Eswatini hosts UNESCO MAB Regional Workshop

The Kingdom of Eswatini is hosting a Man and Biosphere Regional Workshop to promote the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Southern Africa.

The workshop, attended by over 30 participants from Southern African countries including Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique, is taking place at the Summerfields Botanical Gardens in Matsapha on 23-25 August 2022.

Eswatini has designated one biosphere reserve in the Lubombo Region and plans for have a total of three by 2030.

The German Commission for UNESCO and Eswatini National Commission for UNESCO are hosting a regional workshop together with the Ministry of Education and Training.

The German Government has been supporting the implementation of the MAB Programme in Southern Africa for many years, through the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the German Commission for UNESCO.

The main aim of the workshop is to strengthen the collaboration within the MAB network in Southern Africa by exchanging best practices, identifying possible synergies and on-going knowledge sharing.

In his welcoming remarks, UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. George Wachira reminded the workshop participants of the words of the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, who has warned that  “a healthy planet is critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”. He noted that the UN Secretary-General  has repeatedly urged Member States to work harder to reverse biodiversity loss, to improve human health, realize sustainable development and address the climate emergency.

“Given the alarm bells that have been sounded all around us, we do well to remember the wisdom that, ‘we did not inherit Earth from our ancestors; we have borrowed it from our children’. We must spur ourselves to urgent action!,” he stated.

The Minister of Education and Training, Hon. Lady Howard-Mabuza, who was represented by the Under Secretary, Mr. Lungelo Nhlengetfwa, stated that Eswatini was humbled to host such high-level regional workshop. The Minister also thanked the German Commission for UNESCO for supporting the implementation of the UNESCO MAB programme since 2018,  through funding from the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.

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