Romina Picolotti Selected to Lead Argentina’s Environmental Secretariat

Romina Picolotti, president and founder of the Center for Human Rights and the Environment (CEDHA) and active participant in the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), has been appointed as the new head of Argentina’s Environmental Secretariat.

The nomination was preceded by President Néstor Kirchner’s announcement of his intentions to prioritize environmental protection in Argentina and to elevate the status of the Environmental Secretariat, which is currently part of the Ministry of Health, to the ministry level in its own right.

Next week, Ms.  Picolotti, an environmental lawyer and human rights activist, will be sworn in by President Kirchner and announce her team and action plan for the next year. The plan will emphasize the relationship between environmental protection and human rights, and will promote public participation and access to information.

She will also seek alliances with the private sector, emphasizing the promotion of cleaner production and the modernization of Argentina’s most contaminating industries, which will ultimately benefit those most affected by environmental degradation.

Durwood Zaelke, Director of the INECE Secretariat, expressed his support for Ms. Picolotti's nomination, stating, "I congratulate President Kirchner for demonstrating his strong commitment to increasing environmental protection in Argentina through his selection of Romina Picolotti, a strong advocate for improving the environmental condition for all of Argentina's people."

In 1999, Romina Picolotti founded CEDHA, the world’s first organization solely dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights violated by environmental destruction. CEDHA aims to contribute to sustainable development by illustrating the symbiotic relationship between people and nature. Ms. Picolotti received the 2006 Sophie Prize in recognition of her dedication to protecting human rights, the environment, and democracy, and her work to relate the degradation of natural resources to the exploitation of human rights.

For additional information, please contact CEDHA at http://www.cedha.org.ar.