17 October 2014: At an event on the margins of the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 12), ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center (CBC) and partners, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), launched ‘Urban Natural Assets for Africa’ (UNA Africa). The project, which will support local implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in sub-Saharan African cities, will be implemented under the Urban Biosphere Initiative (URBIS).

UNA Africa, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through SwedBio at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, will support knowledge exchange between key actors in African cities through capacity development on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The 2015 URBIS Webinar Series meant to stimulate dialogue on specific urban challenges, new developments and collaborative opportunities was also launched at the event. [ICLEI CBC News]