Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) at the UN-HABITAT 5th World Urban Forum
Rio de Janerio, Brazil - March 2010
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability’s Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Programme team launched LABNetwork, the new LAB entry level initiative for cities and local governments at the UN Habitat’s 5th World Urban Forum (WUF) in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, in March this year.
The inaugural meeting of the LAB Advisory Committee, a momentous occasion for the LAB Programme, also took place at the WUF.
At the LAB Networking Session, Urban Nature: Local Solutions to Global Challenges, LAB shared the stage with our esteemed United Nations and other partners to discuss various biodiversity tools and project options available to local governments. This panel event, chaired by the Secretary General of ICLEI, positioned LAB as an enabling platform for local governments and partner organisations.
- Hard at work at the ICLEI stand
Introduction to LAB - LABNetwork - launched
LABNetwork, LAB’s new entry-level introductory project that kicked off at the UN-HABITAT 5th World Urban forum (WUF) is the latest offering from ICLEI’s global biodiversity team. LABNetwork offers all local governments, not ready to embark on one of the more intense LAB projects, an option to join a new international LAB biodiversity network.
The LABNetwork allows participants networking opportunities, as well as a globally recognised platform to voice their recognition of the need for biodiversity action at local level and demonstrate their support of the “Local Government Biodiversity Roadmap” on an international and regional stage. Local governments that join the LABNetwork will have access to tailor-made biodiversity tools offered by the LAB team, global profiling of their local biodiversity activities, access to biodiversity experts and invitations to international biodiversity related events and workshops. It will also enable local governments to start local action on biodiversity and to easily progress to one or more of the action-oriented LAB projects.
Local governments can sign up at any time for the LABNetwork for a period of 12 months at a fee of US$1750 (20% discount for paid-up ICLEI members), and are encouraged to do so during 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, ahead of the CBD COP10 taking place in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010.
- The Advosiry Committee
LAB Advisory Committee: Inaugural Meeting
The inaugural meeting of the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Advisory Committee took place on Wednesday, 24 March, at the UN-HABITAT’s 5th World Urban Forum (WUF). The closed meeting was well attended by invited guests, who include high-level partners of the LAB Programme as well as prominent LAB local governments.
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, launched LABNetwork to the Advisory Committee. Brand said this one of the ways LAB was becoming an enabling platform, with many entry points in the form of various options available to satisfy the different needs of local governments. The Advisory CommitteeBrand said in an attempt to make LAB accessible to local governments, the team was incubating programmes customised to different continents, for example Asia and South America.
All the committee members pledged their support to growing the LAB Programme, both in their individual and organisational capacities.
LAB Network Event: Urban Nature: Local Solutions to Global Challenges
The Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) side event at the UN-HABITAT’s 5th World Urban Forum took the format of a panel discussion on the various contributions, tools, partnerships and programmes on biodiversity available to local governments from global organisations.
Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Secretary General of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, chaired the panel, which included representatives from the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (SCBD), ICLEI Africa, UNESCO, UN-HABITAT and the city of Curitiba. Oliver Hillel of the SCBD outlined the Local Governments Roadmap process. A process for local governments to support the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Plan of Action on Cities, Local Authorities and Biodiversity. This plan of action aims to raise awareness of the importance of local governments’ contribution to the international debate on biodiversity. This will be achieved through stakeholder consultation sessions at major global meetings, such as the WUF, Resilient Cities (Bonn, Germany, May 2010) and the City Biodiversity Summit (Nagoya, Japan, October 2010).
The panel, as well as Mexico City and the City of Cape Town from the audience pledged their support to the LAB Programme, as a unique and effective biodiversity initiative, focused on action and implementation.
- Laura Dickenson (UNESCO), Karin Buhren (UN-Habitat), Oliver Hillel (SCBD), Alfredo Trindade (representing the Mayor of Curitiba), Kobie Brand and Konrad Otto-Zimmermann (ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability)