A Green Economy for Sustainable Development: Literacy, Land and Women’s Rights (1-3)

UNESCO produced a report on how the world can achieve a green economy on the basis of sustainable development which was present to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 which was convened on 20-22 June 2012 in Brazil. We review on this page this report due to its importance of development especially in developing countries during the coming decades. 

The unsustainable use of our natural resources, combined with the needs of a growing global population, is seriously jeopardizing the health of our ecosystems, resulting in the loss of biodiversity. Today, approximately 17,000 species are in danger of extinction. As biodiversity declines, so too does the resilience of our ecosystems, which have been dramatically transformed as a result of human action.
Biodiversity is crucial to human life and to the reduction of poverty, in view of the basic goods and ecosystem services it provides. More than 1.3 billion people depend on biodiversity and on basic ecosystems goods and services for their livelihoods.
Biodiversity and human well-being are inextricably linked. While the link between biodiversity and human well-being is better understood, the complexity and diversity of the range.
Global and national efforts to conserve biodiversity are still not sufficient, no doubt due to the lack of effective multi-sectoral policy responses, political commitment at all levels and awareness-raising, among others.
We must rise to the complexity of the challenge. To do so, we must target the underlying causes of the loss of biodiversity. These lie in unsustainable practices, insufficient education and information, and development choices that do not take cultural values into account. Poverty is an overarching driver of loss. Equity in biodiversity access and use is a rising moral imperative. Policy responses based on the best scientific knowledge must take into account all facets and Biodiversity and human well-being are inextricably linked.
The UNESCO Biodiversity Initiative will address, in a holistic and integrated manner, all aspects related to the conservation and sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity from the perspective of UNESCO’s mandate and its relevant programmes and activities. UNESCO will work to strengthen biodiversity conservation through generating knowledge and raising awareness on biodiversity and ecosystem values; enhancing the capacity of decision-makers to adequately account for and manage biodiversity and ecosystem values; supporting governments in developing sustainable enterprises through more sustainable policy planning and implementation; and raising awareness about the climate regulating functions of ecosystems.
Treasuring Biological and Cultural
Diversity
Anthropological research, management experience and local voices teach us that many indigenous and local communities shape and manage biodiversity through their actions and social organization. Land tenure and stewardship systems, combined with knowledge and know how, have a very important role in conserving natural ecosystems.
It is also recognized that linguistic diversity roughly parallels biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity hollows out the foundations of local cultures thus altering their subsequent development and their sense of belonging to a specific place.
The UNESCO-CBD Joint Programme of Work on Biological and Cultural Diversity. In June 2010, a conference co-organized by UNESCO and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity pressed for biological and cultural diversity to be genuinely integrated into development cooperation strategies and programmes.
The Conference resulted in the 2010 Declaration on Bio-Cultural Diversity and the draft Joint Programme between UNESCO and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity containing a number of proposed actions. COP 10 recognized the Joint Programme as a ‘useful co-ordination mechanism to advance the implementation of the Convention and deepen global awareness of the inter-linkages between cultural and biological diversity’.
Corn Biodiversity
Sustainable development must take both biological and cultural diversity into account. sectors of society. The economic, cultural, intrinsic and ethical values of biodiversity must be recognized.
Women embody specific biodiversity knowledge, and there are many examples of the sustainable manner in which women use biodiversity. Nevertheless, their role in biodiversity management and related decision-making processes has not been properly recognized and capitalized upon.
UNESCO promotes the incorporation of gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
DID YOU KNOW?
Women embody specific biodiversity knowledge. Nevertheless, their role in biodiversity management and in related decision-making processes has not been properly recognized and capitalized upon.