Event - Building Leadership for Climate Adaptation of Coral Reefs
On Friday 5 July, the World Heritage Centre and partners presented the scope, aim, and expected deliverables of the Resilient Reefs climate adaptation initiative. The initiative is a 4-year USD$9 million public-private consortium that will build climate resilience leadership in an initial five UNESCO World Heritage Listed coral reefs, including Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (Palau), Lagoons of New Caledonia (France), Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (Belize), Ningaloo Coast and the Great Barrier Reef (Australia).
The event was opened by the Director of the World Heritage Centre, and followed by interventions from the Government of Australia and France. Ms Jennifer Olegeriil from the Koror State Government in Palau, and responsible for the management of the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon World Heritage site, made a passionate keynote address on the need for innovative initiatives like Resilient Reefs. IUCN also provided an update on the projected impacts of climate change on natural World Heritage sites.
The event took place on Friday 5 July from 6:00pm to 8:00pm in Room A6 at the Baku Congress Center as part of the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan (30 June to 10 July 2019).
