- What is it?: Legally binding multilateral treaty established in 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
- Aim: To achieve sustainable development through 3 main goals:
- The conservation of biological diversity.
- Sustainable utilisation of its components.
- Fair sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
- Parties: 196 parties to the Convention- all UN member states, excluding the United States, have ratified
- Cartagena Protocol (On Biosafety)
- International agreement adopted in 2000, part of the CBD. (entered into force in 2003)
- Focuses on the safe handling, transport, and use of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
- Aims to address technology development, transfer, benefit-sharing, and biosafety issues.
- India is a party.
- Nagoya Protocol (On Access and Benefit-sharing)
- Adopted in 2010, it is a supplementary agreement to the CBD.
- Focuses on access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilisation.
- Entered into force in 2014, with 137 parties, including India
- International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA)
- Known as the International Seed Treaty, aligns with CBD.
- Aims to guarantee food security through the conservation, exchange, and sustainable use of plant genetic resources, ensuring fair and equitable benefit sharing.
- Aichi Biodiversity Targets
- Agreed upon at CBD COP 12 in 2014 as a part of Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.
- Includes goals to address underlying causes of biodiversity loss, reduce direct pressures, safeguard ecosystems, enhance benefits from biodiversity, and promote participatory management
- Sharm El Sheikh Declaration – New Deal for Nature
- Adopted at COP 14 in Egypt.
- Focuses on integrating biodiversity into legislative and policy frameworks.
- Aims to develop a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. (after failed Aichi targets) to achieve the 2050 vision for biodiversity known as New Deal for Nature.
- COP-15 of the UN CBD
- Adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework).
- Sets four global goals to be achieved by 2050, including reducing extinction rates, sustainable biodiversity use, fair benefit-sharing, and closing the biodiversity finance gap.
- A new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund will be established under the Global Environment Facility. It targets at least USD 200 billion annually by 2030
- COP – 16 of CBD
- Aim: The primary aim of this convention was to create actionable measures to meet biodiversity goals set during COP-15 in Montreal, Canada, which include the “30-by-30” agreement (protecting 30% of land and water by 2030).
- Outcomes
- Indigenous Participation: A subsidiary body involving indigenous groups in biodiversity and conservation discussions was agreed upon.
- Digital Sequence Information (DSI): Controversial discussions took place around benefit-sharing mechanisms, where no consensus was reached on contributions from countries or corporations.
- Agreement: Agreements reached include efforts on biodiversity and climate change integration, invasive species control, and supporting KMGBF implementation.