21 May 2008: During their eighth annual gathering at UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris, France, UNESCO’s 19 Goodwill Ambassadors acknowledged that the Planet has never been subjected to such rapid and profound changes in the environment, and committed themselves to work to raise awareness about global warming and the need to modify human behavior towards greater caution and solidarity.

In his opening address, UNESCO’s Director-General Koïchiro Matsuuraidentified three key issues, Education for All, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, and Sustainable Development, with a particular focus on water, earth and ecological sciences and climate change in the International Year of Planet Earth. The Director-General said that “now more than ever, we must adopt an integrated approach to the challenges posed by climate change on water resources, ecosystems, food supply, coastal area, health and human migration…,” and observed that further research into the human aspects of these changes would be essential to manage the earth’s resources in a sustainable manner. [UNESCO Press Release]