Burning the Bridge to the 21st Century: The End of the Era of Integrated Conferences
![ECSP Report 9: Official Statements](/sites/default/files/styles/publication/public/media/images/publication/covewr.jpg)
![ECSP Report 9: Official Statements](/sites/default/files/styles/publication/public/media/images/publication/covewr.jpg)
In June 2003, the United Nations General Assembly voted to end the automatic five-year review of UN conferences, moving instead to a system in which both the format and timing of these conferences will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The rationale is that these large events should be more strategic and less routine. It remains to be seen whether this significant change will increase the conferences’ efficiency and effectiveness, or instead make them more likely to be held hostage to the prevailing political winds. While global environmental and population challenges are clearer and more pressing than ever, the international community seems less capable of constructive agreement. There has been a lot more talk than action.
About the Author
![Frederick Meyerson](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media/images/person/Meyerson_Frederick.jpg)
Frederick Meyerson
AAAS Fellow, National Science Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Change and Security Program
The Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) explores the connections between environmental change, health, and population dynamics and their links to conflict, human insecurity, and foreign policy. Read more