On the occasion of the World Environment Day, the United Nations Resident Coordinator officially handed the Certificate nominating Mwali a Biosphere Reserve to the President of Comoros, Mr Azali Assoumani.
It is the first biosphere reserve designated by UNESCO in the Comoros. Since 2001 and the creation of the Marine Park of Mwali, UNESCO and the United Nations Programme for Development (UNPD) have been working towards this, at the request of the Comorian authorities.
Nominated during the 32nd session of the International Coordinating Council of the MAB Programme, in October 2020, the Mwali Biosphere Reserve was recognised for its exceptional biodiversity, marine and terrestrial, as well as for the efforts of the Comorian people and government in their endeavours to strengthen, conserve, and restore this biodiversity, while ensuring sustainable development of the communities.
During the ceremony, the President of Comoros reiterated the objectives of the country for the preservation of biodiversity. He declared notably wishing to “make environmental protection the emblem of [the] country's sustainable development” and to “be an important global link in the protection of the environment, the fight against global warming and climate change”.