MCD Deputy Director, Ms. Ho Thi Yen Thu, represented MCD to participate in the 6^th IUCN World Conservation Congress organized at the Hawaii Convention Center of Honolulu – the Capital city of Hawaii, USA. The Congress took place during September 1-10, 2016, with participation of more than ten thousand delegates from about 190 countries over the world.

    The theme of this IUCN World Conservation Congress was “Planet at the Crossroads” to reflect the serious choices and actions the world needs to make to reverse environmental declines of land, water and species and secure a healthy, livable planet. The Congress was a great cluster of about more than a thousand of forums and events with a wide spectrum of contents.

Photo: IUCN WCC Opening Ceremony on 1/9/2016 (source: Civil Beat, Honolulu)

    At the Congress, the delegation from Vietnam was engaged in various activities. A highlight among which was the signing ceremony of a Letter of Intent between the Biodiversity Conservation Agency (BCA) of Vietnam Environment Administration (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) and the Geological Survey (USGS) of the United States Department of the Interior. The Letter of Intent is for cooperation in preparing amendments to the Vietnam Biodiversity Law.

Photo: Vietnamese delegates at the Letter of Intent signing ceremony

    The MCD representative, Ms. Thu, participated in a number of working sessions relevant to MCD work and her expertise, including sessions about marine spatial planning, blue solutions, integrated coastal management, and climate change adaptation based on coastal and marine ecosystems. Experiences and lessons from MCD projects and activities in Ha Long Bay, Red river delta, and the Central coast were shared in those working sessions.

    Also at the Congress atmosphere, Ms. Thu had a meeting with Ms. Lauren Wenzel, Director of Marine Protected Area (MPA) Center of US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It was a fruitful discussion and it was agreed that, among others, cooperative opportunities on promoting the model of locally managed marine areas (LMMA) should be explored.

Photo: Ms Ho Thi Yen Thu and Ms Lauren Wenzel at the Exhibition Areas

    Through 8 plenary sittings, the Congress discussed and approved the Programme 2017-2020 for IUCN and its Commissions, voted on Motions, and elected key positions of IUCN including the Councilors and President for the office term of 2017-2020.

    With the Hawaii Commitments, the Congress confirmed that our problems are complex, values are contested, and the future uncertain. Strong partnerships are needed to implement conservation at the scales required. We need to broaden and deepen the global dialogue about how we relate to nature, motivate collective action, and ensure that nature-based solutions are fair, just and enduring.

Visit http://iucnworldconservationcongress.org for official information about of the Congress.