United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
IBD celebrations took place at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew Gardens (Wakehurst Place). The UK Government’s Minister for Biodiversity, Barry Gardiner, led an official ceremony to mark the banking of the Millennium Seed Bank Project's billionth seed.
David Cooper (CBD Programme Officer) delivered a speech on behalf of Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the CBD. There were presentations by Minister Gardiner, Lord Selbourne (Chair of the Kew Trustees), Steve Hopper (Kew Director), and Paul Smith (head of the Millennium Seed Bank). A recorded message from Gordon Brown (UK Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister-in-waiting), was also presented. The theme “Biodiversity and Climate Change” was discussed throughout all the presentations. Other key themes were “one-planet living” and equity, as well as conservation and sustainable use.
Minister Gardiner made two important announcements on International Day for Biological Diversity. First, he announced that, on May 22, guidelines were launched concerning the duty of public authorities to have regard for biodiversity in all the work they accomplish. This duty has already been enshrined in legislation, but these guidelines aim to help local authorities and other public bodies to implement it. Secondly, the Minister announced a $20,000,000 donation the Global Crop Diversity Trust, a foundation for food security, as part of the Department for International Development’s aim to fight global poverty and hunger in the world’s poorest countries.
More...
For more information, please follow these links:
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issued two press releases related to the activities of the 22 May 2007. These can be found at:
