ICLEI and CBD sign MoU

Forging new partnerships for local action: ICLEI & the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity sign an MoU

The Cities for Life Summit, which launched on 15 October, 2012, was marked by a momentous occasion: the signing of an MoU between ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity; recognising the significant global benefits of strengthening collaboration towards integrated and coordinated activities in support of biodiversity and ecosystem management at the local level.
 
A packed room witnessed ICLEI’s Global Biodiversity Coordinator, Kobie Brand, and Executive Secretary of the CBD, Braulio Ferreira de Souza, sign the MoU, reinforcing already close connections between the two organisations.
 
The MoU includes various areas for cooperation surrounding mobilizing local governments through various programmes, embracing ICLEI’s BiodiverCities Program, Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) as well as the Urban Biosphere (URBIS) Initiative and the Cities in Biodiversity Hotspots Program. Additionally, ICLEI will play a supporting and co-convening role in the Global Partnership on Local and Sub-national Action for Biodiversity and agrees to take up a seat on the Steering Committee.

The MoU calls for cooperation between ICLEI and the CBD to foster horizontal and vertical cooperation between local governments and their respective national governments, specifically on biodiversity and ecosystem management, encouraging and supporting the preparation and implementation of Local Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (LBSAPs) in support of and alignment with their national counterparts.

Other important areas of cooperation identified in the MoU, included collaborating to mobilize resources for the development, promotion and dissemination of various tools, studies, publications and resources which stimulate and enhance biodiversity conservation at the local level, including, amongst others, the Singapore Cities Biodiversity Index and building on the foundations of the 1st Cities and Biodiversity Outlook, which was also launched during a bustling press conference at the opening of the Cities for Life Summit.

This was a very proud moment for ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center and we greatly look forward to continued and increased, successful cooperation with our colleagues at the CBD.