MCD Deputy Director, Ms. Ho Thi Yen Thu, represented MCD to participate in the 7^th IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum organized in Islamabad, the Capital city of Pakistan. The Forum took place during November 6-8, 2019, with participation of more than 500 participants from 35 Asian countries.

The theme of this IUCN Asia RCF was “Greening Asia for Nature and People” to reflect the serious choices and actions the Asian region needs to make to reverse environmental declines of land, water and species and secure a healthy, livable planet for nature and people.

The Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the 7^th IUCN Asian with an inspiring speech “Protecting the environment was one of my priorities when I began the term as prime minister. Pakistan Government sees the need to pursue the development of effective policies geared towards conserving natural resources, ecosystems and biodiversity as the foundation for economic productivity and improved livelihoods, and they are key to achieving Sustainable Development Goals”

At the RCF, the delegates worked in nine plenary working sessions, made contribution to the IUCN Programme 2021 – 2024, discussed the most prioritized areas of work, and participated in tens of side forums and events with a wide spectrum of contents.

Photo: The Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurating the 7^th IUCN Asia RCF on November 6^th, 2019 (source: Dawn.com)

At the RCF, the delegation of IUCN members from Vietnam was engaged in various activities. A highlight among which was the discussion on nature based solutions for climate change in policy and planning with a presentation about CC in Mekong delta from Mr. Pham Phu Binh, Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Photo: Vietnamese delegates at the IUCN 7^th Asian RCF

The MCD representative, Ms. Thu, participated in all plenary sessions and a number of side sessions relevant to MCD work and her expertise, such as marine protected areas, marine plastic waste management, gender equality in coastal and marine governance, and climate change adaptation based on coastal and marine ecosystems. Experiences and lessons from MCD projects and activities were shared in those working sessions.

Photo: Ms. Thu and some Vietnamese delegates with Ms. Aban Marker Kabraji, IUCN Asia Regional Director, at the 7^th IUCN Asia RCF.

The Forum confirmed that our problems are complex, values are contested, and the future uncertain. In such context, strong partnerships are needed to implement conservation at the scales required, as the Pakistan President Arif Alvi said at the Forum concluding remarks “A comprehensive plan of action initiating from recognition of environmental problem, geo-fencing and devising steps for effective implementation is important to save the world for the sake of humanity”. We need to broaden and deepen the regional dialogues about how we relate to nature, motivate collective action, and ensure that nature-based solutions are fair, just and enduring.