The First International Biosphere Reserve Congress was held in Minsk, Byelorussia/USSR on 26 September to 2 October 1983 and was jointly organised by Unesco and UNEP, in cooperation with FAO and IUCN, to review the experience of the past ten years and to lay down outlines to guide the development of the biosphere reserve network in the future. More specifically, the objectives of the Congress were to present a synthesis of the current status and trends of biosphere reserves around the world; on the basis of the above, to define more precisely the functions and role of biosphere reserves.