities that can NOT become a full Member because they would not meet all the criteria of the Statutes and the Regulations for full membership but that are nonetheless supportive of IUCN’s objectives and meet SOME of the key criteria for becoming a full member. On the other hand, Council would also like to have the flexibility to admit as Affiliate Members ‘entities’ that do comply with the requirements for full membership [as defined in the Statutes, Article 7 (a) (b) and (c)] but that do not comply with the requirements for admission as stated in the Regulations because they do not qualify as NGOs or Government Agencies. So, on the one hand, the affiliate category should be restricted by excluding those NGOs and Government Agencies that do qualify to become a full Member of IUCN. On the other hand, the affiliate category should be broad enough to be accessible to a wide range of ‘entitities’ other than NOGs and Government Agencies, that are supportive of IUCN’s goals but that do not meet the detailed criteria for full membership.

5. Other initiatives: (Cont’d) 5.3 Improving the criteria for membership admission (Cont’d) Clarify the conditions for admission to be reviewed in each case by Council Proposed amendment to IUCN Statutes, art. 7: The 2nd amendment proposed by Council to the 2012 Congress pertains to the key conditions for admission as defined in Article 7 of the Statutes, as follows (full text of the proposal on the next slide):

Proposed amendment to IUCN Statutes, art. 7: (a) the applicant shares and supports the objectives of IUCN; (b) the objectives and track record of the applicant reflect at least one of the following: the conservation of the integrity and diversity of nature; the aim to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable; the dedication to influencing, encouraging and assisting societies for the above purposes; the applicant does not pursue objectives or carry out activities that conflict with the objectives or activities of IUCN; (c) the applicant has as one of its central purposes the achievement of IUCN’s mission and a substantial record of activity in the conservation of nature and natural resources; and (d) the applicant meets the other qualifications for membership as prescribed in the Regulations. The amendment mainly intends to give more specific guidance to the IUCN Council as to what are the objectives and the track record that it is required to review when considering an application for admission. These are now specified in a new paragraph (b) of Article 7 (replacing the current paragraph (c) of Article 7) as follows: the conservation of the integrity and diversity of nature; the aim to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable; the dedication to influencing, encouraging and assisting societies for the above purposes. In addition, Council would be requested to make sure that the agency or organization applying for membership meets at least one of the above three criteria. In other words, Council wishes to extend membership to organizations that are active in either one of these three areas and no longer limit membership to agencies or organizations that are only active in the conservation of nature and natural resources.

Other initiatives: (Cont’d) 5.3 Improving the criteria for membership admission (Cont’d) Modifications to the IUCN Regulations 5 and 6 concerning the membership admission criteria: e.g. 5 (a) (i) be an a not-for-profit entity which conforms with the law of the State where the seat is located; [...] 5 (a) (iii) have a board that is autonomous and independent Have an autonomous and independent board, recognizing that government financial support to the organization shall not on its own indicate a lack of independence; and 5 (a) (iv) have a governance structure which is transparent, accountable and representative have a legal structure which requires periodic election or appointment of its officers. 5 (b) Any duly accredited university, similar institution of higher learning, and its specialized centre(s) and or research institute(s), organized within a State, seeking admission to this Category shall [...] As we have discussed in the first topic of my presentation, part of a long term vision for the Union is the question of broadening the Union’s membership base. New categories of Members can only be introduced by modifying the Statutes. The question of a new category for local and regional governmental authorities is one of the options we have discussed today, possibly for consideration at next year’s Congress. As we have also discussed just now, up for decision at next year’s Congress is also the broadening of the key membership criteria of Article 7: within the EXISTING membership categories, Council would like to have the possibility to admit Members that work in the area of sustainable use of natural resources in addition to organizations that are exclusively working in conservation. In the same spirit, and further adapting our admission criteria to a changing world, Council would like to modify some of the detailed criteria specified in the IUCN Regulations that in Council’s view are too restrictive. As you know, the Regulations provide more detailed guidance that complete the main membership criteria established in the Statutes (Article 7) which we have just discussed. And Council has the statutory authority to modify the Regulations. Therefore, when considering membership admission, both Statutes and Regulations have to be read together. The communication to IUCN Members of 24 June 2011 with the decisions of the May Council provided the full text of the amendments to the Regulations approved by Council on the membership admission criteria. As you may know, the IUCN Statutes require such a notification precisely to enable Members to express their views or concerns before Council approves the amendments a second time (expected for November 2011) because the amendments to the Regulations can only have effect after having been approved by Council at two consecutive meetings of Council. Let me give you one example, perhaps the most striking one, of the amendments to the Regulations: namely the removal of the words ‘not-for-profit’ in Regulations 5 (a) and 6 (a). Council would like to remove the restriction of only admitting organizations that are explicitly qualified as ‘not-for-profit’. The reason is that Council recently had to refuse organizations that clearly supported the objectives of IUCN and met all membership conditions of the Statutes (Article 7) but that did not have a ‘non-for-profit’ status under the national law of the country where they had been established. To develop IUCN’s membership base, Council would like to have the possibility to admit in the NGO category (national or international) entities such as consultancy firms, organizations active in biodiversity businesses, green/ecological entrepreneurs, public–private partnership, forth-sector organisations etc, whose main business is to support conservation and the wider sustainable development agenda. Of course, this does not open the door for admission in the NGO category of purely for-profit business companies or multinationals. These would obviously not have the achievement of IUCN’s mission as their main business purpose and therefore not meet the main admission criteria of Article 7 of the Statutes. A new membership category would have to be established if we were to admit purely for-profit organizations, a question which is not on our agenda for now. One behalf of the Constituency Committee of Council, the Secretariat mailed to all Members an explanatory note on 23 August 2011, explaining the rationale for all reform proposals concerning the membership admission criteria. To end my explanation of this point, I should repeat that Council is consulting the Membership on the proposed reforms and that we will continue to do so until the last Regional Conservation Forum will have been held in mid-October. During the discussion with IUCN Members of Oceania who met in Brisbane in August, they actually passed a resolution about this issue and requested that other Regional Conservation Forums be informed of it. They asked that the proposed changes to the IUCN Statutes and Regulations concerning membership admission criteria and the “Affiliates” category be considered as a single package rather than separately as they are inter-related. They opposed the proposed amendments and recommended that Council consider instead the preparation of a definition of the term “not for profit entity” that clarifies its meaning and also prepare a discussion paper concerning non-membership mechanisms for the engagement of “for-profit” entities in the activities of IUCN. Copies of the resolution adopted at the Oceania Regional Conservation Forum are available for interested people.

5. Other initiatives: (Cont’d) 5.4 Oceans in IUCN’s governance Under consideration in Council: proposals to enhance the representation of oceans in IUCN’s governance, e.g. by requiring Council to appoint a IUCN World Oceans Councillor [Regulations, art. 45] 5.5 Guidance for election candidates 2012 5.6 Proposed amendments to facilitate the organization of the World Conservation Congress Examples: No limitation of the size of delegations Electronic voting and elections Finally, I would like to briefly mention three other initiatives that Council has taken: Council has considered that the oceans, although covering > 75% of the earth’s surface, are not well represented in the governance of the Union. Council has appointed an Oceans Focal Point of Council (Christophe Lefebvre from France) who is studying this matter on behalf of Council. One of the possibilities is to amend the Statutes to make sure that the oceans, and perhaps also the islands, are represented in Council in a tangible or visible way. Council also appointed a Focal Councillors for Islands last May. We have no concrete proposals yet. It would also have to be studied together with the proposed amendments regarding the statutory regions which I have already explained earlier in this presentation. However, what we can do at this stage is to change the Regulations in order to request Council that it appoints one of the five ‘appointed Councillors’ as ‘IUCN World Oceans Councillor’. Learning from past experience, Council deemed it necessary to provide some guidance to all candidates for any of the positions to be elected in Mainly to emphasize that campaign activities are conducted with integrity, respect and fairness, and that mistakes from the past should not be repeated. The guidance for election candidates has been sent to all IUCN Members on 12 August 2011 as an attachment to the Director General’s letter with the call for nominations. Election candidates are requested to sign the guidance document as a requisite step for their nomination. Further, Council will make a number of proposals to Congress for amendment of the Rules of Procedure of the World Conservation Congress. The purpose will be to facilitate the practical organization of the Congress. Examples: Remove the limitation of the size of delegations. According to the current Rules, a Member with a delegation of more than three delegates, needs prior approval from the Director General. As this restriction has never really been strictly applied at any of the past Congresses, it seems better to remove it. Allow not only for electronic voting of motions but also of elections – which will save us considerable time during Congress and avoid mistakes which may occur when counting ballot papers manually.

Council looks forward to receiving your comments and suggestions
As I said at the beginning of this presentation, all you have seen is pretty much work in progress. The purpose of this presentation is to give you, the Members of IUCN, an opportunity to comment and share your views throughout the Regional Forums. Council will review the views from Members in November this year and subsequently approve its proposals for the 2012 Congress on most if not all the issues I explained in this presentation. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you! Kamsa hamnida! 감사합니다

Governance improvements and reforms

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