Initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in partnership with the National Agency for the Development of Oasis Zones and the Argan Tree (ANDZOA), this session, which continues until July 5, is attended by representatives of UNESCO Member States and Associate Members, as well as representatives of UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations.
Speaking at the opening of the proceedings, the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay welcomed the holding of this event in Morocco “whose hospitality is a reflection of the cooperation that the Kingdom maintains with UNESCO, that is to say warm, caring and entirely supportive of the success of our work”.
This Session of the International Coordinating Council of the Program on Man and the Biosphere, she noted, is being held “in a very special place, a biosphere reserve with an emblematic tree, the Argan tree, a tree whose roots are the best defense against soil erosion and the advance of the desert, and a tree of resilience adapted to the aridity of the climate”.
The DG of UNESCO also noted that the MAB program has the potential to further improve its actions, emphasizing the importance of “capitalizing on its brilliant successes, extending it and “further inform societies about its potential and its relevance to today’s challenges”.
“These goals are supported every day by local authorities, businesses, researchers, scientists and above all by the millions of people who live in this network of biospheres,” she said, adding that among these people, “ many indigenous communities whose ancestral knowledge is an invaluable resource to better protect our environment.
She also insisted on the importance of encouraging greater involvement of scientists in the search for environmental solutions.
For his part, Morocco’s Permanent Delegate Ambassador to UNESCO, Samir Addahre, noted that the choice to organize this session in Morocco is “highly symbolic and strategic” to the extent that, since its accession to the Program MAB, more than 50 years ago, Morocco has always been committed to the implementation of the Program and the promotion of its values and objectives.
Mr. Addahre underlined, in this regard, the firm commitment of Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty the King, in favor of global values and objectives, advocating sustainable development and promoting a balance, now essential, between the dimensions environmental, economic and social.
“The Kingdom of Morocco has been able to achieve a real breakthrough by adopting a holistic approach that integrates all these dimensions (environmental, economic and social) into national policies and development programs, as required by the new national development model” , he explained.
This session will notably examine the reports of the outgoing president of the ICC and the secretary of the MAB Program, as well as updates on the contribution of the said Program to the Kunming – Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (CMB), and on the work of the Group of open-ended work on youth engagement in MAB.
It will also discuss updates on MAB’s contribution to the UNESCO Biodiversity Database and Portal, and preparations for the 2025 World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in China.
Also on the agenda are issues related to the name change of the MAB Programme, the MAB scholarship for young scientists, reports on actions undertaken by Member States and regional and thematic networks in the context of MAB, in addition to the reports periodic review and follow-up information received since the 35th session of the ICC MAB.
Proposals for new biosphere reserves and extensions, and modifications or renaming of biosphere reserves forming part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), will also be submitted for consideration during this session. .
The Man and the Biosphere Program is an instrument that aims to establish a scientific basis to improve relationships between individuals and their environment. It combines hard, natural and social sciences to improve people’s livelihoods and safeguard natural and managed ecosystems, thereby promoting innovative approaches to economic development that are socially and culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable.
The Council is composed of thirty-four Member States of UNESCO, elected by the General Conference at its ordinary sessions taking into account equitable geographical distribution, the need to ensure appropriate rotation, the representativeness of these States from an ecological point of view in the various continents and the importance of their scientific participation in the international program.