UN Convention on Biological Diversity - 9th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties

From 19 to 30 May 2008 Germany hosted the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Nearly 7,000 participants from 191 countries opened the Conference to take takes steps to conserve and sustainably manage the world’s biodiversity in light of the alarming rate of loss of species, compounded by the pressures from climate change.

The Conference, the largest gathering to date of the Convention on Biological Diversity, takes place less than two years before the deadline, agreed by governments at their previous meeting two years ago in Brazil, to meet the target of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss (2010 target) and to devise a system that provides access to, and shares the benefits from, the genetic resources of the world fairly between developing and developed countries.

Key issues on the agenda were directly linked to the current food price crisis, the loss of forests, climate change, and efforts to eradicate poverty.

“The Bonn Biodiversity meeting is taking place at a defining moment in the history of mankind”- said Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity. “The challenge is daunting and I call upon all states to adopt exceptional efforts.Half measures and business-as-usual are no longer options when it comes to the unprecedented loss of biodiversity, which, in the future will be compounded by climate change.” Mr. Djoghlaf pointed to a new report by the development economist Pavan Sukhdev which puts the economic cost of the loss of the benefits that biodiversity provides at $3.1 trillion a year, or 6 per cent of the global gross national product.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is also taking a leading role and is the first multilateral environmental agreement that has created and implemented an integrated plan to minimize the environmental impacts of its operations,” said Mr. Djoghlaf.

Some LEAD fellows, among those Oliver Hillel and Sarah Moon, took part to the event.

For more information on the Convention, visit the website: http://www.cbd.int/

Release date: Monday, May 19, 2008