UEBT and CBD to work together on biodiversity loss
Agreement will promote biodiversity protection to businesses
The Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have signed a memorandum of understanding which will see the two organisations work together and contribute to the CBD’s Strategic Plan for biodiversity 2011 – 2020, part of the United Nations’ Decade on Biodiversity programme.
Under the plan, which contains 20 targets to help halt the loss of biodiversity by 2020, the UEBT and CBD will work together on key issues including raising public awareness of biodiversity and promote the role businesses can play in protecting biodiversity.
UEBT will provide regular inputs on biodiversity awareness through its Biodiversity Barometer, an annual study into biodiversity, and in addition both organisations will promote the value of biodiversity protection and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing to the business community.
“The business community can help advance the CBD objectives which are biodiversity conservation, its sustainable use and the equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources,” commented Rik Kutsch Lojenga, executive director, UEBT. “Implementing ethical sourcing practices is one way that companies can contribute to these objectives.”