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Conservation and Sustainable Use of BiodiversityAbout Us | Library | Contact Us
 Poverty
and biodiversity are intimately linked. The poor, especially in rural
areas, depend on biodiversity for food, fuel, shelter, medicines and
livelihoods. Biodiversity also provides the critical 'ecosystem services'
on which development depends, including air and water purification,
soil conservation, disease control, and reduced vulnerability to natural
disasters such as floods, droughts and landslides. Biodiversity loss
exacerbates poverty, and likewise, poverty is a major threat to biodiversity.
Thus, UNDP has made Biodiversity for Development a prime focus of its Energy and Environment Practice. Through capacity development, knowledge management, policy advice and advocacy, UNDP helps more than 140 countries maintain and sustainably use biodiversity. Closely integrated activities, including its Biodiversity Global Programme, the Equator Initiative, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the GEF Small Grants Programme enable UNDP to leverage change at the local, national, regional and global levels. More... What's New2008 Equator Prize launched
Conference
on Biodiversity in European Development Cooperation: Supporting the
Sustainable Development of Partner Countries, 19 - 21 September 2006
The outcomes
from the Workshop were shared in the plenary session on Thursday
21 September, where the main outcome from the conference, "the
Message from Paris", was discussed. Please see the conference
website for more details on these outcomes, as well as the report
by the Earth Negotiations Bulletin at:
Heads of Agencies Task Force on Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) 2010 Target In September UNDP participated in the "Heads of Agencies 2010 Task Force" meeting in Gland, Switzerland, to discuss ways for the major UN agencies to work together in advancing the CBD 2010 target of reducing the rate of loss of Biodiversity. The Executive Secretaries of all the major biodiversity related conventions - Ahmed Djoghlaf of CBD (biodiversity), Peter Bridgewater of Ramsar (wetlands), Willem Wijnstekers of CITES (Trade in Endangered Species), and Rob Hepworth of CMS (Migratory Species or Bern convention) participated in the meeting jointly chaired by Achim Steiner - now Executive Director of UNEP, and Ibrahim Thiaw (interim Director General IUCN). UN agencies present included UNDP, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNCTAD, UNITAR, FAO and CGIAR. WWF International also participated. At the meeting, significant bilateral and multilateral opportunities for increased collaboration to achieve the 2010 target were identified. In this effort, communication of the biodiversity message is a top priority to create greater awareness of how the ecosystem goods and services are critical to both development, and resilience in the face of major climate change. Furthermore, the UN Secretary-General, in his Annual Report to the 61st Session of the General Assembly, has called for the addition of the 2010 target into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) framework, as an indictor for MDG 7. This was seen by the 2010 Task Force as a promising step, in signaling the importance of incorporating biodiversity targets and objectives into the mainstream development discourse and practice.
CBD
COP 8 MOP 3, Curitiba, Brazil UNDP participated in the proceedings of the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 8), held in Curitiba, Brazil from 20 to 31 March 2006. The meeting was preceeded by the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Biosafety Protocol (COP-MOP 3), from 13 to 17 March 2006. The main outcome of the meeting was to give a new impetus to the Convention and agree on a "roadmap" to achieve the 2010 Biodiversity Target: of achieving a significant reduction in the rate of loss of biological diversity by 2010, as a contribution to poverty alleviation and the Millennium Development Goals. For more information click here: CBD COP 8 MOP3. On Friday 24 March during the CBD COP 8 UNDP hosted a side event on “Incorporating Biodiversity into National Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Strategies: Lessons from Experience”. This event was designed to offer countries a forum to share lessons and insights on how to integrate biodiversity targets and commitments into national development plans and strategies that are designed to meet the MDGs. In particular, the lessons shared at this side event will inform countries as they formulate their own MDG-based national development strategies in response to commitments made at the 2005 World Summit. Please see the report on the event published by the Earth Negotiations Bulletin On The Side at: www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cop8/enbots/ UNDP also played a prominent role in the 20th Session of the Global Biodiversity Forum on "Sustainable Ways to Conserve and Equitably Share Biological Diversity: Implementing the 2010 Targets", 24-25 March. On Saturday 25 March UNDP delivered a presentation on the importance of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Please see the report on the event published by the Earth Negotiations Bulletin On The Side at: www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cop8/enbots/ |
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