My Visit to UNESCO Paris by Ruth Simons

In 2021, the designation of Howe Sound was to be celebrated in Paris during the 50th Anniversary of UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves and UNESCO’s 75th anniversary. Unfortunately, due to COVID, that in-person opportunity for our team to receive the designation in Paris was thwarted.

I travelled to Paris in March on a personal mission. I had the opportunity to visit this important institution and learn firsthand about its history. I met with the Director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences and Secretary of the MAB Programme, Mr. António Abreu, Programme Specialist Serena Heckler, and Amélie Ghulam Nabi, Program Officer with the Canadian Delegation to UNESCO. I shared information about the ongoing good work in our Biosphere over the past four years since our designation.

The tour of the UNESCO headquarters and property is open to the public and worth a visit to learn the history, view the Brutalist architecture, and see the art, including a Henry Moore sculpture and an original Picasso Painting. With its mission for peace, the institution of UNESCO is more relevant than ever.

Let us not forget that “after two World Wars in less than thirty years, UNESCO was born of a clear vision: to achieve lasting peace, economic and political agreements among states are not enough. We need to bring people together through mutual understanding and dialogue between cultures.

Over the years, UNESCO has launched pioneering programmes to achieve this. From the very beginning, UNESCO denounced racism, and mobilized philosophers, artists, the brightest minds from every nation, to develop innovative projects that changed how we see the world: The Universal Copyright Convention…. Biosphere Reserves…. World Heritage…. Intangible Heritage…”

I believe the connection to this global network makes all the work towards a more sustainable Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound inspiring. We have the fortune to live where nature and humanity thrive, and our work as a model region contributes to the mission of UNESCO’s leading initiative in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development by enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.

Ruth is the Executive Director and President of Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society.