United Nations Celebrations of the International Year of Biodiversity

Please note that this page is under construction and not all activities are listed, it will be updated as soon as possible

United Nations Organisation

Message from the UN Secretary-General visit the resources page for more options

• UN Secretary-General's Message for Earth Hour, 27 March 2010.
• UNON Gigiri (United Nations Office, Nairobi) celebrated the International Day for Biodiversity on 22 May 2010.
• UN-interpreters celebrated the International Day for Biodiversity 2010 by issuing a special edition of Cuisine and Culture.
• UN Secretary-General's Message for the Closing of the International Year of Biodiversity on 18-19 December 2010 in Kanazawa, Japan (in Japanese).

International Forest Film Festival

To celebrate Forests 2011, the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFFS) is working in collaboration with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival to organise the International Forest Film Festival (IFFF).

IFFF winning films will be presented to delegates of all 192 countries at the launch of the International Year of Forests 2011 at United Nations Headquarters, New York in February, 2011. The launch of the International Year will take place as part of the official programme of the ninth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF). Subsequently, the winning films will also be screened around the world. Click here to have more information.

CMS - Convention on Migratory Species

• Being an official partner of the International Year of Biodiversity, the Convention on Migratory Species joins the Convention on Biological Diversity to help raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity on a global scale.
• Poster: Odontocetes, the Toothed Whales

FAO - Food and Agriculture Organisation

• FAO main meetings and workshops planned in 2010
• Agricultural biodiversity in FAO
• Implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources
• Report on Selected Activities held during the International Year of Biodiversity
• Adding value to livestock diversity – Marketing to promote local breeds and improve livelihoods.

UNCCD - United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

• UNCCD celebrated the International Day for Biodiversity on 22 May 2010.
• United Nations Calendar 2010, Sustaining Life, Sustaining Our Future

UNCTAD - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

• UNCTAD joins the celebration of International Year of Biodiversity

UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

• UNDP has an extensive list of activities in many countries.
• UNDP and the International Year of Biodiversity 2010
• North American launch of the International Year of Biodiversity in New York, 10 February 2010
• Why UNDP is involved in Biodiversity Management.

UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme

Message from the Executive Director of UNEP visit the resources page for more options

• Angela Cropper, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP on the International Year of Biodiversity (video).
• UNEP-ROWA celebrated the International Day for Biodiversity on 22 May 2010.
• Tunza, Volume 7, No 3, Dec 2009: International Year of Biodiversity (languages: en - es - fr)
• Puma and UNEP Announce Strategic Partnership to Support the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, February 2010.
• UN teams up with Puma for the International Year of Biodiversity ahead of African World Cups, 6 Jan 2010.
• Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, PUMA announces partnership with UNEP (video).
• International Year of Biodiversity - Regional Office for Africa
• International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment organized by Bayer and UNEP, 17 Aug 2010.

14-year-old Tin Chi Ting Coco from Hong Kong named winner of the 19th International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment.

UNEP-WCMC - UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is a collaboration between the United Nations Environment Programme, the world's foremost intergovernmental environmental organization, and WCMC 2000, a UK-based charity. The Centre has a mandate from the UNEP Governing Council to provide a range of biodiversity-related services to UNEP, the biodiversity-related conventions and their constituent party-states and other bodies in the non-governmental and private sectors (Decision GC 22/1/III).

UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

• UNESCO celebrates the International Year of Biodiversity
• Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is our life. A travelling exhibition.
• Poster: UNESCO Associated Schools Competition
• UNESCO Associated School Network UN School Brochure

Winners of Biodiversity Competition Announced The winners of the International Year of Biodiversity Competition were announced this week. Alice Grey from Port Ellen Primary School on the Isle of Islay in Scotland took the top prize for primary school entries, while Shannon Church, Imogen Hale and Katie Lipscombe from St Johns School in Marlborough won the secondary school category. The competition, organised by UNESCO Associated Schools in the UK to celebrate the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, attracted 114 entries from across the UK.

UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

• United Nations Calendar 2010, Sustaining Life, Sustaining Our Future

UNFF - United Nations Forum on Forests

• Marking World Environment Day, UN sounds alarm on biodiversity
• World Environment Day’s focus on biodiversity critical in spurring public conservation actions, says Director of UN Forests Forum
• United Nations entities join forces to address mounting pressures on forests, drylands amid efforts to ensure more effective implementation of sustainable land management

UNU - United Nations University We run a web-magazine, Our World 2.0, from the United Nations University, Tokyo. This year for the International Year of Biodiversity we have a special focus on Biodiversity, including articles from, and interviews with respected international figures, educational video-briefs and photo slide shows. All our biodiversity content to date is kept here. We also publish all our content in Japanese, appropriate given that Nagoya will be hosting COP10. Feel free to include our link on your website or suggest new topics to report on. We also welcome any other suggestions for collaboration. Web-magazine: Our World 2.0 - Article Writing Style Guide

UNWTO - United Nations World Tourism Organization

• Climate Change and Tourism

WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization

• International Year of Biodiversity: Biodiversity on the WIPO Campus