IUCN - The World Conversation Union

Valli Moosa, South Africa, held the position of Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of the Republic of South Africa from 1999 - 2004.

Moosa is an environmental leader who is passionate about democracy, sustainable development and freedom. An anti-apartheid activist, he became Minister of Constitutional Affairs in 1994 and was Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism from 1999-2004. Moosa was one of the key negotiators of the African National Congress during the drafting of South Africa’s new constitution and the country’s transition to a new democratic order.

Moosa has won acclaim both in South Africa and abroad as a competent and insightful mediator, especially during the preparation process leading to the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002 and the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban in September 2003; both events were held in South Africa largely due to his initiative and effort.

Moosa was responsible for securing South Africa’s interest in a number of multilateral environmental agreements including the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification, to name but a few.