UNEP and the Vancouver
Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games Sign Memorandum
of Understanding
Vancouver/Nairobi – The United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and the Vancouver Organizing
Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic
Winter Games (VANOC) today signed an agreement
at the United Nations headquarters in New
York City to enhance environmental performance
at the 2010 Winter Games and increase public
awareness of the importance of environmental
protection and sustainable development.
With this agreement, the Vancouver 2010
Organizing Committee is making a commitment
to build on the success of past Olympic
Games Organizing Committees which signed
Memoranda of Understanding with UNEP. The
Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, in particular,
are credited with having raised the environmental
bar for Olympic events.
The 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver have
committed to leave a lasting legacy in the
host communities of Vancouver and Whistler,
the province of British Columbia, Canada,
and beyond, and to provide innovative ways
to organize major events that minimize their
environmental footprints before, during
and after the Games.
Under the new agreement, UNEP and VANOC
will work together to develop and deliver
environmental education and raise public
awareness of environmental opportunities
and issues in conjunction with the 2010
Winter Games.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director, said: "Through
the Olympic Movement, we can further sustainable
development by holding green Games and boosting
global interest in the environment. UNEP
welcomes VANOC's goal of carbon neutral
Games and is proud to be a partner is this
important endeavour."
UNEP may advise VANOC on environmental
issues, including greenhouse gas emissions,
ozone-friendly chemicals, waste management
and 'green procurement.' UNEP and VANOC
will also work together to inspire action
on national and international environmental
goals.
In recent years, there has been an increasing
awareness that environmental and sustainability
considerations should be at the heart of
the Olympic project. All Olympic Games are
now expected to leave a sustainable legacy
and promote environmental awareness.
"We are delighted that UNEP and VANOC
have been able to continue the great spirit
of collaboration that has existed for several
Games now by signing this MOU," said
Pal Schmitt, Chairman of the International
Olympic Committee's Sport and Environment
Commission. "The Vancouver 2010 Olympic
Winter Games are making great strides in
the field of sustainable development and
this new relationship with the UNEP will
undoubtedly provide further opportunities
to inspire sustainable actions around the
world."
"The Olympic and Paralympic Games
represent a unique opportunity to produce
lasting benefits, both locally and globally,"
said VANOC CEO John Furlong. "Today,
as we come together in a spirit of cooperation
with UNEP, we are well on our way to fulfilling
the goal of meeting our commitment of hosting
sustainable Games, of raising awareness
about the environment and inspiring greater
commitment to environmental protection around
the world."
VANOC will support and participate in certain
UNEP events and initiatives such as World
Environment Day and a global forum on sport
and the environment. Under this MoU, VANOC
has the opportunity to participate in world
youth conferences organized by UNEP. In
2007, VANOC sent two Indigenous (Inuit)
youth from northern Canada to the 2007 TUNZA
International Youth Conference in Germany
– a youth forum held every two years that
brings together young environmentalists
from all over the world to share experiences
on the environment. There, the two youth
discussed environmental issues such as the
need to address climate change in their
community.
UNEP, which has worked with the International
Olympic Committee since 1994, is also partnering
with the Beijing Organizing Committee for
the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in the run-up
to the 2008 Summer Games. As part of its
Sport and Environment programme, UNEP also
signed an agreement on 22 October with the
Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010. The goal
of this alliance is to create environmentally-friendly
2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune and
2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
VANOC has been tracking and reporting on
its environmental performance with the publication
of its first-ever Sustainability Report
in June 2007 (available online at: vancouver2010.com).
The next version of the report, which is
based on the Global Reporting Initiative
guidelines, will be available in the first
quarter of 2008.
The agreement between UNEP and VANOC comes
just days after the 7th World Conference
on Sport and Environment, which took place
in Beijing on 25-27 October. IOC President
Jacques Rogge confirmed at the recent conference
that VANOC will host the next World Conference
on Sport and the Environment in the spring
of 2009.
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson, Anne-France
White, Associate Information Officer, Suzanne
Walters, Manager, Media Relations (International),
VANOC
