UNESCO Director-General Participates in the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, will undertake a mission to Honolulu (USA) from 1st September to 3rd September to participate in the World Conservation Congress organized by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), an advisory body to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

The main purpose of IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii is to bring together leaders from government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, UN agencies and indigenous and grass-roots organizations to discuss and decide on solutions to the world’s most pressing environment, climate and development challenges. The Director-General will focus on the role of education for sustainable development and scientific research to understand and tackle the issue of climate change and strengthen the resilience of societies, notably in face of disasters, tsunamis, floods and drought. She will highlight also the role of indigenous knowledge to better protect and understand natural resources we all depend upon. The Director-General will pay visit to the Hawaii Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which was created 50 years ago under the auspices of UNESCO, and will recall the increasing importance of global cooperation to enhance early warning systems. 

The Director-General will attend the official opening ceremony of the World Conservation Congress, in the presence of HH Tommy Remengesau Jr., President, Republic of Palau, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, H.E. David Yutaka Ige, Governor of Hawaii and Mr ZHANG Xinsheng, the elected President of the IUCN. The Director-General will participate to panel discussions respectively concerning “Planet at the Crossroads” and “Rethinking Conservation” with WWF. During her mission, she will meet with US Secretary of Interior Ms Sally Jewell, and will have bilateral meeting with Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the NOAA Administrator.