The appointment of the new Secretary-General of the Alpine Convention took some time: the post was first advertised over a year ago. At the beginning of September, the XII Alpine Conference in Poschiavo should have appointed a new Secretary-General. But the Alpine states could not however agree on a candidate and thus renewed their search. Finally, after lengthy discussions, agreement was reached: The Austrian Markus A. Reiterer will in March 2013 follow on from the Italian Marco Onida as Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention. Onida had directed the Secretariat since 2006.
Markus A. Reiterer, 46, is no stranger to the Alpine Convention: until 2004 he worked in the Austrian Foreign Ministry where he was responsible for the Alpine Convention. The Secretary-General designated worked on the establishment of the permanent secretariat and the introduction of the review structure, a procedure intended to encourage states to adhere to the Alpine Convention. This is, along with motivating Alpine states to introduce genuine projects to implement the Alpine Convention, one of the most important task of the Secretary-General.
"It is important to me to contribute on the comprehension and valorisation of nature and culture, life and economy in the Alps and to the sustainable development of the Alps," Reiterer says. The designated Secretary-General wants to enhance "team - building", cooperation and solidarity between the Permanent Secretariat, the Alpine states and the observer organisations.
The Permanent Secretariat must also fill other posts: the search is on for a Deputy Secretary-General and a Head of Legal Affairs.
Source: CIPRA International