Tourism chief in line for UN job?
Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has been tipped as a strong contender to take over from United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer, who announced his resignation last month
By Tony Carnie | Independent Online NZ | March 07 2010
Van Schalkwyk was deeply involved in climate change issues during his previous role as South Africa's minister of environmental affairs and tourism, and attended several meetings around the world where he built a strong profile for himself during the UN climate treaty negotiations leading up to the Copenhagen summit late last year.
Last month, De Boer announced his early resignation as executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, leaving a crucial void that will have to be filled before he leaves his office in Bonn on June 30.
A spokesperson for Van Schalkwyk's office would not comment on a report in the Mail & Guardian on Friday, which suggested that the minister might take over from De Boer, who has accepted a position with the KPMG group as a global adviser on climate and sustainability issues.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat has also not responded to queries about De Boer's possible successor, but a South African government official confirmed at the weekend that a number of countries and organisations were lobbying for Van Schalkwyk to fill the position.
However, Van Schalkwyk is not the only candidate. India's environment secretary Vijai Sharma has support from India and China to take over as the UN climate chief.
But the US is unlikely to favour Sharma's appointment to the key position in the wake of the failed Copenhagen talks in December.
A new round of global climate negotiations has been set down for Mexico at the end of the year, followed by a meeting in South Africa in 2011.
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