Mr. Mark Malloch Brown’s Speech Transcript

“Learning from Community Action: Biodiversity and the Millennium Development Goals" - A Global Dialogue

Wednesday, 19 May 2004 - 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
German Permanent Mission to the United Nations

Thank you Mr. Ambassador.

Distinguished guests, Delegates to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, and Friends, I am very pleased, as Administrator of UNDP, to address you on this auspicious occasion as we open this Global Dialogue on Biodiversity and the Millennium Development Goals.

Our reason for coming together today is twofold. First, we are gathered to commemorate the International Day for Biodiversity – an important day in the international calendar which is officially held on May 22 nd each year. To mark this occasion we will spend the afternoon discussing some of the most pressing issues facing the global community today – Biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction. And, furthermore, we are gathered to here to recognize the finalists and winners of the Equator Prize 2004 and the remarkable work they are doing to promote conservation and sustainable development.

Holding this event on the International Day for Biodiversity is especially significant for UNDP because it underscores our strong focus on, and dedication to, environmental issues.

It is very heartening to see that the linkage between poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly clear and appreciated. For all of us at UNDP, and at our partner organizations, the link between the environment and poverty alleviation has long been an area of intense interest and concerted effort.

Although it is an issue of global concern and urgency, the need to connect conservation and poverty alleviation efforts is especially pressing in the developing world. It is in the poorest nations that people depend most intimately on the natural environment for their livelihoods – for food, medicines and income.

Given this linkage, it is from the poorest nations themselves that many of the most effective and realistic sustainability solutions will likely come. One of our goals at UNDP – through programmes such as the Equator Initiative – is to work with local people to ensure that their experiences inform and drive the policies that effect them.

Today you will hear stories and experiences from Equator Prize Winners from Colombia, India and Namibia. These tremendous local initiatives exemplify the powerful role that community action can play in conservation and development. The goal of real sustainable development can only be achieved through the hard work and commitment of local communities such as these.

On the international stage, the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are increasingly seen as vital to the full achievement of the poverty reduction targets laid out in the Millennium Development Goals and to wider sustainable development.

The Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, are derived from the United Nations Millennium Declaration of September 2000, where they were adopted by over 189 nations.

These ambitious goals lay out a practical and far-sighted roadmap for achieving sustainable development for the global family. The local stories and lessons that you will hear today remind us that the MDGs must be given life and be rooted in human experience if they are to be achieved.

Ultimately the success of this shared vision will be measured at the local level. Although the MDGs are couched in international language, their achievement will be highly dependent on the success of local struggles to battle poverty and biodiversity loss. Together we must assist communities in this challenge.

We are also reminded today that much of the global community’s successes in promoting sustainable development have been achieved through effective partnerships – partnerships with governments, NGOs, community organizations, and the private sector. For instance, today’s event would not have been possible without the dedicated effort and significant contributions of Canada, Capacity Building International, GEO Magazine, BMZ: the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, GTZ, the German Mission to the United Nations, and the UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme.

Indeed, Germany has been a strong leader in the field of sustainable development and, speaking on behalf of UNDP, I would like to formally acknowledge and thank them for their commitment and dedication to these vital issues.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to today’s event and thank you for your attendance. Welcome.

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