Convention on Biological Diversity
At the opening of the Cities Meeting of the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-10), the executive secretary of the Convention, Ahmed Djoghlaf, praised Curitiba and cited its pioneering programs relating to the environment. The event was held in Nagoya, Japan in parallel with the 5th Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol (MOP-5). The meeting was sponsored by the UN, and those attending included the mayor of Curitiba; the mayor of Nagoya, Takashi Kawamura; and the governor of Aichi prefecture of Japan, Masaaki Kanda.
Mayor Luciano Ducci advocated the development of environmental management projects that focus on social inclusion. “They’re inseparable sides of the same coin and are complementary to sustainability processes of cities,” said Ducci. He stressed that in Curitiba to build a sustainable society is part of local culture. “Curitiba ha,s for many years, an environmental agenda that goes beyond programs specifically relating to the environment, such as solid waste management and conservation of natural areas. Public transport, urban planning and social issues are concepts integrated with environmental management,” said Ducci, upon occupying the center of the table of the COP Plenary, which brought together mayors and governors from various parts of the world.
Curitiba’s mayor also reaffirmed the international commitments made by Curitiba in the role of cities on the global scene. “We will continue to be engaged in the restoration and conservation of local biodiversity. And we enthusiastically confirm our willingness to collaborate within our powers, with the 2011 – 2020 Strategic Plan to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Curitiba is proof that a city can be transformed as it grows and improve further still through public policies that are sustainable.”
{Pictured: Mayor Luciano Ducci at the convention in Japan}
