An additional focus for 2005 – the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
The theme is also especially relevant for this year in the context of the launch of the biodiversity synthesis report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. This five-year programme, initiated by the Secretary-General, studied the relationship between ecosystems and human well-being. The reports findings underline the importance of biological diversity in providing concrete services upon which human life depends, including all important security and provisioning functions. In 2005 the celebrations sponsored by the Secretariat for the International Day for Biological Diversity will coincide with the launch of the Biodiversity Synthesis Report.
As part of the activities marking this important occasion, on May 19, 2005 in Montreal, Canada, the Secretariat will hold a press conference followed by a reception and will co-sponsor, with McGill University, a seminar aiming at providing an in-depth discussion of the report and its relationship to science, and policy. The participation of some of the authors of the report is expected.
The Secretariat would like to encourage Parties to hold celebrations to commemorate IBD Day and as part of these activities, to sponsor your own launches of the Millennium Assessment report.
To facilitate the organization of activities, the Secretariat has created this outreach kit, which contains key messages and suggested activities that can help celebrate the day, while also drawing attention to the findings of the synthesis report.
