International news

Following traditional blessings by Elders of the local Mohawk Community of Kahnawake, delegates to the tenth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity will begin discussions on a number of important topics related to the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.

The science body under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meets this week to discuss a wide array of biodiversity-related issues critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and tackling climate change. These discussions, taking place at the twenty-first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-21), being held in Montreal, Canada, from 11 to 14 December 2017, will lay the foundation for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

Message of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, on the occasion of International Mountain Day 11 December 2017: "Mountains under pressure: climate, hunger and migration"

The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, following the deposit of the instrument of acceptance by Japan on 5 December 2017, will enter into force on 5 March 2018.

10 official working documents and 14 information documents for the twenty-first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-21), being held in Montreal, Canada, 11 - 14 December 2017, are now available on the SBSTTA website.

Soil is a symbol of fertility. It is the origin of life. It is the basis for food production.

As we all know, the business and environment communities were historically not close allies. It was long believed that economic growth could not be compatible with a healthy environment. Thankfully, that has changed. We now know that the conservation and sustainable use of ocean resources is not a barrier to economic growth, but that it makes perfect business sense.

Dr. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, hosted a breakfast discussion on 16 November 2017 on the margins of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The event encouraged invited guests to champion actions that achieve multiple outcomes at the national, regional and global levels - particularly on poverty eradication, climate change, disaster risk reduction, land degradation and desertification, and biodiversity goals, by acting to conserve, sustainably use and restore biodiversity and ecosystems.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Development Law Organization renewed their collaboration for a joint capacity building program to support the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization.

The Executive Secretaries of the Biological Diversity, Climate Change, and Desertification Conventions are calling for the establishment of a Facility to secure finance for large projects that will help to address common issues.