1. MAB
Definition
The UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program, in acronym MAB (Man and Biosphere) is a program of international scientific cooperation dealing with the interactions between man and the environment in a whole range of bioclimatic and biogeographical biosphere. It calls upon both the natural and social sciences as well as other fields of competence of UNESCO, in particular those of education, communication and culture, with a view to ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.
Brief history
– 1968: "Intergovernmental Conference of Experts on the Scientific Bases of the Wise Use and Conservation of Biosphere Resources"
– 1970: Approval by the General Conference of UNESCO of preparations for the Man And Biosphere - MAB program.
– 1974: development of the concept of Biosphere Reserves (RB) by a MAB working group
– 1976: launch of the global RB network
Goal
The main objective of MAB is to find the means for a sustainable balance between the sometimes conflicting needs of conserving biological diversity, promoting economic development and safeguarding the cultural values ​​associated with it.
Biosphere Reserves
The MAB Program has established a World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). These are privileged learning sites where we can test innovative approaches to sustainable development, combining scientific knowledge and good governance methods aimed at:
– * reduce the loss of biodiversity
– * improve people’s livelihoods
– * promote the social, economic and cultural conditions essential to the viability of sustainable development.
There is currently a global network of 529 biosphere reserves, found in 105 countries. These sites correspond to most of the range of climatic zones, ecosystems and socio-economic conditions. These reserves aim to provide some answers to the question: "How can the conservation of biodiversity and biological resources be reconciled with their sustainable use?"
The National MAB Committee in Rwanda
Rwanda currently has a National MAB Committee, the decree of which has been approved by the Government and then published in the Official Gazette.
You can read Prime Minister’s Order N ° 143/03 of December 13, 2010, establishing the National Committee for Man and the Biosphere (MAB) from page 8 to 20, from the Official Journal N ° 51 of December 20, 2010, Rwanda will finally be able to take advantage of certain advantages that the MAB Program normally offers to other effective member countries of MAB / UNESCO. Thus, the country will be able to benefit from research funding and scholarships from the Program and participate in the various international summits and regional meetings of MAB, as an effective member authorized to elect or to be elected to certain administrative functions at the world level.
Indeed, UNESCO’s Man And Biosphere MAB Intergovernmental Program, which has existed since 1070, is managed on a global scale by an International Coordinating Committee made up of 34 UNESCO member countries. This program aims to put in place the means necessary to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and to improve locally and globally the relationship of individuals and communities to their environment.
Until now, the MAB Program in RWANDA has operated in a limited way through the Permanent Secretariat of the Rwanda National Commission for UNESCO (RNCU), the Department of Science and Technology, acting as focal point and relay in the dissemination of the various MAB Program information and activities across the country.
From now on, files related to the MAB program, in particular the UNESCO prizes, scholarships, short training, and research offers will be disseminated through the MAB National Committee channel, through universities and educational institutions. higher and research, both public and private. The Committee will also provide the technical support necessary for the constitution of these candidacy files (for prizes or study grants) and the application files received will be analyzed and selected if necessary and then transmitted to UNESCO for consideration.
However, the RNCU will continue to provide support and expertise in the preparation of projects relating to the MAB Program to be submitted to the various levels of UNESCO funding, in particular, the UNESCO Participation Program (PP), to the Secretariat International MAB and the “ONE UN / RWANDA” Program at the local level.
2. IHP
The International Hydrological Program (IHP) is an intergovernmental scientific cooperation program of UNESCO mainly concerning water resources. For the UNESCO Member States, it is an instrument that enables them to improve their knowledge of the water cycle and the development of water resources.
The aim of this program is to determine, make known and improve the scientific and technological bases on which are based methods of rational and sustainable management of water resources and the environmental ecosystems on which they are based.
Today IHP emphasizes the role of water resource management in sustainable development and the adaptation of hydrological sciences to cope with the evolution of climate and environmental change.
Another important objective of the program is to involve developing countries in global research and training initiatives.
The implementation of IHP is mainly ensured through working groups, symposia, workshops, publications, and extrabudgetary projects, the latter being mainly carried out by the UNESCO Regional Offices where regional hydrologists are in charge. post.
At the level of the member states, the National IHP Committees are implementing and liaison bodies between the program and the local institutions involved in the management and sustainable development of the water resource.
In Rwanda, a provisional National PHI Committee was set up at the end of the October 2008 training workshop, on "Vulnerability of aquifers and groundwater in the City of Kigali", which brought together hydrologists and technicians and professionals in the rational management of water resources.
The main role of this Committee is to serve as the focal point and liaison between the program and its local partners, notably the Ministries and public and technical institutions, responsible for policies and implementation strategies related to water.
Main projects and activities:
– Training workshops have been held since 2008 for the development of the Groundwater Vulnerability Map in the City of Kigali;
– Concept note of the 1st meeting of the National PHI Committee under preparation.