ICLEI & UN-HABITAT Sign MoU which includes Biodiversity Clause

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme UN-HABITAT signed a Memorandum of Understanding earlier this month, which included a clause on cooperation around biodiversity.
 
ICLEI Secretary-General, Konrad Otto-Zimmermann and UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Joan Clos, signed the MoU at ICLEI’s Resilient Cities Congress in Bonn at the beginning of June. The MoU strengthens already close ties between the two organisations.
 
The MoU included various areas for cooperation including the field of biodiversity and ecosystem management. ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center has been working closely with UN-HABITAT since our initial LAB Pioneer phase in 2006; this MoU strengthens our good relationship.

The MoU calls for cooperation in the mobilisation of resources and the upscaling of existing ICLEI biodiversity initiatives and cooperation at international events, such as the CBD COP11 and ICLEI’s Urban Nature to be held in 2012.  It also covers the continuation of UN-HABITAT’s seat on ICLEI’s Local Action for Biodiversity Advisory Committee, a position UN-HABITAT has held since the committee was established.
 
Other important areas of cooperation where identified in the MoU, including Climate Change, Sustainable Urban Development and Water and Sanitation.
 
ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center looks forward to continued and strengthened, successful cooperation with our colleagues at UN-HABITAT.