UNESCO Designated Sites: A Climate Change Observatory

The sessions held at the UNESCO Pavilion throughout this thematic day will explore how UNESCO designated sites can support the implementation of climate change related solutions at national and local levels. From the other side, experts will share their vision on how to upscale good practices of climate change adaptation through networks of UNESCO designated sites.

The iconic UNESCO-designated World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks may be powerful platforms to apply and test climate monitoring, mitigation and adaptation, and to raise awareness on climate change impacts on human societies, cultural diversity, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the world’s natural and cultural heritage.

Spread across different regions, climates and ecosystems around the world, climate change is already being felt in many UNESCO-designated sites. Their local communities are working on innovative ways to address climate change. As climate change observatories, many UNESCO-designated sites contribute to mitigation solutions including by promoting green economies and the sustainable use of renewable energy sources.

Join this event to learn about variety of solutions from round the world at UNESCO designated sites.

Programme:
09h30-09h45: UNESCO Designated Sites as Climate Change Observatories - introduction

09h45-10h30: Cultural Sites, Resources and Climate Change
Science Climate Change
- Response Program's Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy (CRCC Strategy)
- Preservation of natural and man-made heritage sites in an era of climate change

10h30-11h30: Biosphere Reserves and Climate Change in Morocco
- Biosphere Reserves and Climate Change in Morocco and Mauritania: Sustainable Development Perspectives

13h15 - 14h30: Ethics and climate change
- UNESCO Declaration of Ethical Principles in Relation to Climate Change

15h00-16h00: Biosphere Reserves Addressing Climate Change and Sustainability
- German Biosphere Reserves Addressing Climate Change, Water and Sustainability
(programme: https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/15-11_br_germany_water_climate... )

16h30-17h45: Renewable Energy and Efficient Solutions for Addressing Climate and Development - the role of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves
(programme: https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/15-11_renewable_energy_cop23.pdf)

18h00-19h00: SIDS, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction
(Programme: https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/15-11_flyer_unesco_drr_cca_sid...)
- Overview of natural hazards at UNESCO designated sites
- Sandwatch: A combined citizen science approach to climate change adaptation and education for sustainable development
- Strengthening communities and ecosystems resilience to climate change: pacific insights from the RESCCUE and INTEGRE project
- Eco-DRR: the cases of Wetlands International
- Conclusions: strengthen the potential of natural heritage sites to ensure their conservation in the face of natural hazards