UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION. Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme

Transcription

1 Paris, November 2017 Original: English UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme Thirteenth Session of the International Support Group (ISG) of the MAB programme UNESCO Headquarters (Paris), Room XIII (Bonvin Building) 10 May 2017, 10:00-12:30 REPORT 1. The meeting was opened by the Chairperson of the Executive Board of UNESCO and Chairperson of the ISG, H.E. Mr Michael Worbs, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Germany to UNESCO, who gave the floor to the Secretary of the MAB Programme and Director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, Mr Han Qunli, to present to the Delegates a report on progress made since the last ISG meeting, held on 13 January The 13th Session of the ISG was attended by 43 participants from 35 countries. 2. The Secretary informed the participants about activities undertaken since the last session of the International Support Group (ISG). He stated that the Lima Action Plan ( ) and Lima Declaration were both endorsed at the 200th session of the Executive Board (EXB) with strong support from many EXB members. He announced that the MAB Strategy , the Lima Action Plan and the Lima Declaration were now available in six UN languages online and in hard copy. 3. The Secretary reported that preparation of UNESCO s Budget and Workplan (draft 39C/ ) has been completed with strong alignment of the MAB Programme within UNESCO s overall strategic objectives, supported by new RBB (Result Based Budgeting) methods. Subject to the approval of the 39th Session of the General Conference, under the 39C/5, MAB would have one separate Expected Result (ER) and one joint ER with the International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP) on UNESCO sites for SDGs. 4. The Secretary also informed the participants that implementation and reporting of the current workplan (38C/ ) on MAB and WNBR had proceeded according to schedule. 5. The Secretary stated that the 23rd session of the International Advisory Committee for Biosphere Reserves (IACBR) was held in January 2017, and its recommendations were communicated by the Secretariat to the MAB Bureau and all Member States concerned in a timely manner. He took note that 25 new nominations were presented to the IACBR, 4

2 transboundary biosphere reserves, 12 extensions and 8 withdrawals. Furthermore, the Secretariat received 96 periodic reviews and 104 follow-up communications. Of particular interest in this regard was the submission of the first transboundary biosphere reserve in Latin America and the first trans-regional biosphere reserve between the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. On this point, the Secretary invited the MAB Council to express its sincere gratitude for the high-quality and professional work accomplished by the IACBR members, who have undertaken enormous additional tasks in relation to implementation of the Exit Strategy. 6. The Secretary informed the participants that the IACBR had noted the need to consider a reduction in the frequency of the Michel Batisse Award, in order to increase the quality of applications (e.g. to every two to three years). The Secretary also stated that the MAB Secretariat has proposed to revise the current criteria and conditions for the selection of MAB Young Scientists Award winners, and to maximize the extent to which they contribute towards research-focused actions under the Lima Action Plan and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. In addition, a proposal has been drafted to raise the visibility of the achievements and impacts of the MAB YSA over the years and to strengthen the scheme accordingly. 7. The Secretary noted that two sessions of the MAB Bureau took place in September 2016 and March 2017, respectively, to follow up on the Lima Congress and prepare the present MAB-ICC meeting in June He informed the participants that the 29th MAB Council would be held in Paris during June The invitations to MAB Council members have been sent along with the agenda and timetable, and the documents for the Council are being finalized and translated. 8. Following this general introduction, Mr Han presented some highlights of MAB Programme activities since the Lima Congress. He stressed that MAB had made substantial contributions to UNESCO activities on climate change. Through a dedicated staff member, MAB co-chairs the UNESCO Task Force on Climate Change, thus contributing to the overall coordination of UNESCO s climate change activities. This has included the preparation of the updated UNESCO Strategy for Action on Climate Change, approved by the Executive Board at its 201st session, and UNESCO s engagement with the UNFCCC and its COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco. MAB and the WNBR have been duly reflected in UNESCO s climate change strategy and in relation to COP22, where special side events on UNESCO-designated sites were organized at the UNESCO Pavilion. In this context, Mr Han also mentioned that preparations are underway to feature MAB and the WNBR at COP23 in Bonn, Germany, in The Secretary continued by presenting the Lake Chad Project, a MAB-coordinated intersectoral project involving MAB, World Heritage and the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) with the Lake Chad Basin Commission. The African Development Bank funds the project to the amount of US$6.5 million. The project aims to conserve biodiversity and strengthen the resilience of the Lake Chad ecosystems and communities by applying a biosphere reserve approach within the framework of the World Heritage Convention. The Lake Chad Project will be a flagship project for MAB in Africa. 10. The Secretary also presented the new UNESCO Chair on World Heritage and Biosphere Reserve Observation and Education at the Heidelberg University of Education in Heidelberg, Germany, which was officially launched on 25 November This Chair is the fifth to contribute to the achievements of the MAB Programme. Its purpose is to promote an integrated system of research and application, training and education, based on modern geoinformation technologies and geo-ecological methods, in order to analyse, model and visualize environmental changes at UNESCO-designated sites.

3 11. The Secretary also informed the participants of a new project to reforest the La Selle Biosphere Reserve in Haiti financed by the Spanish Cooperation Agency for International Development (AECID) and the Autonomous Organism for National Parks (OAPN), and about a MAB Workshop in Suriname to investigate the possibility of establishing the first biosphere reserve in the Suriname/Guyana region. 12. He presented interesting new examples in green economies and Education for Sustainable Development. These include the Choba Choba project, which produces chocolate with cacao from the Gran Pajaten Biosphere Reserve in Peru and milk from the Entlebuch Biosphere Reserve in Switzerland, and green economy projects in biosphere reserves in Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania under KOICA funding. He provided examples of different MAB workshops and training courses on green economies, biosphere reserve products and services, and BR labelling, which were held this year. He also presented the UNESCO Biosphere Excursions organized between Ethiopia and United Arab Emirates, which enable participants to carry out individual multiplier projects in both countries to address environmental challenges in their communities. 13. The Secretary gave a short overview of regional and thematic meetings. These include: the ArabMAB meeting (Alger, Algeria, May 2017), which marks the 20th Anniversary of ArabMAB and the implementation of the new MAB Strategy in the Arab region, and includes a workshop on Governance, Financial Management and the Green Economy ; the EuroMAB meeting (Sarlat, Dordogne BR, France, April 2017), which explored the new types of partnerships necessary to effect an ecological transition, and involved socio-economic, scientific and university actors, as well as artists and communication specialists; and the 8th Meeting of the SACAM Network (Almaty, Kazakhstan, October 2016) on Biosphere Reserves and Sustainable Development. 14. The Secretary announced the first MAB Youth Forum, scheduled for September 2017 in the Po Delta Biosphere Reserve, Italy. The UNESCO Venice Office will lead the preparation, resource mobilization and cross-cutting cooperation for this event with contributions from UNESCO-IHP and the Organization s Social and Human Sciences Sector, Culture Sector, and Communication and Information Sector. 15. In terms of relationships with CBD, IPBES and other UN partners, the Secretary noted that the MAB Secretariat represented UNESCO at COP13 of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) at its High Level Forum, and participated in the Muchtanbal Summit on Indigenous Experience related to Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity in December It also participated in the World Conservation Congress of IUCN in September 2016, and the 5th Plenary of IPBES in March 2017, as a focal point for UNESCO, with the aim of providing MAB s input to the review of the Global Assessment Report, due to be presented in Participation in these events has enhanced MAB s cooperation with CBD relating to reporting on the Aichi Targets, especially the target on benefit sharing. UNDP Comoros requested UNESCO s support with a new nomination for a future island biosphere reserve. Accordingly, a mission to Ile de Moheli, Comoros, took place in October MAB has been working on fundraising and extra-budgetary project development. The programme was the guest of honour at the 4th Responsible Planet Encounter, a dedicated forum for companies and experts committed to improving the planet through innovation, sustainability and corporate social responsibility, which took place in Barcelona, Spain, on 27 February A special panel on partnership between MAB and the private sector will be organized on 14 June 2017 during the MAB Council. 17. Concerning implementation of the MAB Exit Strategy, the Secretary of the MAB Programme noted that the last four years have seen a substantial improvement in a large number of sites. At the time of writing, 126 out of 270 biosphere reserves are considered to

4 have met the Seville Criteria, with many other sites in the process of strengthening their status. This represents a significant improvement in quality for MAB and the WNBR. However, the Secretary also noted that in addition to voluntary withdrawals there were still 138 sites from 49 countries that had yet to meet the criteria. It is expected that the MAB Council will wrap up implementation of the Exit Strategy at its current session and progress to the next stage. 18. The Secretary also informed the participants that MAB instruments and tools are being developed, including a prototype for the Operational Guidelines for the WNBR and the MAB communication strategy, both of which were presented at the Council session, as well as a fully functional MAB online service for biosphere reserve data, social media platforms, and online surveys and reporting. 19. The Secretary noted that Lima led to the identification of a major gap in participation in MAB and the WNBR that 75 UNESCO Member States still have no designated biosphere reserves on their territories. The Secretariat has made efforts to narrow this gap, with more than 10 countries currently engaged in active dialogue and technical consultation with the Programme. Although this remains a long-term task, it is expected that two to three new countries will join the WNBR every year. 20. In his final remarks, Mr Han thanked the representatives for their support to the MAB Programme. 21. The Chair thanked the MAB Secretary for his presentation and gave the floor to Mr Philippe Pypaert, Programme Specialist in Environmental Sciences at the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe. 22. Mr Pypaert presented the 1st MAB Youth Forum, which will take place in the Po Delta Biosphere from 18 to 23 September The objective of the Forum is to strengthen youth participation in MAB networks and their involvement in the management of biosphere reserves, as well as to ensure they become agents of change and promoters of a more equitable and sustainable society. 23. The Forum is designed for young people aged between 18 and 35, who live or work in biosphere reserves, or who study or conduct research in these areas. 24. Thanks to economic support provided by UNESCO and the Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, the organizers of the Forum will be able to cover travel costs for up to 100 participants, particularly those from Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. In addition, the Organization will pay for the accommodation costs of a maximum of 250 participants. 25. The Forum will include parallel sessions and discussions, which will feed into the Final Declaration of the Forum. A MAB Youth ambassador will also be designated at the end of the Forum and charged with the mission of representing the MAB Youth community during the 2017 UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris. The MAB Youth ambassador will present the messages from the Forum to the MAB ICC in June The Chair then opened the floor up for comments on the presentations. The Member States thanked Mr Han and Mr Pypaert for their reports and expressed their satisfaction with the operation of the MAB Programme. 27. Uruguay thanked the speakers for their detailed reports and congratulated the MAB programme for its efforts and activities. The delegate asked for details regarding the different modalities of cooperation between the different biosphere reserves and the main challenges

5 the Secretary faces in managing biosphere reserves, taking into account the important areas they cover. 28. The Secretary explained that the overall challenge for MAB, and for UNESCO as a whole, is to implement key agreements including: the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction , the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and now the MAB Strategy and Lima Action Plan. In this context, the Secretary highlighted several challenges the shortage of financial resources, the middle-high priority accorded MAB in the C5 Programme, and the seven professional staff that make up the Secretariat, along with their colleagues in the field, all of whom have multiple roles. 29. Cameroon was very interested in learning about the MAB Youth Forum, and wanted to know how to obtain more information and details about the application process. 30. The representative of the Venice Office explained that participants have to write letters of motivation and must be nominated by their respective biosphere reserve managers/coordinators, and be supported by their MAB National Committees. All information about the MAB Youth Forum can be found at the following link: The Republic of Korea appreciated the clear information and was glad to hear about the progress made since the last ISG meeting. Korea also welcomed the progress made on the Guidelines on branding for UNESCO sites. The country then asked for more details about the contributions biosphere reserves can make to address climate change. 32. Paraguay congratulated the Secretariat for the work performed by the programme, which is a priority for the countries participating at this meeting. Paraguay mentioned that all these activities provide significant visibility to the sector, and highlighted the Youth Forum as an excellent example of an initiative that can empower young people. The delegate also congratulated the Programme for coordinating its activities in line with UNESCO's Strategy on Youth. The country asked for clarification on three points: Should Youth Forum participants live in the biosphere reserve or are those that work in it also eligible? Must they be able to speak English? If they do not comply with these requirements, can they also participate? 33. The representative of the Venice Office explained that their approach to the Forum was flexible, and that the main criterion was age. The aim is for MAB Committees and biosphere reserves to work together with forum participants, before and after the meeting, to identify ways in which they can contribute to their national biosphere reserves. 34. Serbia thanked the Secretariat for the detailed and useful presentation. The delegate also thanked the Venice Office for the support provided to two young Serbs, which enabled them to attend the forum. She asked the Secretary how the programme is planning to align its work with climate change and how they will manage the heavy workload for the next MAB Council. 35. Egypt asked the MAB Secretary what the Programme expected from the Exit Strategy and requested more information about deadlines to apply to the MAB Youth Forum. 36. France said that the presentation and discussion demonstrate the importance of the ISG meetings. Biosphere reserves are key sites for France and the country is conscious of UNESCO s remarkable work in this domain. The delegate then asked how biosphere reserves could help fight climate change, given that they represent 70% of UNESCO-designated sites. The delegate also highlighted the responsibility of success in this regard, and emphasized that biosphere reserves need to function well. For this reason, the Exit Strategy is a crucial exercise for the WBRN.

6 37. The delegate from France also asked how the Programme intends to attract the 75 remaining countries that do not yet have a designated biosphere reserve. 38. China thanked the Secretariat and the representative of the Venice Office for their presentations and acknowledged that the MAB programme had done a tremendous job with a small but very dedicated and committed staff. The representative also said that the Youth Forum was a remarkable activity and one that would bring new and fresh ideas to the programme. He also added that it was important to increase the partnerships with the private sector and congratulated the Programme for the work on its new communication strategy. 39. Gambia also thanked and congratulated the programme and agreed with the remarks of the delegates from Egypt and France. The representative asked how the programme could support Member States that lack the capacity to establish new biosphere reserves. The country also stated that they would present a new proposal with Senegal for a transboundary biosphere reserve. 40. The Secretary said that he was aware that his staff were overloaded, but that everyone was conscious that this is an important moment for the programme, and that it was necessary to wrap-up the Exit Strategy in the best way possible. He also stated that the programme was making great efforts to obtain more extra-budgetary funds. 41. The Secretary noted that all the countries have responded to the Exit Strategy with more or less details, and that UNESCO s aim is to focus on the quality of biosphere reserves, not the overall number. 42. To attract new biosphere reserves and new countries to the WNBR, the Programme will work hard on its communication strategy, aim to better inform Member States about the added values that biosphere reserves can deliver, and work to promote north-south and southsouth cooperation. Existing biosphere reserves are the best ambassadors to inspire new territories or countries to join the network. 43. The Secretary also informed the participants that the next session of the MAB Council will include an event on private sector partnerships. He added that the programme is expected to build stronger relationships with this sector and emphasized the concrete support that some companies can provide to MAB projects. He cited the current partnership with the Abertis Foundation, which houses a Category 2 Centre, as a good example in this regard. 44. The representative of the Venice Office explained that the final date for submitting applications to the MAB Youth Forum has been left open for the time being, since response has been slow. The final closing date for applications will be July. Mr Pypaert asked the delegates to support this process in order to ensure a high participation rate. 45. H.E. Mr Michael Worbs thanked all the Delegates present for their continuous support and declared the thirteen session of the International Support Group (ISG) of the MAB Programme closed.