IUCN bids farewell to Ramsar's Secretary General, 22 July 2003
The Director General of IUCN-The World Conservation Union, host of the Ramsar Bureau, seized the occasion of the Tuesday staff meeting to discuss Mr Delmar Blasco's achievements, first with IUCN in the 1980s and then as Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention, at some length, and to give him a nice present on the occasion of his looming departure at the end of this month.
IUCN staff gather in breathless anticipation, awaiting the surprise guest.
Achim Steiner (right), Director General of IUCN, surprises Mr Blasco with a testimonial to his service to IUCN, beginning in 1985, and to the Ramsar Convention, beginning in 1995.
Mr Steiner (right) recalled that Mr Blasco, after heading the IUCN membership office from 1985 to 1991, had returned to the IUCN facilities in 1995 to bring a new vision and energy to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the secretariat of which is housed in crowded and stuffy (very hot in summer) teensy-weensy offices in the southwest corner of the building.
Mr Steiner presents the Secretary General with a farewell present, not big enough to drive away, obviously, but very appropriate and heartfelt anyway.
Mr Blasco described his early hopes and present appreciation for IUCN -- he paid tribute to IUCN's fine administrative support to the Convention and urged greater support from IUCN HQ at the technical level.
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(Left) Heartfelt sentiments, and (right) related remarks.
IUCN says Bye Bye, Mr Secretary General.
