The city of Pyeongchang in Gangwon, host of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, will provide the backdrop for the 12th Conference of Parties (COP 12) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) this October.
Twenty thousand participants, including representatives from the CBD’s 193 member states, other international organizations and civil society, are expected to attend the conference and its side events.
The government’s offer to host the conference is another example of the engagement of the Republic of Korea on international environmental politics, said CBD Executive Secretary Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias in an e-mail interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.
It’s an important year for the UN organization, which promotes conservation and the sustainable use of nature, as the halfway mark of the UN Decade on Biodiversity (2011-2020) is approaching.
The term biodiversity refers to the degree of natural variation in genetic information, species and ecosystems.
The variation of life forms on Earth has been in decline due to man-made phenomena such as industrial activities, urbanization, climate change and the rise of invasive alien species through increased trade and tourism.
This year’s conference will see the Nagoya Protocol enter into force, a multilateral treaty that lays down the rules of access to genetic resources and encourages states to put in place systems of benefit-sharing.
Genetic resources are widely used in pharmaceutical research, bio-engineering and agribusiness, and they originate from areas rich in biodiversity that are predominantly located in developing countries.
Access and benefit-sharing mechanisms under the CBD will require researchers and companies interested in sourcing genetic resources to cooperate with national, local or indigenous governments, giving these entities a stake in R&D.
The potential for the Nagoya Protocol to contribute to sustainable development and the post-2015 sustainable development agenda has been recognized by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and can be seen in the benefits – both monetary and non-monetary – generated to date in countries as diverse as Australia, the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, India and South Africa, the executive secretary stated.
Diplomats gathering in Pyeongchang from Oct. 6 through 17 will also review the implementation process of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, a list of 20 policy objectives clustered under five strategic goals that include the mainstreaming of biodiversity across government and society; the promotion of sustainable use; the conservation of ecosystems, species and genetic diversity; the equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of natural resources; and cooperative strategies of implementation.
De Souza Dias said fulfilling the Aichi Targets also support[s] the goals of greater food security, healthier populations and improved access to clean water and sustainable energy for all, thus linking biodiversity to a broader development agenda.
The Brazilian official, a biologist by training, has been involved in the UN Convention’s development since its inception at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and was appointed head of the organization in January 2012 by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
JoongAng Ilbo