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X. News from Implementing Agencies UNEP News Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Considered at Biodiversity Conference of the Parties At the Eighth Conference of the Parties of the Convention of Biological Diversity, the major points of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, as they pertain to biodiversity conservation were discussed. This benchmark assessment, which was coordinated by the UNEP with support from the GEF and other major donors, is considered to be the most extensive study ever conducted on the world’s ecosystems and the effects humans have had on these natural goods and services. It provides policymakers with a clearer understanding of risks to earth’s life support system. Moreover, it can be the basis for improved approaches to achieving on-the-ground results and enhancing country efforts toward solving global environmental challenges. The conceptual framework of the assessment involved integration of analysis at local, regional, and global scales, looking at short-term and long-term trends and responses. Changes in drivers that indirectly affect biodiversity, such as population, technology, and lifestyle can lead to changes in drivers directly affecting biodiversity such as catch of fish or fertilizer application. These result in changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services, which in turn affect human well-being. The four “foundation” reports of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment were released on January 19, 2006. These 500-800 page reports are the products of four working groups, and involved more than 2,000 authors and reviewers. Each report is organized around the following: current state and trends; scenarios; policy responses; and multi-scale assessments. The reports contain the detailed scientific assessment on which the synthesis reports are based. A summary report, containing summaries for decision-makers of the four technical assessment volumes, was also released. The reports can be purchased through Island Press or individual chapters can be downloaded from the website www.millenniumassessment.org. The biodiversity report is also available on the website. Launch of Indigenous People’s Network for Change The Indigenous Peoples’ Network for Change project (IPNC), approved in late 2005, held its project inception workshop in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from February 8-10, 2006. The project aims to build awareness and capacity increase contribution and participation of indigenous peoples, particularly indigenous women, with respect to the Convention of Biological Diversity and the GEF. The Chiang Mai workshop brought together representatives of indigenous groups from 10 different regions of the world. Together, they are expected to finalize regional work plans for the next three years. This project was developed in response to the continued recognition within the Convention of Biological Diversity of the importance and need for increased participation by indigenous peoples. A focus on strategic partnerships is expected to lead to a greater participation and emphasis on indigenous peoples’ role in conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity resources. For more information on the project, please visit the website: www.international-alliance.org or write to its@international-alliance.org National Adaptation Plans of Action UNEP expects to complete eight National Adaptation Plans of Action in the first half of 2006, working with countries to fast track their implementation. UNEP has also recently begun implementation of an adaptation pilot project in East Africa in the agriculture, forest management, and hydroelectricity sectors with a broad range of stakeholders from private sector, NGOs, and local governments. Seventh Conference of the Parties of the Convention to Combat Desertification At the Seventh Conference of the Parties (COP-7) of the CCD, October 17-28, 2005, held in Nairobi, Kenya, the GEF organized a series of side events and field trips. For example, the guidelines on GEF operational program 15 on sustainable land management were presented at a GEF joint exhibit. The GEF operational focal point of Kenya launched a UNEP/GEF project on sustainable land management in the Marsabit ecosystem of Kenya. In addition, the new website www.unep.org/slm went live on the occasion of COP-7. To complement these activities, the GEF organized in collaboration with GEF’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel a side event entitled: "Knowledge Generation and Research within the GEF Context." UNEP presented two training sessions on sustainable land management, which focused on the clarification of key sustainable land management concepts and highlighted practical aspects of GEF project development. UNEP also organized a field trip to a project site of UNEP/GEF Desert Margins Program in the southern rangelands of Kenya to showcase impacts of sustainable rangeland management. For more information, please contact Daya Bragante at UNEP: daya.bragante@unep.org. Please also see the article in this issue on the CCD. GEF Welcomes New Leader for UNEP’s GEF Division UNEP's Division of GEF Coordination is now headed by Mr. Olivier Deleuze, Officer-in-Charge, following the recent departure of Mr. Ahmed Djoglaf to head the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Prior to his positions as UNEP Policy Advisor to the Executive Director of UNEP and as the organization's head of the Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch, Mr. Deleuze served as State Secretary for Energy and Sustainable Development in Belgium. |
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