25 January 2010. After Berlin just a few weeks ago, the International Year of Biodiversity was launched in Paris and Brussels.
At the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris a high-level event (photo) gathered representatives from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and United Nations agencies, international and national partners to highlight the IYB as an effective tool to advance the cause of biodiversity conservation.
The inaugural event was attended by Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director-General, together with high level guests, including Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, Chantal Jouanno, State Secretary for Ecology, France, Ladislav Miko, Director, Directorate General for Environment, European Commission and Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
“There is no ‘in 10 years time’, or ‘in 20 years time’”, says Julia Marton-Lefèvre. “We do not have this luxury. This year is the International Year of Biodiversity. This year is the time to take action.”
At the same time in Brussels, Countdown 2010 in cooperation with the United Nations Regional Information Center and the European Commission Stagiaires’ Environment Subcommittee organized a conference “Beyond Copenhagen: Biodiversity and Climate Change” to launch the IYB in Brussels. Building on the climate change momentum, the event was addressed to youth working in the fields of European affairs to increase awareness of the biodiversity crisis and the linkages with climate change.
On this occasion, Sebastian Winkler, Head of Countdown 2010, explained how both international and EU policy action for biodiversity could be improved. He stressed the need to recognize the value of ecosystem services and their benefits and underlined that the EU should have a more integrated approach when it comes to biodiversity issues.
- Documentary on the Coral Reef Crisis (shown during the Brussels event)
- IUCN webstory on Paris event