Planning Establishment - Jeju Global Education and Training Centre for International Designated Areas

-Follow-up to the Resolution Adopted at 2016 WCC-

▢ In an effort to implement an action plan* under the agenda “Harmonized Management of International Designated Areas,” adopted at 2016 World Conservation Congress, which was hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last September, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced that it will carry forward a project to establish “Jeju Global Education and Training Centre for International Designated Areas” (tentative) as a category 2 center of UNESCO and operate education and training programs for management of international designated areas.

* To establish and operate education and training programs in cooperation with the Ramsar Convention and UNESCO in order to apply and disseminate IUCN guidelines.

▢ The project emanated from the resolution, ‘Establishing Integrated Management System of Internationally Protected Areas’ adopted at the World Conservation Congress held in Jeju in 2012.

- At that time, by adopting this resolution, representatives from around the world global representatives recognized the possibility of environmental conservation and sustainable development and identified the increasing interest in management and education on international protected areas.

- In 2013, in order to establish an integrated management system of protected areas, under the leadership of IUCN, the Korean government (the Ministry of Environment), Jeju Province, and world-class experts agreed on the establishment of an integrated management system and went into action.

- For the past three years, IUCN, UNESCO, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the Ministry of Environment have cooperated to collect ideas, recommendations, and case studies on international designated areas.

- The final guidance* was completed last September and announced at the 2016 IUCN WCC.

* Managing MIDAs : Harmonizing the management of Multi-Internationally Designated Areas: Ramsar Sites, World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO Global Geoparks.

▢ In addition, the 2016 WCC held in Hawaii adopted the Guidance on Muti- Internationally Designated Areas, submitted by the cooperation with UNESCO, the Ramsar Convention and IUCN, raising awareness of the necessity for professional education and training on the management of designated areas aimed at administrators, policy-makers, and local residents.

▢ Against this backdrop, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has decided to request to establish ‘Jeju Global Education and Training Center for Internatinal Designated Areas’ as a UNESCO’s caterory 2 center, and will submit a plan to the central government with an objective to be approved at the 39thGeneralConferenceofUNESCO.