Events

On 20^th of March, a meeting with students and readers of Russian State Library was held with support of Informational UN Centre. The meeting was devoted to International Water Day.

Alexander Shekhovtsov, National Technical Director of UNDP/GEF Project, opened a discussion of experts. He told, that, UNDP/GEF project started in 2011 to study these areas. Rivers and streams that flow into lake Baikal, located in Irkutsk region, Buryatia, and they are quite dirty. Another problem - the Selenga River, the largest tributary of Lake Baikal, which originates in Mongolia. It is planned to build several power plants that may affect the lake. Currently The Project is working together with scientists from Russia, Mongolia and UN staff to monitor the status of Lake Baikal.

The film “Baikal without boundaries” was demonstrated to the readers and guests.

Source (text and photo):  http://www.rsl.ru/ru/s7/s409/2014/voda

The Documentary "Baikal without boundaries" was presented to the project stakeholders in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

To provide a successful implementation of intercalibration procedures in the framework of RFQ_EMO_2013-038 «Intercalibration of analytical procedures for analytes, included into harmonized program of hydrochemical monitoring for Selenga river basin (Mongolia)» and in accordance with a decision of the Project Steering Committee, new ion chromatograph was procured and installed in Central Laboratory of Environment and Metrology (CLEM), Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This new modern equipment allows to determine low concentration of some anions (and optionally, cations) in water samples, so now CLEM has enhanced its analytical capabilities in order to make a cooperative actions together with Mongolian and Russian analytical institutions.

UNEP/IW:LEARN ICT Workshop on Spatial Data Management was attended by Project Manager, Sergey Kudelya to improve interaction between IWLEARN Geonode system and Baikal Informational Center Webportal.

Co-organized by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, the workshop aimed to help projects and their partners communicate spatial data using maps by providing an in-depth understanding and transferring and enhancing the skills needed for spatial data management using best practices and standards. The workshop evolved mainly on the use of GeoNode platform, which is an open source, online collaborative platform that enables the managing, sharing and increased use of geospatial data, and which can aid decision-making processes for the management of marine and freshwater ecosystems and resources.

http://geonode.org/

Baikal Informational Center (BIC) Workshop was held in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia. Representatives of "Orkhon Golyn Sav Gazryn" organization and Baikal Institute of Nature Management (BINM), which both were contracted as the executors of BIC maintenance service met each other in BINM Laboratory of Geoinformational systems. They agreed the structure of BIC and discussed many work issues to continue cooperation.

10 events and services were supported by the project during the year of tourism. There are participation in EUROPARK conference, “Baikal without boundaries” documentary preparation, development of touristic plans compatible with biodiversity were developed.

Congress is the biggest event of the Year of Environmental Protection, which is being held in Russia. Among the participants - representatives of government, business, scientific and educational organizations, experts and social activists.

Economic Forum of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) "Comprehensive and sustainable development through regional cooperation" and the Eighth session Governing Council was held on 19-22 November 2013 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It was attended by representatives of the governments of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, as well as a number of intergovernmental organizations and financial institutions active in Central Asia.

On 28 October, 2013 the Russian delegation headed by the Chairman of the Commission, Deputy Head of the Rosprirodnadzor, Amirhan Amirhanov, Mongolian - Chairman of the Committee, the Vice Minister of the Environment and Green Development of Mongolia Tulga Buyaa.

The 7th GEF Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC7), as with prior IW Conferences, will be a signature learning event for the GEF IW focal area. The GEF IW Conference objectives are to facilitate cross-sectoral and portfolio-wide learning and experience sharing. It strives to solicit advice from the existing GEF IW portfolio on burning issues, and to assist in building participant capacity in key management and technical areas. Participants sum up progress achieved and also look to the future of programming within and beyond the GEF IW focal area. The IWC7 theme is “Economic Valuation as a Tool to Bridge the Science-Policy Gap”. The IWC7’s objective is to facilitate experience sharing across the GEF International Waters portfolio, with a special emphasis on reviewing the economic valuation of international waters and the links between economic valuation and science, as well as mechanisms for linking both to policymaking.

EUROPARC Annual Conference 2013 will be hosted by the Hortobágy National Park and will take place in Debrecen, Hungary and the Hortobágy National Park from October 9 - 13, 2013.

At the 2013 Annual conference, participants from across Europe will not only celebrate the “40 years Working for Nature” but also look into the future of protected areas management in a more and more uniting Europe. Programmes such as the cross-border PA management of TransParkNet, the environmental youth education via the Junior Ranger programme and camps, the Volunteer Management in Protected Areas as much as the growing network of the parks working under the Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas, are outstanding achievements building the very base for EUROPARC members´ activities.

At the 2013 conference, a special focus will be given on integrated management of protected areas and experts from this field will share their experiences in workshops, on field trips and in presentations.

Check EUROPARC´s Facebook and Twitter @EUROPARC as well as this website for regular updates!

The Baikal Project participates in the GEF IW:Learn Web Award competition.

All voting forms will go live at exactly 03 October 2013, 19-00 PM Indochina Time (Thailand) tomorrow and will automatically close for everyone on 21 October 2013.

Please, vote for the Lake Baikal Project http://iwlearn.net/wow2013-baikal

"Baikal Dialogue" Forum will be held in Buryatia, 22 August, 2013. This forum is dedicated to the problems of Baikal natural territory. The forum is organized by State Duma Committee on Natural Resources, Environment and Ecology; parliamentary group "Baikal"; the Government and National Khural of the republic of Buryatia; the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal.The forum purpose is to create a permanent inter-regional discussion platform on a regular basis for the development and preparation of proposals for the preservation of Lake Baikal and sustainable development of the Baikal region.

UNDP-GEF “Integrated Natural Resource Management in the Baikal Basin Transboundary Ecosystem” Project Manager Sergey Kudelya will present the current status and options for enhancing the legal and institutional frameworks of cooperation in the protection and sustainable management of transboundary waters between the Russian Federation and Mongolia.

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The General Assembly welcomed the offer of the Government of Tajikistan to host in August 2013 in Dushanbe the high-level international conference on water cooperation in its resolution A/RES/67/204 on the "Implementation of the International Year of Water Cooperation, 2013". The Dushanbe conference constitutes one of the milestones of the International Year of Water Cooperation.

The conference will build on and pursue the deliberations of the High-level Dialogue in New York and the High Level Forum in The Hague on World Water Day, 22 March 2013, as well as other international and regional events on water cooperation.
It will contribute to achieving the objectives of the International Year of Water Cooperation, in particular:

• mobilize stronger political commitment and actions towards the implementation of international agreements;
• undertake more far-reaching public awareness campaigns, as well as education regarding effective water cooperation and dialogue;
• promote the exchange of experiences in successful policies and best practices at the local, national, regional and international levels;
• strengthen partnerships and cooperation between the public and private sectors, as well as among communities, local authorities and governments;
• enhance international and regional cooperation.

A special exhibition will also highlight water issues and challenges faced by all nations and their populations.

A special exhibition will also highlight water issues and challenges faced by all nations and their populations around the world.

In December 2010, following the proposal initiated by the Republic of Tajikistan and submitted by a group of countries, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation (Resolution A/RES/65/154) to facilitate the coordination and collaboration in addressing emerging freshwater issues, and unite efforts undertaken by governments, international and regional organizations, business communities, scientists and other representatives of the civil society.

UNDP-GEF “Integrated Natural Resource Management in the Baikal Basin Transboundary Ecosystem” Mongolian Project Technical Director Tumurchudur SODNOM will present the implementation of the project.

The international scientific conference "Environment and Sustainable Development in Mongolian Plateau and Surrounding Regions" will be held in Ulan-Ude.

The conference purpose is to promote the multilateral academic and educational exchange and cooperation for the problem of Environment and Sustainable Development in Mongolian Plateau and Surrounding Regions.

Themes:

• Environment Changes and Physical Geography
• Natural Resources Management
• Land Use and Land Cover Change
• Socio-economic Geography, Tourism
• Urbanization and Regional Development in the Mongolian Plateau
• Nomadic culture and Management

Venue:

6, Sakhyanova str., city of Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia, Russia, BINM SB RAS.

Conference working languages: Russian, English.

The seminar “Environmental problems of Lake Baikal Basin and role of green economy in their solving” was held from July 30 – August 02, 2013.

Basin-specific National Capacity Self -Assessments were carried out and used to identify highest priority training and management support at the regional and basin level. Training services were delivered to key stakeholders on the topics of: environmental impact assessment (EIA) development, industrial and mining site inspection, intercalibration of water quality / aquatic system laboratories and training in bioassay techniques, and utilization of geographic information systems (GIS) for mapping threats to ground and surface water resources, enforcement of water quality and biodiversity regulations.

This training program was focused on supporting the implementation of the Baikal / Selenga SAP. Training targeted the range of key actors, including:

• Staff positions in the organizations most immediately responsible for watershed and basin-wide management of the Baikal Basin’s aquatic ecosystems in both Russia and Mongolia.
• Academic experts in hydrology, aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, mining, fisheries, and tourism.
• Leading civil society organizations with recognized partnership roles in sustainable management.
• Leading consultancies/organizations who actually elaborate EIA reports on the Russian side of the Baikal Basin.

Holding of seminar “Environmental problems and role of green economy in their solving” in Buryatia, which goes within the scope of Outcome 2.3, for specialists of Ministry of nature resources of Buryatia and Ministry of environment and green development of Mongolia helped to develop practical recommendations for consolidation of state, society and business efforts for mutual solving of ecological problems and rising of ecological security of nature resources use.

download training materials...

The Government of Buryatiya region and the Federal Tourism Agency organize International forum «Eco-tourism on Lake Baikal +20». The forum is organized within the framework of the Year of Environment, will be the basement for discussions about contemporary eco-tourist standards, learning exchange of best practices of ecological development, using ecological technologies and products, eco-education, eco-tourism collaboration in the Baikal Region.

The round table "Developing of an eco-tourism: initiatives and partnership of business, society and government" will be organized by the UNDP-GEF project "Integrated Natural Resource Management in the Baikal Basin Transboundary Ecosystem".

download the round table articles...

The conference is held within the framework of the Year of Environment, held in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on 10.08.2012,  № 1157., organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Republic of Buryatia, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Baikal Association of deputies of the State Duma, the Fund for Protection of lake Baikal, the Russian Geographic Society.

Preamble. One of the major challenges of sustainable development of the Baikal region is the scientific support of socio-economic development. Previously, such activities with the participation of federal ministers held every 5 years in the major conferences on the development of the productive forces of the federal subjects and Siberia as a whole.

Recent international scientific conferences of that rank were held in Ulan-Ude, in 1994 and 1998 on the initiative of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The result was to attract the world's attention to the problems of protection and sustainable development of the lake Baikal and the Baikal region, the inclusion of Lake Baikal in the UNESCO list of world natural heritage, the adoption of the Law "On the Protection of the lake Baikal " and the first two federal programs on lake Baikal (1994 and 2001).

Since that time the discussion of scientific programs was practically collapsed and the main activities were limited to the conduct of the Baikal Economic Forum and the search of investments.

The purpose of the conference:

- discussion scientific programs of development of the Baikal region and the problems of protection of Lake Baikal in the new social and economic realities in the creation of the Ministry of Development of the Far East and Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization,

- invitation international organizations to the problems of preservation of Lake Baikal as a World Heritage Site.

Main conference reports must be presented by the Federal economic and environmental agencies, large state corporations, the leading Russian and foreign scientists, and representatives of international environmental organizations.

The program and the basic directions:

- The federal target program "Protection of Lake Baikal and the socio-economic development of the Baikal natural territory" in the past, present and future;

- The Law of the Russian Federation "On Protection of Lake Baikal" and the problems of its implementation;

- International cooperation on Lake Baikal: results and prospects;

- Monitoring of natural and social processes in the Baikal region for sustainable development;

- Environmental culture and the role of civil society organizations;

- The development of a system of protected areas;

- "Green" economy in industry and agriculture;

- Sustainable energy development and the problems of gasification of the region;

- Transboundary river basin of Selenga or river without borders;

- Economic and environmental governance on the Baikal natural territory;

- The Baikal pulp and paper mill in the present and the future;

- Mechanisms of regulation of environmental activities in the central ecological zone;

- Society in terms of environmental constraints;

- Transport and engineering infrastructure of the Baikal natural territory in the context of globalization.

A commemorative meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission on Lake Baikal, devoted to the 20th anniversary of its activity will be organized during the conference.

The conference will be dated as a start of the international air expedition "Lake Geneva (Switzerland) - Lake Baikal cooperation between Europe and Russia."

Within international conference "Rivers of Siberia and Far East" the round table "Eco-tourism developing like alternative to "resource" economic" was organized. The recommendations were developed and included into the final conference resolution, particular: "to use positive experience of UNDP-Coca-Cola project "Every drop matters" in other international projects and in the Baikal Project in 2013-2015 years".