GSLP-Liberals-Manifesto-2019

let’s talk about...John
JOHN CORTES HAS SERVED YOU AS MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT SINCE 9 DECEMBER 2011 AND
ADDITIONALLY AS MINISTER FOR ENERGY, CLIMATE CHANGE, UTILITIES AND ELDERLY RESIDENTIAL SERVICES SINCE DECEMBER
2013. IN 2016 HE BECAME MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, HERITAGE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. HE QUALIFIED IN ECOLOGY IN
LONDON AND GAINED HIS DOCTORATE AT OXFORD. AS A STUDENT HE FOUNDED THE GIBRALTAR UNION OF STUDENTS.
HE WAS DIRECTOR OF THE GIBRALTAR BOTANIC GARDENS FOR 20 YEARS FROM 1991 AND GENERAL SECRETARY OF GONHS
BETWEEN 1976 AND 2011. JOHN WAS ALSO THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE OLD ST BERNARD’S HOSPITAL BETWEEN
1988 - 1991 AND WAS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF THE GHA BETWEEN 1992 AND 2007. HE HAS REPRESENTED GIBRALTAR
INTERNATIONALLY AND HELD POSTS IN SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS IN THE UK AND IN SPAIN. HE HAS LED
RESEARCH PROJECTS IN GIBRALTAR AND MOROCCO. A MAGISTRATE FOR 17 YEARS, HE HAS ALSO BEEN ACTIVE IN YOUTH
WORK AND THE PERFORMING ARTS.HE IS MARRIED TO VALERIE AND THEY HAVE TWO CHILDREN, ZOE AND MARK, AND TWO
GRANDCHILDREN, RYAN AND LEA.
ENVIRONMENT,
HERITAGE, ENERGY AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
#GREENGIBRALTAR
THE ENVIRONMENT
The importance of the Environment,
both local and global, is now recognised
as it has never been before. The GSLP
Liberal Government, more than any
other Government in the history of
Gibraltar, has made Environment and
Climate Change central in our work
and in our policies. The declaration of
a Climate Emergency and the passing
of the Climate Change Act, would
have been unimaginable eight years
ago before the GSLP Liberals were
returned to office.
We can never do enough for the
Environment, but the GSLP Liberals
have done a great deal. From
Commonwealth Park, to the new
power station and the closing down of
the old, polluting and unreliable diesel
ones. From the new Promenade at
Little Bay to the rescuing our unique
Barbary Partridges from the brink of
extinction. From planting of trees to
encouraging - and achieving - energy
efficiency, to putting over 150 pieces
of environmental legislation in our
statute books. The environmental
record of the GSLP Liberals is second
to none in Gibraltar and is the envy of
many countries. We will continue to
apply Sustainable Development Goals
to all our policies.
In Heritage too, the Heritage and
Antiquities Act is now law, and
decisions such as the preservation of
the Mount, the legal protection we
have given to the Alameda Gardens,
restoration works, appointing a
Government Archaeologist, and
much more have proven the GSLP
Liberal commitment to preserving and
researching our past.
The next four years will see not only
consolidation, but an ambitious,
achievable programme to better
protect, enhance and manage all
aspects of our environment and
heritage, and everything that impacts
on our energy and carbon profile and
on our quality of life. Our programme
will concentrate on wellbeing, on
mindfulness, on a healthy way of life
in a healthy environment, which are
the basis of a successful and happy
community.
So, as a theme pervading all of our
policies, we will make #GreenGibraltar
a Child Friendly City, ensuring that
all that we do has the wellbeing
and benefit of children - our future
generations - at the core.
#GREENGIBRALTAR
THE WELLBEING OF FUTURE
GENERATIONS
We will continue with our ambitious
environmental legislative programme.
This will include introducing a Wellbeing
of Future Generations Act which will,
among its provisions, require public
bodies and all those who make policy
to think about the long-term impact of
their decisions. It will require Gibraltar
to look to the future, and address in
advance such issues as the future
effect of artificial intelligence, ways
of responding to Climate Change and
changing challenges to our health such
as increased antibiotic resistance. This
will enable Gibraltarians to continue
to look forward to the future with
confidence, assured of living long and
healthy lives in pleasant surroundings.
Public bodies will be required to
focus on how their decisions are
going to impact in the long-term,
and to work together to prevent
problems occurring, recognising that
no single public body can respond
alone to some of the challenges that
society will face in the future. The
principle of Sustainability will be key
in all Government processes. This will
include in development where energy,
water, waste and materials to be used
must follow sustainable targets and
the potential carbon impact of these
activities must be factored in. We
will also ensure that development
takes into account Gibraltar’s strategic
vistas and will ensure that we are
retaining Gibraltar’s well-known iconic
landscapes and profiles.
...aspire to the best Gibraltar
61