Canada Elected to UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere International Coordinating Council
Ottawa, November 10, 2025 – The Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO) is proud to announce that Canada has been elected to the Man and the Biosphere International Coordinating Council (MAB-ICC). MAB-ICC is the primary governing body for UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves, which includes 19 designated sites in Canada. The election took place on November 10, 2025, during UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The MAB-ICC brings together 34 Member States to guide UNESCO’s work on sustainability science, conservation, and the relationship between people and nature. Canada’s four-year term (2025–2029) marks its return to the Council since 1995.
Canada will be represented jointly on the Council by Jean-Philippe L. Messier, Chair of the Canadian MAB Committee (CC-MAB), and Olaf Jensen, Director of the Protected Areas Division with the Canadian Wildlife Service in Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), in coordination with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The appointment positions Canada to influence global sustainability policies and strengthen collaboration across UNESCO’s international networks.
Canada’s election to UNESCO’s International Coordinating Council for Man and the Biosphere is a proud recognition of our leadership in conservation, sustainability, and reconciliation. We are ready to further contribute to global efforts that strengthen the relationship between people and nature. Canada’s biosphere regions show how communities, Indigenous partners, and governments can work together to protect biodiversity and support resilient ecosystems. We look forward to sharing these successes and learning from others around the world.
– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Canada’s biosphere regions show what’s possible when we put nature at the centre of decision-making. Being elected to UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Council gives us a chance to bring those lessons to the global stage. We will work together based on our shared commitment to conservation to protect the natural world we all depend on.
– The Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature)
This milestone strengthens CCUNESCO’s partnerships with federal departments and the communities at the heart of Canada’s biosphere regions. It allows Canada to share what works here—and learn from others—so that local action continues to inspire global change.
– David Schimpky, Director of Secretariat, CCUNESCO
Canada's biosphere regions include 277 municipalities and 45 Indigenous communities across the country, which are home to more than 2 million Canadians. They are concrete tools for implementing and bringing major international sustainable development agendas to life at the local level. Canada’s election to the MAB-ICC reflects our strong commitment and high ambitions for this program at all levels.
– Jean-Philippe Messier, Chair of the Canadian MAB Committee and Executive Director of the Manicouagan-Uapishka Biosphere Region
This election gives Canada a concrete platform to defend and promote its values within a high-level international forum, particularly in terms of science-based conservation and inclusive approaches that integrate Indigenous and local knowledge. Furthermore, its seat on the MAB-ICC allows Canada to directly influence the governance of this UNESCO programme, under which Canadian designated sites contribute to the implementation of national strategies such as the 2030 Nature Strategy.
About the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO)
The Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO) serves as a bridge between Canadians and the vital work of UNESCO—the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Through its networks and partners, the Commission promotes UNESCO’s values, priorities and programs in Canada and brings the voices of Canadian experts to the international stage. Its activities are guided by the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other UNESCO priorities. CCUNESCO operates under the authority of the Canada Council for the Arts.
About the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme
UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) promotes innovative approaches to reconciling biodiversity conservation, social and economic development, and respect for local and Indigenous knowledge. Canada’s 19 designed biosphere regions (in Canada, the sites are known as biosphere “regions” instead of “reserves” – the term used by UNESCO) serve as living laboratories where communities develop and test concrete solutions to the major challenges of our time, such as climate change and biodiversity loss. They are part of the Canadian Biosphere Regions Association.
For more information, please contact:
Kate Declerck
Public Affairs Advisor
Canadian Commission for UNESCO
343-543-9205
kate.declerck@ccunesco.ca