UNEP-WCMC is currently working on a report on synergies between the global biodiversity-related conventions under contract to the Finnish Ministry of Environment. The report is aimed as a contribution to the international environmental governance discussion, not least in the context of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).
January 16th, 2012 Promoting synergies within biodiversity related MEAs
December 23rd, 2011 Thriving Neighbourhoods 2012
Thriving Neighbourhoods 2012 is an international conference on emerging approaches to the planning, design and management of local neighbourhoods that are set to radically improve health, social engagement, environmental quality, productivity and the sustainable prosperity of communities. Thriving communities have the resilience needed to adapt creatively to unexpected challenges such as climate change, population change, rapid technological change, social upheaval and economic crises.
December 10th, 2011 Unlock local research potential with open access
Free and unrestricted access to research results and publications, known as open access (OA), is key to speeding up scientific discovery. There is also growing evidence that OA maximises the impact of research through better dissemination and uptake of research findings.
But how can we make this a truly global and sustainable endeavour? This was much discussed at the recent Berlin 9 Open Access conference in Washington DC.
December 8th, 2011 Rio markers
PARIS (IDN) – How to scale up, deliver and better direct international public climate finance has been a subject of discussion at the global climate change conference in Durban, South Africa. New data show that the member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) apportioned up to USD 22.9 billion, or 15 percent of total official development assistance (ODA), to climate change mitigation and adaptation in developing countries in 2010.
November 30th, 2011 IPBES: International Expert Workshop on Policy Support
From 7-9 December, 2011 Germany will host a workshop in Bonn in coordination with UNEP for about 100 international experts. The workshop will prepare the 2nd session of theIPBES plenary scheduled for April 2012 and focus on theIPBES topic "policy support/policy relevance".
This topic is of particular interest from a German point of view. It is vital that the scientific results of IPBES are made available both on demand and for policy makers and thus constitute an important basis for day-to-day political decision-making. By hosting this international workshop Germany intends to proactively push an important topic and thus further contribute to the international process. The Network-forum for biodiversity research Germany (NeFo) at the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) will prepare and organise the planned workshop.
November 20th, 2011 Proposal for ECO Region Biodiversity Plan of Action
![clip_image002[4]](http://en.fazel.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/clip_image0024.jpg "clip_image002[4]")
A new article published by the CBD Secretariat on the new ECO initiative. To answer complex needs of the ECO region, an initiative has been proposed to integrate National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) of all state members of the ECO region in order to develop a Regional Biodiversity Plan of Action (RBPA). This Plan will add to the framework plan of action on environmental cooperation and global warming for ECO member states (2011-2015) and could be used as a model for other neighbouring regions as well as other regional organizations and act as a roadmap for the implementation of CBD and achievement of Aichi Nagoya biodiversity targets.
November 11th, 2011 Building capacity for sustainable innovation should be on the agenda at the Rio+20 meeting
Further down the line, next year’s Rio+20 meeting will be an opportunity to take stock of what progress has — and has not — taken place in the 20 years since the 1992 Earth Summit in the same city, which placed sustainable development on the international political agenda and resulted in treaties on climate change, persistent pollutants, biodiversity and desertification.
But the picture is not all gloomy. Significant scientific advances have helped to produce new technologies, from solar cells to space-based monitoring of natural disasters, and shed light on the problems the world faces whilst offering solutions.
September 15th, 2011 Live, interactive UN webcast: The UN Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020
In a live and interactive web TV programme from New York, two of the key figures driving the response to the planet’s loss of biodiversity will be answering you questions about the UNDB.
Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Monique Barbut, CEO and Chair of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) join us live online at www.studiotalk.tv at 12.00 EST / 16.00 GMT / 17.00 BST / 18.00 CET on Tuesday 20th September.
September 12th, 2011 Opening of the PCEM course at the ECO-IEST
The Post Graduate Certificate on Environmental Management (PCEM), the first training course of the ECO Institute of Environmental Science and technology (ECO-IEST) was inaugurated on Sunday 12 September. Representatives from Afghanistan, Georgia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Turkey are participating in the course.
September 5th, 2011 International Greening Education Event in Karlsruhe, Germany
A three-day International Greening Education Event will be held from 19th to 21st of October, 2011 in the green city of Karlsruhe, Germany. An excursion (optional) on Saturday the 22nd of October, 2011 is planned which will also provide an additional and informal networking opportunity.
