UNESCO at the IUCN World Conservation Congress

As part of its partnership with LVMH, UNESCO will host a pavilion at the IUCN World Conservation Congress (Marseille, France, 3-11 September). The Pavilion, will reflect the shared fundamental conviction that because biodiversity is the basis for life on Earth, they must act together within the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to define better ways of living together in harmony with nature and to implement the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

There is only one planet: not one for nature and another one for human beings. The pandemic raised awareness of our interdependence with the living world. Biodiversity, the climate crisis and well-being are interconnected so we must find solutions to foster a better cohabitation between nature and humans, share knowledge and equip youth with the skills and values needed to live in harmony with all living beings.

The  IUCN World Conservation Congress  will be a key milestone for nature conservation and the development of a new global framework for biodiversity, ahead of the Convention of the Parties to the Convention for Biological Diversity.

The pavilion’s four areas tell the story of how UNESCO and LVMH act together for biodiversity, to reconcile humans with nature and protect, share and transmit the beauty and richness of life on earth.

In its center lays ‘Wither’, a monumental visual and sound installation by Thijs Biersteker that reacts to real-time deforestation data. Thijs Biersteker’s immersive art installations – often described as eco–or awareness art, turn the impact of topics like climate change, air pollution, ocean plastic and the anthropocene into tangible experiences that travel the world to raise awareness around these topics.

UNESCO will coordinate four sessions during the Congress :

• A Cultural Heartbeat for the Future of Nature: putting culture at the centre of the post2020 agenda
  A dynamic session coordinated by leading global organizations including UNESCO, IUCN and the Convention on Biodiversity that will examine the links between cultural and natural diversity, with a view to integrating culture and nature in international policy and environmental practices, and debating the priorities for a fresh ambitious agenda for culture at the heart of the post2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Ten proposals for a sustainable planet: youth voices for a new deal for nature and people
  A joint session coorganized by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network to discuss the suggestions from young people living and working in UNESCO designated sites on the post-2020 global framework for a new deal for people and nature.
• United Nations and the Mobilization of Indigenous and Local Knowledge 
  Prominent indigenous knowledge experts and leading UN experts will examine  how indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) changes the way we understand naturebased solutions in climate, biodiversity and ecosystem policies and practices. Leading UN experts will exchange views with engaged indigenous leaders on the opportunities, challenges and transformational capacity of science, ILK, policy interfaces, synergies, complementarity and the elusive co-production of knowledge.
• No Go in World Heritage sites and other protected areas: success stories in leveraging the private sector and remaining challenges
  A session organized by UNESCO’s  World Heritage Centre to provide practical, evidencebased lessons and approaches on how to avoid impacts from economic activities to World Heritage sites and protected areas, and to improve the attributes for which they were designated.

Additionally, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission will organize a public event in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development entitled “The Ocean Decade: Co-Designing Knowledge for Global Marine Biodiversity Recovery”. It will be held in the Ocean and Islands Pavilion and will highlight the importance of improved ocean knowledge to meet global biodiversity goals.