Cutting-edge thinkers, leaders, practitioners join virtual space to showcase nature-based solutions

September 2, 2020

New York – To coincide with the 75th UN General Assembly, and leading up to the UN Biodiversity Summit, UNDP, UNEP(link is external), CBD(link is external) and partners are creating a four-day Nature for Life Hub(link is external) — a virtual space where global and local leaders will share stories on the importance of nature for sustainable development.

The Nature for Life Hub will invite a virtual audience to participate in thought-provoking exchanges, and will engage a wide variety of sectors, including governments, businesses, financial institutions, youth and local communities. Each day will culminate in key messages to be issued by the coalition of partners to be fed into the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework(link is external) negotiation process, CBD COP 15(link is external) and Climate COP 26(link is external) negotiation processes.

“Healthy ecosystems underpin the Sustainable Development Goals; they support economic growth, sustain billions of livelihoods, provide the basis of food and water security, and stabilize our climate. Recent reports by IPBES(link is external), IPCC(link is external) and WEF(link is external) illustrate the grave consequences of biodiversity loss to our economy and to our very survival, and COVID-19 punctuates these findings by showing us of the perilous cost of nature’s loss to people’s health, wellbeing and the economy. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we focus on nature,” said Haoliang Xu, UN ASG and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.

The Nature for Life Hub will run a total of eighteen sessions (between 60 and 90 minutes each) on September 24-25 and 28-29, 2020. All events will showcase nature-based solutions in policy, in practice, in communities – but most of all, in action.

These events will provide new content that will be broadcast live on social media and through the official virtual platform(link is external), as well as be available online after the Hub. In addition to the live stream, there will be a virtual press room with a live messaging feed and interview opportunities.

To sign up for sessions, visit: natureforlifehub.org(link is external).  Follow @UNDPLive on twitter during sessions #NatureforLife #StandforNature 

·         Day 1 SDG DAY: Celebrating the value of nature in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

·         Day 2 BUSINESS AND FINANCE DAY:  Greening our wallets in development, finance and business

·         Day 3 GLOBAL AMBITION DAY: A planetary response to our planetary emergency

·         Day 4 LOCAL ACTION DAY: Celebrating the power of local action, and the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in our planetary response

The organizing partners for the overall Nature for Life Hub include but are not limited to UNDP, UNEP(link is external) and UNEP-WCMC(link is external), African Development Bank Group,  (link is external)CBD Secretariat(link is external), Birdlife(link is external), Business for Nature(link is external), Campaign for Nature(link is external), Climate Advisers(link is external)Climate Week NYC(link is external) , Conservation International(link is external)Club of Rome(link is external)CLUA(link is external), EcoHealth Alliance(link is external), Environmental Defense Fund(link is external), FAO(link is external), Finance for Nature Series(link is external), Ford Foundation, GEFI, (link is external)ICLEI(link is external), ICRI Forum(link is external), If Not Us Than Who, (link is external)Next Green(link is external), The Nature Conservancy(link is external), National Geographic Society, (link is external)the Nature for Climate Coalition(link is external), OP2B(link is external)The Global Ethical Finance Initiative(link is external), United Nations Foundation(link is external) (link is external)UNESCO(link is external), UN Global Compact(link is external)UN-REDD(link is external), Wildlife Conservation Society(link is external), World Business Council for Sustainable Development(link is external), World Economic Forum(link is external), World Wildlife Fund(link is external) and Youth4Nature(link is external), among others.

For media inquiries: Sangita Khadka | UNDP New York | email: sangita.khadka@undp.org | Tel: +1 212 906 5043