Statement

By the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions (BLG)

Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Opening session

Montreal, 7 December 2022

Thank you, Mr. Chair,

Honourable Minister, distinguished delegates, colleagues, 

I am pleased to speak on behalf of the executive leads of the eight global biodiversity-related conventions, who together make up the Biodiversity Liaison Group. These are the CBD, the Convention on Migratory Species, CITES, the International Plant Protection Convention, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the International Whaling Commission, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.

Our Conventions each have an essential role in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and in effectively addressing the drivers of biodiversity loss.

Together we bring mandates and expertise that will directly contribute to the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), including the conservation of migratory species and their habitats, regulation of international trade in wild plants and animals, science and stewardship of cetaceans, wise use and protection of wetlands as well as natural and cultural sites of outstanding universal value for humanity, and ensuring genetic diversity and protection of plants at the heart of global agriculture.

Our Conventions also provide a means to deliver elements of the GBF that require cooperation among Parties at the regional, subregional, transboundary and global levels.

CBD Parties have recognized the important role that the biodiversity-related Conventions can play in implementing the GBF, first and foremost, by including in its Goals and Targets many areas in which we have specialized mandates that directly speak to the GBF. 

Many of the COP15 decisions also recognize the value of  cooperation among our conventions, including for:

• technical and scientific support;
• capacity‑building;
• planning, monitoring, reporting and review;
• financial support for implementation and
• awareness raising and outreach.

Following COP15, we will be identifying specific areas in which we can contribute to implementation and monitoring of the GBF in a meaningful and impactful manner to achieve more than the sum of our parts including, for example, through joint programmes of work.

But the single most effective and powerful way to ensure synergies in implementing the GBF is to reflect the commitments and objectives of the various biodiversity-related conventions in Parties’ National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans.  We would like to stress the value of involving National Focal Points of the BLG conventions in the updating or alignment of NBSAPs, and continuing to engage with our Secretariats.

Through the coherent implementation of the GBF, Parties will maximize their work to reverse the loss of biodiversity and ensure sustainable development for all.

We look forward to continuing our work together, both in the coming days and in the implementation of the GBF and other key decisions that will be adopted at this UN Biodiversity Conference.  

Thank you.

Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of CMS