World’s biggest nature protection conference: UNCBD

World’s biggest nature protection conference: UNCBD

16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has officially opened in Cali, Colombia.

This conference is considered the world's most important event for conserving biodiversity.

Attendees: Around 15,000 delegates are expected to attend, including 12 heads of state, 103 ministers, and over 1,000 international journalists.

Theme: The theme for this year is "Peace with Nature". 

Objectives: The conference aims to develop monitoring and funding mechanisms to ensure that the 23 UN targets agreed in 2022 to "halt and reverse" species destruction can be met by 2030.

About the UN Convention on Biological Diversity 

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), also known as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty with three main goals: 

1. Conservation of Biological Diversity: Protecting ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity. 

2. Sustainable Use of its Components: Ensuring that the use of natural resources is sustainable and does not lead to their depletion. 

3. Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits: Promoting the fair distribution of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The CBD was opened for signature on May 22, 1992, and came into force on December 29, 1993. It has been ratified by 196 countries, making it one of the most widely adopted environmental agreements.

The CBD also includes two supplementary agreements: the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization.

About the Cartagena Protocol and the Nagoya Protocol 

Cartagena Protocol: 

Objective: The Cartagena Protocol aims to ensure the safe handling, transport, and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health.

Adoption: It was adopted on January 29, 2000, and entered into force on September 11, 2003.

Key Features: The protocol establishes procedures for moving LMOs across borders, including the Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) procedure, which requires that countries be notified before LMOs are imported.

Nagoya Protocol: 

Objective: The Nagoya Protocol provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

Adoption: It was adopted in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, and entered into force on October 12, 2014.