site.btaUNESCO Meeting in Paris Highlights Bulgaria’s Role in Global Heritage and Biodiversity Cooperation

Cooperation between the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was discussed during a meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The event formed part of the 47th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, presided over by Bulgaria, and was organized by the Centre with support from the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water.

The forum presented the conclusions of an expert working group that met on Vilm Island, Germany, to explore avenues for closer collaboration between the Convention and the Kunming-Montreal framework, Director of the National Nature Protection Service Miroslav Kalugerov said.

Kalugerov added that the Ministry had helped shape the meeting’s programme, assemble participants and handle logistics, noting that all events linked to this year’s committee session were coordinated with Bulgarian involvement.

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity (IPBES) reports show biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented pace, and timely, adequate action is essential, Kalugerov said. “The Kunming-Montreal framework, adopted in 2022, sets four global goals for biodiversity protection and outlines 23 urgent measures to be taken by 2030,” he added.

“Bulgaria welcomes efforts to strengthen the link between the World Heritage Convention and the Global Biodiversity Framework. This is an opportunity to align priorities, mobilize resources and act together for people, nature and culture. Bulgaria remains committed to safeguarding its natural and cultural heritage, with the National Ecological Network covering more than 35% of the country,” Kalugerov noted.

Among those attending were UNESCO World Heritage Centre Director Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Bulgaria’s Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO Radka Balabanova, UNESCO Chief of Section, Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Nigel Crawhall, and Director of the International Policy Centre at the International Union for Conservation of Nature Sonia Pena Moreno.

Balabanova said the main threats to biodiversity made conservation, sustainable use and equitable benefit-sharing priorities for Bulgaria. She also listed ecosystem restoration, the delivery of ecosystem services and the effective management of the national ecological network, including protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, as key goals.Balabanova noted that the World Heritage Convention is one of the most important international treaties because it seeks to preserve the world’s most outstanding cultural and natural sites for future generations.

The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee runs until July 16 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris under the presidency of Bulgaria. As part of the session, Bulgaria will present elements of its cultural and natural heritage. The July issue of LIK magazine, dedicated to Bulgaria and UNESCO, was also officially presented at UNESCO.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on November 16, 1945. Bulgaria became a member on May 17, 1956, the same year its National Commission for UNESCO was established. The Commission coordinates activities between Bulgarian institutions and UNESCO.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee is one of the two governing bodies responsible for implementing the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It is composed of representatives from 21 countries elected from among the 196 States Parties to the Convention.