Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan, will visit Curitiba, Brazil, from 3 to 13 Jan 2010.

The minister will give an opening address as the Guest-of-Honour at the second Curitiba Meeting on Cities and Biodiversity on 6 Jan 2010.

The Meeting is a major milestone for cities as they prepare for the City Biodiversity Summit (tentative name), which will take place in Nagoya, Japan, from 24 to 26 Oct 2010.

Mr Mah will be speaking about the development of the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity and encourage cities to participate in its testing and refinement.

Singapore is leading the development of the Index - the first index that will enable cities to monitor their biodiversity conservation efforts - as a responsible member of the global community.

The Meeting will be attended by representatives from various cities and countries, representatives of the scientific community, as well as urban development and biodiversity experts from around the world.

In addition to the meeting, Mr Mah will lead a delegation on a working trip to various cities in Brazil, including Brasilia, Manaus and Rio de Janeiro.

He will meet with a number of mayors and governors to exchange learning points on sustainable development, and also members of the business community to explore areas of mutual interest.

Mr Mah will be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of National Development and the National Parks Board.