Press Releases

Charles Darwin Foundation and UNESCO Sign Sustainable Development Agreement

Quito, September 4, 2009. The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have agreed on a joint scientific, educational, cultural, and communication initiative to support conservation and sustainable development in Galapagos.

The agreement – signed in the presence of 15 UNESCO officials on September 3 by Dr. J. Gabriel Lopez, CDF’s executive director, and Edouard Matoko, head of UNESCO in Ecuador – falls within the context of the Ecuadorian government’s firm policy, enshrined in the Constitution of 2008, to foster conservation and sustainable development in the archipelago. CDF and UNESCO will thus coordinate their projects with Ecuador’s National Development Plans, cooperating in a joint course of action to achieve common goals. Specifically, the accord seeks to develop social capabilities for environmental preservation in the Galapagos Island region.

CDF believes that current conditions afford an excellent opportunity to rethink and redefine the thrust of Galapagos development and conservation, and that conservation efforts can only be successful if the underlying causes of ecosystem degradation are addressed and unsustainable development practices are reversed.

UNESCO supports Member States in individual and institutional capacity-building based on its main lines of action, such as “fostering policies, technical capacity-building, research, networking, education, and international cooperation in the fields of water, ecological and earth sciences for enhancing societal responses.”

Some of the main objectives of this initiative are to:

- Promote natural and social science research to furnish scientifically sound information for local, national, and international decision-making regarding Galapagos conservation.

- Support strengthening and development of education in Galapagos in such a manner that it responds to the requirements of sustainable development in the archipelago through the active participation of the stakeholders involved.

- Build consensus-based initiatives for progress in joint dialogue and partnerships with authorities responsible for Education in Galapagos.

- Join efforts to boost access to information, communication, and understanding of the real situation in Galapagos.

For more information:
Alex Ontaneda alex.ontaneda@fcdarwin.org.ec
www.darwinfoundation.org