The Path to UNESCO Biosphere Designation: Step Two Complete!

On July 29th, 2020, we sent our updated nomination package off to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO).

We have now completed step 2 of 5 along the path to the designation, following our initial application submitted on December 2, 2019. Reviewers appointed by CCUNESCO critiqued the 328-page document to ensure it met the criteria of the Statutory Framework for UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. See June 2020 update.

Changes incorporated into the updated document included final editing, additional letters of support, and clarity around Governance, Management, and Coordination. Our Society will be producing a synopsis of the 382-page application soon.

Throughout June and July, the board of Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society and partners participated in strategic planning to guide the transition of our Society to the implementation stage. This planning focused on building capacity for our organization to support our role of providing logistic support in pursuit of our mission.  

The next step is the endorsement by the Canadian Commission who will then send our nomination dossier to UNESCO in Paris before the end of the year. The final two steps are the review and endorsement by the International Advisory Coordinating Committee and the announcement of our designation in 2021.

If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the nomination document, contact us. For background on the UNESCO Biosphere Region nomination, read more here.