UNESCO

The Global Geoparks Network is a legally
constituted not-for-profit organization
which the 120 UNESCO Global Geoparks
so far designated across 33 countries
are required to join. UNESCO supports
Member States’ efforts to establish
UNESCO Global Geoparks all around
the world.
UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere
(MAB) Programme has been running for
more than 40 years. Its aim is to establish
a scientific basis for the sustainable
relationships between people and
their environments. Its International
Co-ordinating Council is responsible for
designating UNESCO Biosphere Reserves,
sites that promote solutions to reconcile
the conservation of biodiversity with its
sustainable use.
The 27th session of MAB’s
International Co-ordinating Council
(ICC) took place in June at UNESCO
Headquarters. It added 20 new sites
to the World Network of Biosphere
Reserves, creating a total of
651 sites in 120 countries, including
15 transboundary sites. The ICC
examined the periodic review reports
for the biosphere reserves, which
aim to reconcile the conservation of
biodiversity with the sustainable use
of natural resources.
The East Asian Biosphere Reserve
Network (EABRN) has now been
operating for 20 years, putting it
among the longest-running and most
active bodies of its kind in the world.
EABRN brings together conservation
scientists, biosphere reserve managers,
local communities and civil society
representatives for open exchanges,
debates, research and cooperation.
UNESCO UIS offers the latest data to measure investment
in science and innovation
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) eAtlas of Research and Experimental Development presents
the latest data on resources devoted to R&D in almost 200 countries and territories. Available in
English, French and Spanish, this edition tracks trends and measures the impact of policies that reflect
the renewed emphasis on investment in science in the SDGs. Its baseline data is essential to measure
progress on priorities such as the educational qualifications of researchers, their global distribution
and the fields of science pursued in research. Many indicators are disaggregated by gender, making it
possible to better evaluate the role of women in science.
Innovation is key to development, but the lack of standardized definitions and indicators has
made it a challenge to measure innovation or produce indicators. To help fill the gap, UIS has
also produced new indicators on innovation in manufacturing, covering the types of innovation
implemented by firms, the activities and linkages they make use of, and the obstacles they face.
This dataset represents the first collection of publicly available indicators on types of innovation
for 65 countries at different stages of development, including several in Africa. UIS is also working
with countries and regional partners to structure the national production of innovation statistics,
in particular by providing conceptual and methodological training about data collection and
analysis to help form national capacity.
Infographic from
the UNESCO UIS
eAtlas of Research
and Experimental
Development
with breakdown
information on
the sources of
funding for research
and development
activities
per country.
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© UNESCO/UIS