When: 25th – 28th February, 2008
Where: Radison SAS Hotel, Galway City
More information
Next month, a group of the world’s leading public health experts, climate
change scientists and wildlife conservationists will meet at the Radisson
SAS Hotel in Galway City, to discuss how human impacts on the natural
environment are threatening the health and well-being of human communities
and the global economy.
The Second International Conference on Health and Biodiversity (COHAB 2) is
being convened by a group of United Nations agencies, including the U.N.
Environment Programme, the U.N. Development Programme, the U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organisation, the Secretariat to the U.N. Convention on
Biological Diversity, and the World Health Organisation, working as part of
the global initiative for Co-operation on Health and Biodiversity (the COHAB
Initiative). Running from 25th to 28th February, the conference will be a
significant event for Galway City, with 200 delegates from over seventy
countries expected to participate.
The conference will be opened by Minister for the Environment Mr John
Gormley, with presentations from the U.K. Minister for Biodiversity Ms. Joan
Ruddock, and Northern Ireland Environment Minister Ms. Arlene Foster.
Amongst the delegates will be members of indigenous Inuit and Gwich’in
tribes from the Arctic, and the Maasai from Kenya, who will discuss how
climate change and its impacts on biodiversity threatens their health,
cultures and livelihoods. Also on the agenda is the issue of how ecosystems
are of importance to disaster risk reduction, emergency relief and recovery
efforts. Presentations will include case studies on the impacts of the
crisis in Darfur, Hurricane Katrina, conflict in Liberia, and the recent
cyclones in Bangladesh.
Experts from the United States Environmental Protection Agency will discuss
the impacts of biodiversity loss on the emergence and spread of disease
threats such as West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease. Representatives of the
World Health Organisation and the U.N. Development Programme will explore
how biodiversity loss and climate change may be influencing the global
spread of avian influenza and the emergence of new diseases such as Ebola.
The plenary session of the conference will also include a discussion forum
on “Ecosystems, Economies and Community in 21st Century Europe”, where
representatives of several Directorates General of the European Commission,
including the Directorate for Health and Consumer Protection and the
Directorate for Enterprise and Industry, will discuss how the future
sustainability of Europe’s economy and the health of its population will be
affected by biodiversity loss and climate change.
“This is the only forum of its type in the word”, says conference organiser
Ms. Fidelma Murray. “It is unique in bringing so many people from so many
different countries, sectors, and perspectives together to address these
problems, including decision makers, scientists, medical experts, students,
relief workers and indigenous community leaders. The conference will be
about sharing experiences, and devising practical, realistic and workable
solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing the global community
in the 21st century.”
In addition to the main COHAB conference, a number of related events will
take place in Galway during the week of the conference, including public
seminars and student workshops. This will include a “Business and
Ecosystems” workshop, where heads of industry and environmental experts will
explore opportunities to improve financial performance while protecting the
natural environment at the same time. “Ireland’s economic growth over the
past 15 years has been helped by an inventiveness and entrepreneurial spirit
which has made us a role model for developing countries and economies in
transition”, says Conor Kretsch, director of the COHAB Initiative in
Ireland. “But our development has not been sustainable, with many hidden
costs arising from environmental degradation and loss of our natural
capital. Its time to harness that inventiveness and bring it in a new, more
challenging and more profitable direction. Beyond the limits of motivation,
there is no reason why Ireland cannot become a world leader in sustainable
economic development and green innovation. We hope that these meetings in
Galway will help to encourage some new thinking.”
The conference is supported by the Irish Government with additional support
from Canada, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Information on the conference can be found on the website of the COHAB
Initiative at www.cohabnet.org
