16-Feb-2018: MoU Signed between Botanical Survey of India and Natural History Museum, UK
Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Natural History Museum (NHM), UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of genetic/taxonomic studies, research and training, conservation in India, including species and habitat conservation assessments, etc.
The MoU will pave the way for BSI staff to work in Natural History Museum, London and vice-versa and they will share fairly and equitably the benefits that may arise from the collection, study and conservation of the plant materials such as seeds, herbarium specimens and tissue samples and exchange associated data and images. NHM will help BSI in capacity building in areas of systematic botany and long-term conservation of plant genetic resources in India.
Botanical research has a long history in India, and modern scientific institutions have developed over two centuries. The collection of Indian plants held in UK institutions, together with India’s own tremendous collections, are an invaluable resource for modern Indian botanical science. Collections, digitisation and study by Indian scientists will make these openly available for wider scientific use in India in areas such as biodiversity conservation, environmental protection, and preservation of plant resources for use in traditional health systems by rural communities.
Lakhs of herbarium specimens of Indian plants are located in the Natural History Museum in London, and a renewed partnership with the Botanical Survey of India is creating digital images of these specimens to make them available to Indian science. Three staff members of BSI have received Rutherford Fellowships (funded by the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - BEIS) to undertake this important work in London. They have received training in all aspects of digitisation and herbarium curation, and have already imaged some 16,000 sheets in plant families that are essential to crop science and food security. At the same time two botanists from NHM are working in BSI herbaria throughout the country, identifying specimens, capacity building, interacting with young Indian taxonomists and exchanging ideas.
This open science and collaboration is a core goal of both Botanical Survey of India and Natural History Museum, signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between BSI and NHM is set to develop further to the benefit of both India and the UK. Both countries are committed to the use of scientific evidence to support the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity, CITES and the Nagoya Protocol – this MOU will enable research that will underpin these national responsibilities.
Capacity building and scientific exchange between India and the UK will also be central to future work under the Memorandum of Understanding and will enable learning from each other and work collaboratively to address important scientific questions and deliver benefit to humanity.
11-Jan-2018: UN Environment Management Group Announces "Nexus Dialogues"
The Secretariat of the UN Environment Management Group (EMG) will hold a new series of ‘Nexus Dialogues,’ create two new Issue Management Groups and launch a campaign for waste management in the UN, among its activities in 2018. In addition, a biodiversity dialogue is expected to prepare terms of reference for a possible UN system-wide contribution to the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework and implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
In its newsletter of January 2018, the EMG Secretariat reports that upcoming dialogues will address sustainable consumption and production (SCP), biodiversity, and UN system support for SDG implementation at the national level. The dialogues seek to contribute to a common understanding of the integrated SDGs and targets on selected “nexus” themes.
The first nexus dialogue presented the nexus approach, in April 2017, while the second, held in July 2017, considered the nexus between poverty and environment and the SDGs. The third EMG Nexus Dialogue, in October 2017, explored interlinkages and partnerships between the environmental and humanitarian sectors, and the fourth took place in December 2017, alongside the third meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 3), and examined linkages between pollution and health.
IMGs are being created in the areas of environment-humanitarian linkages, and law for environmental sustainability.
Following the third nexus dialogue on environmental-humanitarian linkages, the EMG Senior Officials requested the preparation of terms of reference for an Issue Management Group (IMG) on strengthening the integration of environment into humanitarian action. The TOR are currently being prepared. An IMG is also being initiated in the area of law for environmental sustainability, which will be the topic of another Nexus Dialogue in 2018.
The EMG also will launch a waste management campaign dubbed ‘Say yes to less,’ to raise awareness of waste reduction and management among UN staff. In September 2018, the EMG Senior Officials Meeting will take place to address collective ways to enhance implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the area of environment.
The EMG is a UN system-wide coordination body on environment and human settlements. It was established in 2001 pursuant to a UN General Assembly resolution, supporting a proposal of the UN Secretary-General. Its members include the secretariats of the multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and other specialized agencies, programmes and organs of the UN. The group is chaired by the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme and supported by a secretariat provided by UNEP, located in Geneva, Switzerland. The EMG works through technical meetings, Issue Management Groups and task forces. Representatives of intergovernmental bodies, civil society and international non-governmental organizations can be invited to contribute.
5-Apr-2017: Union Cabinet approves Collaboration Agreement to support Belmont Forum Secretariat.
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of the Collaborative Agreement with French National Research Agency (ANR), France for supporting the Belmont Forum Secretariat from January, 2015 to December, 2017 at a total estimated expenditure of Euro 40,000. The Cabinet also approved continued financial support to Belmont Forum Secretariat beyond 2017.
The Belmont Forum, created in 2009, is a high level group of the world's major and emerging funders of global environmental change research and international science councils. It provides an opportunity to identify study and deliver international environmental research priorities, for the society, in an accelerated way through transnational research collaboration between natural and social scientists and alignment of international resources.
India is a member of Belmont Forum, besides Australia, Brazil, Canada, European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, Netherland, South Africa, UK and USA etc. Ministry of Earth Science (MoES), represents India in the Belmont Forum since 2012.
In order to coordinate the activities of the Belmont, a Secretariat is hosted by one of the Belmont forum member on rotational basis. ANR, France is hosting the Secretariat from January, 2015 to December, 2017. Expenditure for hosting the Secretariat will be borne by Belmont Forum member countries in kind or cash contribution.
The Agreement will help to maintain a certain degree of continuity in the operations of the Forum and also help in smooth coordination of the activities of Belmont Forum. As India is already participating in 4 Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs) and Secretariat will be coordinating the activities of Belmont Forum, Indian scientific community will ultimately benefit from this agreement.
Since the inception of Belmont Forum in 2009, its operations were being handled by a part-time secretariat associated with the respective Chairs of the Belmont Forum. As the Co-chairs are rotational, the Secretariat also rotates and sometime co-chairs are from different Continents with different time zone. In order to maintain a certain degree of continuity in the operations of the Forum, establishment of a Full-time Secretariat was agreed upon by Belmont Forum members, on rotational basis. ANR, France has agreed to host the Secretariat from January, 2015 to December, 2017.