Green Cross International

Green Cross International

Type	Nonprofit organization
Industry	Environmental organisation
Founded	1993
Founder	Mikhail Gorbachev
Headquarters	Switzerland
Key people	Mikhail Gorbachev, Chairman

This article is part of a series about Mikhail Gorbachev

Former General Secretary of the CPSU Former President of the Soviet Union Early life Secretariate (1985–90) Perestroika – Uskoreniye – Glasnost Anti-alcohol campaign Chernobyl disaster Demokratizatsiya Law on Cooperatives Spitak earthquake Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan 1989 elections Presidency (1990–91) Pavlov reform New Union Treaty August Coup Dissolution of the Soviet Union Foreign policy New thinking Murmansk Initiative Sinatra Doctrine International trips Post-presidency 1996 presidential campaign The Gorbachev Foundation Pizza Hut commercial Social Democratic Party of Russia Media gallery

Green Cross International is an environmentalist organisation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993. Today there are member organisations in 30 countries. Its primary mission is to "respond to the combined challenges of security, poverty and environmental degradation to ensure a sustainable and secure future".

History[]

Green Cross International was founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993,^[1] building upon the work started by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.^[2] On 6 June 1992, the Rio Earth Summit delegates asked Gorbachev to establish Green Cross International, and around the same time Swiss National Council MP Roland Wiederkehr founded “World Green Cross”, with similar aims. The two organisations merged in 1993, becoming Green Cross International, which was formally launched in Kyoto, Japan, on 18 April 1993.^[1]

In 1994, the first Green Cross National Organisations (GCNOs) joined GCI in The Hague, including Japan, The Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, and the United States.^[1]

Mission[]

The initial concept envisaged an international body to provide assistance to countries in ecological trouble.^{[citation needed]}

The organisation's stated mission is to:^[3]

• "Respond to the combined challenges of security, poverty and environmental degradation to ensure a sustainable and secure future";
• "Promote legal, ethical and behavioural norms that ensure basic changes in the values, actions and attitudes of government, the private sector and civil society, necessary to develop a sustainable global community";
• "Contribute to the prevention and resolution of conflicts arising from environmental degradation"; and
• "Provide assistance to people affected by the environmental consequences of wars, conflicts and man made calamities".

Interaction with other organisations[]

There are organisations affiliated with GCI in 30 countries.^[1]

GCI holds the following statuses:^[1]

• Consulting body for United Nations Economic and Social Council;
• Consulting body for UNESCO;
• Admitted observer organisation with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Admitted observer organisation with the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD);
• Cooperation with the UN Environment Programme/UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Environmental Emergencies Section;
• Cooperation with UN-HABITAT; and
• Cooperation with other international organisations.

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Green Cross Australia