Kimo
If you are not in high level negotiations or don’t work in policy or environment, you will be forgiven for not knowing what the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) is. Frankly I didn’t know it either, until I entered into the realms of climate nerds, and boy did it become a bible-like rag to refer to.
The ENB was a grassroots endeavour started by Johannah Bernstein, Pamela Chasek and Langston James "Kimo" Goree VI who raised the funds to provide daily two-page briefing notes during the fourth UN Conference on Environment and Development preparatory meeting in March 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. ENB is a daily bulletin that, for 25 years, has offered unique access behind the scenes of negotiations, workshops and conferences on a variety of subjects in international environment and sustainable development policy and law.
I have been writing for ENB since 2010 after a super stringent and stressful application process, but once I was in, I came to know an amazing group of individuals whose knowledge of environmental policy were awe inspiring.
“The ENB was crucial in creating transparency by opening up the doors of United Nations and other multilateral negotiations. For the first time, anyone could learn about what was happening during these meetings, in real time and in an accessible format. As a result, everyone can hold their governments accountable on these issues that have a direct impact on the lives and well-being of millions of citizens around the world,” said Langston James "Kimo" Goree VI, vice president and United Nations liaison, IISD Reporting Services.
Now 25 years and 3,784 issues later, the ENB, published by IISD Reporting Services since 1993, has become a record of major multilateral negotiations on the environment and sustainable development which include climate change to biodiversity, land degradation and desertification to endangered species, chemicals management and toxic wastes to fisheries.
I discovered that over the years, it is read by government delegates, NGOs, media, and since 1993, has become a record of major multilateral negotiations on the environment and sustainable development which include climate change to biodiversity, land degradation and desertification to endangered species, chemicals management and toxic wastes to fisheries.
“As impressive as the numbers are, for us, the ENB has always been about the people. The writers, editors, photographers, translators and other staff members (270, in fact, throughout the years) who work tirelessly and around the clock at international negotiations around the world are to thank for the ENB’s continued success,” said Kimo.
