October 14, 2005

She was first head of the Sustainable Development activities at the UN,
and
when these did not move forward she tried to work with the great
economic
powers, at OECD headquarters, in order to achieve the RIO agenda. Then
she
took over the Climate Convention Secretariat in Bonn. She was a fighter
and
she will be missed indeed by all of us who knew her covering the
subject of
sustainability since before the 1992 Rio de Janeiro summit.

Following is the official UNFCCC e-mail:

Bonn, 14 October 2005 - Joke Waller-Hunter, Executive Secretary of
the
secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change
(UNFCCC), passed away today at the age of 58.

A national of the
Netherlands, Ms. Waller-Hunter will be remembered for her
intelligent grasp
of the issues for which she passionately worked and her
down-to-earth,
straightforward personality. She approached her work with a
sincere
commitment, believing deeply in the importance of the principles of
the
UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, the landmark agreements on
limiting
greenhouse gas emissions responsible for man-made global
warming.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called her a “firm believer in
the
principles of sustainable development” adding that she “knew that
global
cooperation was essential to advancing that cause.” He said that she
“would
be mourned with deep affection and respect by her family, many
colleagues,
friends and allies around the world.”

Before joining the
UNFCCC, from 1998 to 2002, Joke Waller-Hunter was the
Director of the
Environment Directorate of the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and
Development, OECD in Paris.

From 1994 to 1998, she was the
United Nations’ first Director for
Sustainable Development, leading the
division that provides the secretariat
to the UN Commission on Sustainable
Development. Ms. Waller-Hunter was
actively involved in the preparations
for the UN Conference on Environment
and Development, the ‘Earth Summit’,
held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Since
taking over the role of UNFCCC Executive Secretary in 2002,
Ms.
Waller-Hunter oversaw the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. Under
her
leadership, the UNFCCC secretariat moved forward preparations for
the
implementation of the Protocol and advanced its support to
the
implementation of the Convention, in particular concerning the
adaptation
to climate change impacts.

A memorial ceremony organized by the UNFCCC secretariat will be held in
Bonn
in the following days. A private funeral will take place in
the
Netherlands.

There is the possibility of sending expressions of
sympathy and
remembrances to the UNFCCC web site (http://unfccc.int).