Paraguay will host the 38th session of UNESCO's International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB-ICC) from June 3 to 6. The meeting will take place on the Paraguayan side of the Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric plant, located 14 km north of the Puente de la Amistad, on the border with Brazil. It will be the council's second historic meeting in Latin America, after the 2016 edition in Lima, Peru.
The choice of Itaipu as the venue was confirmed in April, with the signing of a Host Country agreement between the binational entity and UNESCO in Paris. Senator Eduardo Nakayama called the decision “right,” highlighting that “Itaipu is an example of how natural resources can be managed and, above all, wildlife preserved with the number of biological reserves it manages.” The legislator also emphasized the national and environmental interest that the Senate attributed to the event.
According to UNESCO, the meeting will serve to “advance the implementation of the MAB Programme,” launched in 1971 with the aim of improving the relationship between people and their environment through a conservationist approach. It is estimated that about 250 representatives, experts, and advisors from the 34 member countries of the council will participate, along with observers from UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. Access will be restricted to UNESCO invitees.