UNEP-WCMC International Policy

UNEP-WCMC supports the formulation of policy at both national and international levels through a range of activities:

A primary focus is through support for the implementation of international agreements and programmes at both national and international levels, and in particular the global biodiversity-related treaties.

UNEP-WCMC has worked with the UK Government to review international nature conservation information systems that can be used to support policy development and implementation by national agencies.

UNEP-WCMC has also been a prime mover in several international conferences on policy issues, the following being key examples.

In 2002, the world's governments agreed a target of significantly reducing the loss of biological diversity by the year 2010. In May 2003, UNEP-WCMC worked with UNDP and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity to hold a meeting on 2010 - The Global Biodiversity Challenge to seek improved understanding of this target and ways to assess whether it is being met.
Biodiversity conservation and sustainable use is important for achievement of key development objectives such as poverty alleviation and provision of drinking water. In March 2003, UNEP-WCMC worked with UNDP and RSPB to hold a meeting on Biodiversity After Johannesburg: The Critical Role of Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services in Achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.
In May 2003, UNEP-WCMC hosted a conference on Coastal Zones in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoZSSA) in collaboration with ACOPS and IOC-UNESCO. The aim of the conference was to review priority issues influencing sustainability and vulnerability in coastal communities.