| Celebrating the International Year of Biodiversity—and photographed in front of the Spectrum of Life at the American Museum of Natural History—are from left to right Paolo Galizzi (Fordham University School of Law), Marjorie Kaplan (Animal Planet Media at Discovery Communications Inc.), Veerle Vandeweerd (UNDP Environment and Energy Group), Ahmed Djoghlaf (Convention on Biological Diversity), Olav Kjørven (UNDP Director of the Bureau for Development Policy), Tran Triet (Phu My Lepironia Wetland Conservation Project), Eleanor Sterling (AMNH’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation), Theodore Roosevelt IV (AMNH Board of Trustees), and Carter Ingram (Wildlife Conservation Society). Photo Credit: AMNH/R. Mickens |
UNDP and partners mark the Launch of the International Year of Biodiversity
Preserving the biological foundation of human well-being was the key theme
The call for nominations was issued for Equator Prize 2010
The North American launch of the International Year of Biodiversity took place in New York on February 10, 2010. The event was convened by the UNDP Equator Initiative and a consortium of partners including Conservation International, Fordham Law, The United Nations Foundation, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the American Museum of Natural History which hosted the event. Despite a snowstorm that closed schools across the city, as well as the New York offices of the United Nations, over 400 people attended the evening event.
The program included:
- Statements by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations (read in his absence by Olav Kjorven, Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy), and Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity,
- A preview screening of the television program LIFE, a Discovery Channel – BBC co-production, introduced by Marjorie Kaplan, President and GM of Animal Planet Media Enterprises
- A roundtable discussion: Preserving the biological foundation of human well-being, featuring Ambassador Morten Wetland, Permanent Representative of the Government of Norway to the United Nations; Tran Triet, Director of the Phu My Lepironia Project of the International Crane Foundation; Eleanor Sterling, Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History; Paolo Galizzi, Director of the Sustainable Development Legal Initiative at Fordham Law School; and Veerle Vandeweerd, Director of the Environment and Energy Group of UNDP; was moderated by Charles McNeill also of UNDP’s Environment and Energy Group.
A briefing for journalists was provided the following day at United Nations Headquarters with Ambassador Wetland, Tran Triet and Veerle Vandeweerd.
For photos from the International Year of Biodiversity Launch, please click here.
Links:
Audio Podcast of Event from American Museum of Natural History (please click here)
Secretary-General's remarks [delivered by Olav Kjorven, Assistant Secretary-General and Director, UNDP Bureau for Development Policy] (please click here)
Article from the U.N. News Centre (please click here)
Article in Peace Earth Justice News (please click here)
Article in MediaGlobal (please click here)
Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is our life.
2010 Events
