UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The CBD is the treaty closest to IUCN’s heartland. It takes a comprehensive rather than a sectoral approach to conservation of the Earth's biodiversity and sustainable use of biological resources.

IUCN at CBD COP15Photo: IUCN

Beyond conserving nature, we need to conserve its biological diversity - for its intrinsic value but also because it underpins human well-being and sustainable development.

IUCN has been involved in the CBD since its drafting and through its development, providing technical and policy advice to the Parties to the CBD and supporting the CBD Secretariat for the implementation of the Convention and its protocols. IUCN has produced numerous policy papers and background papers for the meetings of the Subsidiary Bodies to the Convention and the Conference of the Parties, leveraging the experience of its thematic teams, its regional presence and its wide membership.

IUCN's knowledge products provide data for biodiversity assessments, inform the setting of global and national targets and contribute to the development of biodiversity indicators.

IUCN's work with the CBD includes:

  • supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework;
  • providing support for the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing;
  • contributing and assisting Parties in the revision, update, and development of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs); 
  • influencing the CBD negotiations to promote conservation through the development and advocacy of policy papers

IUCN at CBD COP15

IUCN participated in the CBD COP15 in Montreal to advocate for a post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework that sets coherent and ambitious goals and targets to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030.

The Conference of the Parties (COP)  adopted a new strategic plan to transform society’s relationship with biodiversity and ensure that by 2050, we live in harmony with nature.

For IUCN, this means protect what we still have, restore degraded ecosystems, and address direct threats to biodiversity to avoid further damage. But also, there is a need to change the way we consume and the way we produce. Making this plan work will need everyone to be involved, not just Parties to the Convention, and we need to allocate sufficient resources – both financial and non-financial.

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Large event | 17 October, 2022
IUCN at CBD COP15
IUCN participated in the CBD COP15 in Montreal to advocate for a post-2020 Global Biodiversity…