US Rejects Call For More Powerful UN Presence On Environment - Reuters

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United States supports moves to strengthen the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) but sees no need for a new, more powerful U.N. agency, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

France led 46 nations calling in February for the creation of a U.N. Environment Organisation (UNEO) to fight threats like global warming, water shortages and the extinction of species.

Critics often say that UNEP, based in Nairobi, has too little power. But Washington says it remains the best forum to help countries comply with a raft of environmental treaties on topics ranging from toxic waste to marine life and hunting.

"There are dozens of these multilateral agreements. Our view is they should be administered by their respective memberships," said Gerald Anderson, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Bureau of International Organisations Affairs.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1739517920070417