A small Secretariat is responsible for the management and coordination of the Countdown 2010 network. At its first meeting in February 2004, the Partners’ Assembly requested the IUCN Regional Office for Pan-Europe (ROfE) to host the Countdown 2010 Secretariat. In its action, the Secretariat applies the principle of subsidiarity: it only undertakes those activities that the Partners are not able to undertake by themselves. It profiles and builds on existing initiatives and products, adding value through communication, facilitation, coordination and profiling the work of its Partners.

The Secretariat therefore seeks to involve as many organizations and to form as many strategic partnerships as possible in order to achieve the objectives of Countdown 2010. The Secretariat performs the following functions:

• strive to increase the number of participating organizations throughout Europe and beyond;
• keep an updated database on Partners and project implemented under the Countdown 2010 umbrella;
• invite individuals in participating organizations to become members of the Advisory Board;
• communicate intensively with Partners to build their understanding and ownership of Countdown 2010;
• promote long and short-term secondments of staff and interns from partners to the Secretariat;
• develop and implement the communications and media strategy;
• help prepare events and organize ad-hoc conference and workshop on Countdown 2010 issues;
• authorise use of the Countdown 2010 logo for fundraising purposes;
• undertakes financial and human resource administration of the initiative;
• provides overall day-to-day coordination of Countdown 2010.

The Countdown 2010 Secretariat often organizes events on biodiversity-related topics. At EU level, The Secretariat works with each Presidency of the Council of the European Union to make sure biodiversity is kept high on the agenda of the EU. Click here for a list of previous events organized with the Presidencies.

Countdown 2010 also has engaged in several joint projects which aimed to raise awareness of biodiversity loss. See more.

The Countdown 2010 Secretariat also hosts Tematea, an IUCN-UNEP partnership on issue-based modules for a coherent implementation of biodiversity-related conventions.

Contact the Countdown 2010 Secretariat.