COP 15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity: Joint declaration of the executive secretaries of the five regional commissions of the United Nations in support of the new Global Biodiversity Framework

The high-level hybrid parallel event had the support of the European Union cooperation through the “Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework EU Support” program and Expertise France, represented by Jérémie Pellet, Director General of Expertise France highlighted the importance of the regional commissions as strategic partners to help nations develop national objectives and support the implementation of the framework, as well as the generation of common spaces at the regional level to converge common visions.

Each regional commission had the opportunity to share their vision of how to address the main challenges they are working on. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Economic and Social for Western Asia (ESCWA). The ES expressed their commitment to a joint, coordinated and coherent collaboration to help achieve the objectives of the new Global Biodiversity Framework. During the event moderated by the famous journalist Femi Oke, the participants were encouraged to dialogue with the high authorities present and online and the governments of Egypt, Chile and the Maldives which addressed the role of the regional commissions in generating cooperation and regional coordination for the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources.

The regional commissions recognized the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services, the need to increase efforts to address the multiple global crises, especially the crisis of biodiversity loss and degradation, and pave the way for transformative changes in societies, economies and institutions. They also declared their commitment to promote the integration of biodiversity and promote transformative changes, promote the development of legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks based on human rights to regulate and ensure the right to a healthy, clean, safe and sustainable environment; promote collaboration and dialogue within and between regions, strengthen the exchange of knowledge on biodiversity through regional forums and support the strengthening of the capacities of United Nations Member States to mobilize investment, among other aspects. (See statement in attached files).

The Executive Secretary of ECLAC, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs stated that: “ECLAC is developing a strategic approach and disseminating best practices on integration and transformative governance. The approach includes multi-stakeholder dialogues, internal training, and national and subnational technical assistance.” and that “ECLAC will give continuity to various initiatives framed in what we have called the “Big push towards sustainability” and sectoral structural transformation. We have delved into various sectors that present opportunities for this great boost”.

On the other hand, Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe declared: “Biodiversity is not an end in itself. It has taken millions of years of evolution to reach this level of diversity. However, it has been declining at an unprecedented rate. That is why the UN system has joined forces to reverse this trend. Along the same lines, Antonio Pedro, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa he claimed that it is crucial that we strengthen the valuation of natural capital, including biodiversity, and that we undertake rigorous and results-oriented policy analysis of the links to biodiversity.

Tamer Abogharara, adviser to the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment made a called to that “All the actors, from civil society to the private sector, including young people, have to act together to achieve the ultimate goal we have, which is to preserve biodiversity.”

A video was also presented which serves as a context for the joint statement of the ES of the commissions, which highlights the role of a regional approach and interregional collaboration in global challenges to halt the loss and degradation of biodiversity.

Link to video