• Abertis, through its Foundation, organizes various meetings related to sustainability, the environment and climate change, both in the COP25-IFEMA space and at its headquarters, located on the ‘Castellana Verde’ axis.
• In Castellana, in front of the company’s headquarters, the outdoor exhibition ‘Our biosphere, our future. Local actions for the Sustainable Development Goals’ has been installed.
• Within the actions to reduce energy expenditure, the company turns off the interior lights of its offices at night.
• The Abertis Foundation has been the promoter of the Castellet Declaration for the Protection of Biodiversity, which warns of the serious consequences that the current pace of biodiversity loss can have on the planet and the fulfillment of the SDGs.

The Abertis Group, through its Foundation, is part of the group of sponsoring companies of the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25), which is held in Madrid from December 2 to 13.

Abertis participates in the Conference by organizing various meetings related to sustainability, the environment and climate change, both within the framework of the central events carried out at the IFEMA and the Castellana Verde axis, including various side events that the company’s headquarters will host on Paseo de la Castellana.

Activities in the COP25-IFEMA space

• December 12: Colloquium between the general manager of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, and the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, on ‘Public-private partnerships and the Castellet case’, moderated by the Abertis Foundation.

Activities at Abertis headquarters

• December 10: ‘Young people and the fight against climate change in the Biosphere Reserves’. Youth work day of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere program, organized by the Youth Forum of the Spanish Network of Biosphere Reserves in collaboration with UNESCO and the Abertis Foundation.
• December 11: ‘The youth of Biosphere Reserves: an opportunity for the fight against climate change’. Conclusions of the previous day and presentation of the exhibition ‘Our biosphere, our future. Local actions for the Sustainable Development Goals’.
• December 12: ‘Towards sustainable road safety’. Presentation of the report ‘The socioeconomic impact of traffic accidents with child victims’, entrusted by Abertis to the London School of Economics, in collaboration with UNICEF.

On Paseo de la Castellana, in front of the company’s headquarters, the exhibition ‘Our biosphere, our future. Local actions for the Sustainable Development Goals’ has been installed. This is an outdoor exhibition, which shows the importance of the role of biosphere reserves in the fight against climate emergency.

Additionally, within the actions to fight climate change by reducing energy expenditure, the company turns off the interior lights of its corporate offices on Paseo de la Castellana at night. Abertis also joins awareness actions through its social media channels via the hashtag #TiempoDeActuar. 

The UNESCO International Center for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves 

The institutional headquarters of the Abertis Foundation, located in the Castellet Castle (Barcelona), was declared in 2013 UNESCO International Center for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves (CIURBN). This is the first experience of public-private collaboration in the field of Category 2 centers of the Biosphere Reserve network, recognized by the United Nations organization. In 2018, CIURBN incorporated two new reserves, the cities of Dana and Mujib in Jordan, thus reinforcing its commitment to cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

Category 2 centers are UNESCO-sponsored centers and institutes that represent a special modality in the United Nations system: they are created and funded by the member states and their main destination is the achievement of the strategic objectives of the MaB (Man and Biosphere) program of UNESCO.

The more than 70 territories that form the Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve Network (RRBMed) include a set of diverse and representative sites that hold an exceptional heritage related to biodiversity, landscapes and cultural expressions.

Since its creation, the UNESCO International Center has established itself as a center for the diffusion of ideas, projects and knowledge, being a paradigm of sustainable heritage management.

The ‘Castellet Declaration’ against the climate emergency 

Recently, the Abertis Foundation, hand in hand with UNESCO and the Ministry of Ecological Transition –through the Autonomous Organization of Natural Parks– has promoted the Castellet Declaration for the Protection of Biodiversity, a manifesto to warn of the serious consequences that the current pace of biodiversity loss can have on the planet and the significance of the United Nations sustainable development goals, including those related to poverty, hunger and health.

Regarding the role of the Biosphere Reserves in the maintenance of the planet’s biodiversity, according to the manifesto, ‘they are places of support for research where socio-ecological systems are evaluated and managed in order to protect the environment, and facing the loss of biodiversity and global change, as well as prioritizing the development of local communities’.

About Abertis and its Foundation 

Abertis is one of the leading international operators in toll road management, with more than 8,600 kilometers of high capacity and quality roads in 15 countries in Europe, America and Asia. Abertis is the first national toll road operator in countries such as Spain, Chile and Brazil, and also has an important presence in France, Italy and Puerto Rico.

The Abertis Foundation was born to respond to the impact of Abertis’ activity in the countries in which it operates. Its programs and activities are aimed at promoting road safety, social action, and respect for sustainability and the environment.

• Press release
• Pictures of the exhibition